Psalm 118:6 ‘The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?’

DAILY READING; Luke 18:1-17; Genesis 29:31-30:43; Psalm 23

In the sixteenth century, there was a protestant reformer in England by the name of Hugh Latimer. He was known as one of the greatest preachers of his day. One time he was invited to preach before the King Henry VIII of England. As he thought about this great responsibility of bringing a message before the king he realized that the message that God laid on his heart was not the message that the king would want to hear.

When he eventually stood before the king, he began his sermon by saying “Latimer! Latimer! Do you remember that you are speaking before the high and mighty King Henry VIII; who has power to command you to be sent to prison, and who can have your head cut off, if it pleases him? Will you not take care to say nothing that will offend royal ears?”
He then paused and continued, “Latimer! Latimer! Do you not remember that you are speaking before the King of kings and Lord of lords; before Him, at whose throne Henry VIII will stand; before Him, to whom one day you will have to give account yourself? Latimer! Latimer! Be faithful to your Master, and declare all of God’s Word.”
Latimer faced the choice: would he preach what man wanted to hear or would he preach God’s undiluted Word? Latimer did take his stand for truth and preached boldly.
Eventually, he was martyred by King Henry’s daughter Queen Mary. However, later on, King Henry did die and Queen Mary was later executed. And just as Latimer had said, all of them would have to give account of their lives to God. In retrospect it then makes sense that Latimer chose to please God than to please man.

Psalm 118:6 says ‘The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?’

Indeed our desire to please God should always be placed above all else.
As we go through life we would often be faced with the choice of pleasing God or pleasing man. But in whatever situation we may find ourselves, we should always place God first. No matter what goes on around us, we should never compromise our stance.
Always, let the word of God be our standard for living. There is no level of civilization in the world today that can ever make the Bible to become outdated. The truth of God’s Word remains the same yesterday today and forever.
We all have been chosen, called, and separated by God to live for Him and stand for the truth. Sacrificing our standard of righteousness to please others will only result in the loss of God’s best for us. Compromise may secure a momentary gain, but it will only end in pain.

However our ability to stand strong is a function of the state of our hearts. When your heart is full of The Word and faith, you will not be intimidated by any situation to compromise. Often, the reason why people sometimes compromise in the face of challenges or fall into sin is because of lack of faith.
Faith failure is like heart failure. As long as your faith does not fail, your heart will be strong in God and it will be difficult for you to be intimidated or tempted to compromise.

Through faith, Joseph though a slave boy, refused to be intimidated and could say ‘no’ to the enticement of Potiphar’s wife.. Even when Potiphar’s wife held his coat as a threat, Joseph refused to cave in despite the consequence. Joseph’s fear of God exceeded his fear of man. And in the end God honored him, turned things around for him and elevated him above his enemies.

To overcome the allurements and temptations of this world we must maintain a passionate love relationship with Jesus Christ. If there is a breakdown in your relationship with God, it is only a matter of time until compromises start making their way into your life, and you start lowering your standards. Therefore keep your guard up, let the fire of your first love keep burning brightly. And no matter how the enemy threatens and tries to get you to compromise, refuse to be moved. Rather stand strong in faith, knowing that God is able to fight for you.

Whatever may be coming against you today in your health, your career, your finances or relationships; like Paul in Acts 20:24, declare in faith ‘none of these things move me’. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Keep your heart strong in God’s Word.
Let God be your vindicator. And as Exodus 14:14 says ‘The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”

PRAYER: Father please help me to always keep my heart filled with Your Word, so that I can remain strong in faith. I thank You that no matter what comes my way, through faith in You, I am an overcomer in every situation in Jesus Name.
Quote :
For you to enjoy victory in the Kingdom of God, you need to develop a Kingdom mindset, that thinks in line with the Word of God. – WORDBITE 222