In Touch Daily Devotional
Our Convictions—Our Defense
Build your life on the Word of God—it's always true.
January 19, 2025
Romans 14:20-23
20 Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are clean, but they are evil for the man who eats and gives offense.
21 It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles.
22 The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves.
23 But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin.
A person of conviction is confident his or her beliefs are true. In contrast, many people choose to believe something based on conditions and circumstances. And if those situations change, so do opinions and loyalty.
Let’s look at two men from Scripture who remained firm in their convictions. Despite years of unfair treatment, Joseph never wavered in his commitment to godly principles. As a result, he was in the right place at the right time to ensure the survival of Israel (Genesis 50:20 ``As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.) Daniel, another righteous man living in an idolatrous land, earned the trust of foreign kings by standing firm in his beliefs (Daniel 1:19-20 19 The king talked with them, and out of them all not one was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king's personal service.
20 As for every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king consulted them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and conjurers who were in all his realm.)
As these heroes of the faith show, godly convictions withstand the changing winds of opinion and the persuasive arguments of opponents. If we’re grounded in the Word and trust what God has said, we can stand firm. Confidence breeds the courage to remain strong amid the conflicts that arise.
Instead of following your own preferences, choose to live a life based on godly convictions and the values Scripture says are most important. Through prayer and study, the heavenly Father will firmly root us in solid biblical convictions that will withstand the pressures of any trial.
