Compromise? I Don't Think So!

// Lynette HAGIN

"For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified."
—1 Corinthians 2:2

It is vitally important that we keep our eyes focused on Jesus Christ and the truth of the Gospel. We must determine that we won't allow anything or anyone to distract us or become more important to us than Jesus.

We have to be as determined as Daniel was in the Old Testament. Nothing was going to stop him from serving his God. Daniel did not compromise—even in the face of enormous pressure. (See Daniel chapter 6.)

One problem with Christians today is that there is too much compromise taking place. In fact, some believers have compromised so much that you can't tell the difference between them and non-Christians. We must be determined not to compromise our convictions.

Daniel was a captive in a foreign land when his godly actions won the attention of the king. Daniel 6:3 says, "Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom" (NIV 1984). Daniel's favor and position with the king made the other leaders in the kingdom jealous, so they tried to find charges against Daniel. Verse 4 says, "They were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent" (NIV 1984).

So what did those jealous leaders do? They conspired to attack Daniel's faith in God. They had King Darius sign a decree stating that no one was to pray to any god or to anyone except the king.

Did Daniel stop serving the Lord or hide away to serve Him secretly in fear of being caught? No. Daniel did not compromise at all. He went up to his house. He opened his windows. He knelt down for all to see and prayed to his God—the God he knew would deliver him out of every test and trouble.

Daniel was determined that he would not compromise. He was confident of the fact that his God was able to deliver him out of any situation. And he had lived such a life in front of the king that the king believed Daniel's God could deliver him. When the king placed Daniel in the lions' den, he said, "Thy God whom thou servest CONTINUALLY, he will deliver thee" (Dan. 6:16). And God did deliver Daniel from the den of lions!

Refuse to Bow Down

Not only do we need to be as faithful and determined as Daniel, knowing that our God will deliver us out of every trial, but we also need to be as committed as the three Hebrew young men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men were determined that they would not bow before the king's graven image. And when they were told they would be thrown into a fiery furnace for their refusal, they did not compromise. (See Daniel chapter 3.)

When asked by the king what god was able to deliver them out of his hands, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego said, "We're not careful to answer you in this matter"
(Dan. 3:16). In other words, they said, "We don't have to think about your question; we can answer you immediately." And answer him they did! They said, "OUR GOD WHOM WE SERVE is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king" (Dan. 3:17).

Our foundation should be so firmly fixed on the Word of God that we don't have to think but can answer immediately when asked who is able to deliver us. We should have the same faith and confidence that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had in the Lord.

They believed that He was going to deliver them out of the fire. And He did! But they also said that even if God didn't deliver them, they still wouldn't
compromise and bow to the idol. They were going to continue serving the Lord their God—no matter what.

We must determine to live for Him—to
fix our eyes upon Jesus and Him only—
even if we are the only ones doing so!

Finish With Joy!

It takes that kind of commitment to live for God in the world today. We must determine to live for Him—to fix our eyes upon
Jesus and Him only—even if we are the only ones doing so!

We're not going to veer to the right; we're not going to veer to the left. We're going to build a foundation that nothing can shake! Whatever may come our way, we will stand firm on our Rock—the Lord Jesus Christ. He will carry us through every circumstance we face in life, and we will finish our course with joy!