“But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” Daniel 3:18.

“If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.” —Alexander Hamilton; this adage clearly points out that we must take courage and stand on our convictions. The fact is when we lay down our principles; we have lost our sense of character or who we really are. In the book of Daniel, chapter three, we find the account of three Hebrew boys by the name of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego; they stood facing a fiery furnace for refusal to obey and worship the king and his gods; but instead adamantly stood on their convictions to serve the one true and living God! “I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:3-4.

Even though the penalty for not serving the “gods” of Nebuchadnezzar was sudden death in the fiery furnace;  these men did not waver in their faith. The response given to Nebuchadnezzar speaks volumes of where their hearts lay: Daniel 3:17-18 states “If it be so, our God whom we serve can deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.”

In other words they were saying, If it be so, or if it is in the will of God for us, our God will deliver us this day out of your hands, because He is able…and if He chooses not to, we will still not bow down to your gods and worship your golden image; and as the scriptures give us the end of this account, God delivered Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego out of the fiery furnace that day! My friends, God can make a way where there is no way!

Where do you stand- are you willing to compromise your principles in the word of God and His saving grace for a man, woman, positions/ titles, job, additional finances, to fit in or belong, denouncing God for the riches of this world? Only the things that we do for Christ will last. “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Matthew 6:21.

Just like the three Hebrews boys, we must stand and say if He will or if he will not, He is still the Great I AM-He is Alpha and Omega and whatever way He chooses to provide and deliver me is okay! “And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.” Psalm 9:10.

So, let us check ourselves in every area; resolving to stand on our convictions, proclaiming Christ and striving to live in obedience to our Heavenly Father – yielding to His plan and not ours…no matter the cost- God is good! “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” Mark 8:36.

God is the lover and safe keeper of our souls; and whatever way He chooses to deliver us is far greater than anything we could ever imagine!

Gods’ peace, grace, and mercy be with us all.