Are you Standing Firm for Your Lord?
Written By Sarah Ann E.
Excerpts taken from the book “Lady In Waiting”
Used with Permission

I would like each of you to ask yourself the question that I have entitled this article, “Am I standing firm for my Lord?” I know most, if not all, can say that we are not standing up as we ought to for our Lord. As Christ’s followers, this is a very important matter of our lives. Are our convictions strong? Are our convictions ones that would please our Lord 100% or are they according to our liking? What is the meaning of “conviction?” “A conviction is a standard that serves as a springboard for your choices.”

“Ruth did not allow the past influences of a heathen culture to keep her from setting new standards and making wise choices for her life that would honor God. Ruth could have allowed herself to remain within a destructive family cycle that moved against God’s standards. She could have given up on a godly life style by assuming she was doomed as 'damaged goods.' But she didn’t. She chose, instead, to break her family’s sin cycle and establish a new godly cycle.” Are you willing to stand up for the Lord like Ruth? Are you willing to be looked down on because you do not fit in? A woman who is following the Lord with all her heart will not be one that will “fit in.” If we base our convictions according to the Lord’s standards in His word, we will look and act very different from everyone else. Are you different, or do you want to please others and “fit in” more than you want to please the Lord? Search your heart to see where you stand in this area.

“You, like Ruth, will be greatly affected by your choices. Ruth’s wise choices allowed her to break a godless family cycle and begin a new cycle that the Word of God triumphantly records. God has not changed—and neither have men. The high standards in God’s Word are not irrelevant, but completely applicable to finding God’s best for your life. Choices, guided by your convictions rather than by choices, determine your destiny. How wise have your decisions been in the past in regard to relating to and dating men? Have you made some poor choices that you can see were the result of your own lack of proper convictions in the areas of love, sex, and dating? Your present choices will affect the rest of your life in this delicate area that is often a collision course—male/female relating.”

“The Lady of Conviction gives the Lord permission to renew her mind on a daily basis. She spends time searching the Word of God for standards that will guide her safely to God’s best. She has made a significant choice as a godly woman. She has surrendered her mind to a new persuasion: God’s perspective on love and romance. The conviction that she establishes, based on the Word, allow her to resist being squeezed into the mold of this world. She is a non-conformist in a biblical sense, as in Romans 12:2 (NIV) which says, ‘Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.’” If you truly want your convictions to be according to the Lord’s standards, He will give you both the wisdom to make those convictions and the strength to stick to those convictions.

I encourage you to list out all your convictions. Then, find verses of Scripture to back up your convictions. This will help you see that your convictions are based on the Lord’s convictions. If you cannot find a verse to match your convictions, then check and make sure if they are really according to the Lord’s standards. You know this is also good to do because when you are asked why you have a certain conviction, then you have something to back it up with.

“If you want to live by God’s standards for love, sex, and dating [courting], you must prepare yourself for the inevitable resistance that ‘standard-bearers’ face. When you live by your convictions, many of your friends will consider you unrealistic. Facing such opposition from the people you love is not easy, but the Lord will give you the grace to refuse to compromise. Through Jesus’ strength you can stand firm, unwavering, as you wait for His best. If your friends pressure and oppose you, ask the Lord for the strength to be more concerned with being His friend and not His enemy through compromising standards.”

Once you have listed out your convictions and backed them with Scripture, stand firm on them. Do not let others lead you astray from where you believe the Lord wants you to stand. Stand fast in the faith.

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This page was last modified on Thursday, September 02, 2010