The enemy intends to destroy us. We must be convinced in our Father’s promises, our Father’s love and our faith in order to overcome the enemy.  

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, conviction is “a strong persuasion or belief, the state of being convinced or a state of mind in which one is free from doubt”. To be convinced is defined as being “sure, certain or confident”. In the Greek, the word Pietho (πειθω)  is translated as “persuaded, convinced or determined”. From all these definitions, we find that conviction is the “state of mind free of doubt, and a mind that is certain produces determination”.

Paul wrote, “I am convinced [persuaded] that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. “ (Romans 8:38-39 AMP)

Conviction is demonstrated by an act or willingness to persevere in the face of overwhelming circumstances while perseverance is the continued effort to do something despite difficulties or opposition. Perseverance requires one to be steadfast, decisive and resolute in their faith no matter the cost. 

That which is dear to our hearts

Is there something that is near and dear to your heart? Is it your career? Your home? Season tickets for your favorite sports team or  that completed sports car or vintage truck? What is the one thing you hold closest to your heart? 

Our first example to learn from is Abraham, who at a late stage in his life, received the promise of a son from God.

In Genesis 15 it says, “Then the word of the Lord came to him: ‘This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir’.” He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be. Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.” (Genesis 15:4-6)

Genesis 17:15 -19 says,  “God also said to Abraham, ‘As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.’ Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, ‘Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?’ And Abraham said to God, ‘If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!’ Then God said, ‘Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac.I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.’”

God established a covenant with a 100 year old man and 90 year old woman establishing that their seed (descendants) would be more than the stars in the heavens. 

The Test

Genesis 22:2-18 says, “Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”

Early the next morning, Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day, Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.” Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together. When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.” The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”

Let us unpack important observations contained in Genesis 22:

1. God faithfully fulfilled His promise to Abraham when Issac was born.
2. As many believer’s have experienced, God decided to “test” Abraham.
3. While it was not practiced by the followers of Yahweh (God), those in the land in which Abraham lived practiced ritual child sacrifice. 
4. God asked Abraham to sacrifice Issac, “whom you love”.
5. The next day, Abraham readied himself and Issac for the journey.
6. All the items were taken: fire, wood, rope, knife and Issac. 
7. After a 3 day journey, they arrived at the place God had directed. Abraham told the servants that traveled with them to “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.” By this response, we see that Abraham remains convinced of the promise of God that his son and the generations to follow would number more than the stars in the sky. 
8. Abraham and Issac proceed. Abraham carries the knife and the fire while Issac carries the wood.
9. Issac realizes there is something missing and asks, “where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb…”. Again, Abraham speaks his faith and is convinced that God would not break His promise. (Romans 4:18-25)
10. Abraham builds the altar, arranges the wood, ties Issac up and places him on the altar then draws the knife when the voice from heaven tells him to stop. Abraham showed no hesitancy to follow the will of God while remaining convinced of God’s promises.
11.  God tells Abraham, “I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” Then God provided the ram as Abraham said. The ram was sacrificed on the altar he built. Abraham and Issac returned to the servants and returned home. God kept the covenant that He made with Abraham.  

Abraham faced extreme circumstances and preserved through them all while maintaining his personal convictions. He was unyielding in the matter of following the will of God. A day is coming when God will call us to do something specific. Will we be willing to do what He asks? Would we willingly move to a land that is not our own as Abraham did? Would we give up our careers to serve Him wherever He chooses? Would we willingly give up that one thing that means so much to us? 

You want me to do what?

Just imagine yourself, a person with a good reputation, well liked in your community, then God calls you to do something EXTREME in front of all who know you. This is what Noah experienced all those many years ago. 

The bible tells us that “…Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.” (Genesis 6:8-9). 

God told Noah what He was going to do when he said, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. So make yourself an ark…” (Genesis 6:13-13). God then proceeded to give Noah the plans to build this vessel of salvation. 

While it is not expressly stated, it is believed that it took approximately 100 years to build the ark, but scripture tells us during those days “…people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. (Matthew 24:38-39) 

While the bible does mention whether it did or did not rain during the time of Noah, one thing is certain: flood level rains were never seen before. For 100 years, Noah followed God’s instruction while the rest of his world went about their daily lives. 

How many scratched their heads as they watched? 

How many ridiculed or taunted him yet he continued building unabated?

How many wrote Noah off as crazy? 

Prior to the flood God had sent all the animals to the ark in pairs as well as Noah and his family. Once all the animals and family of Noah were secure on the ark, “the Lord shut him in” (Genesis 7:16). 

Then the flood came.

While it is not expressly stated, those who sinned before God, those who for 100 years watched Noah build the Ark, were the same people who likely screamed and pounded on the outside of the Ark when the flood came. 

After approximately one year on the Ark, Noah, his family and all the animals returned to a dry earth to start over again. The first thing Noah did was to build an altar and make sacrifices to God. 

Again, I ask what would we do if God asked us to do something extreme? Are we convinced that God would guide and keep us no matter the time it might take to complete his task? Would ridicule and taunting cause our conviction to fail? 

A shepherd’s determination is the building block of a King

Imagine yourself as a young boy who woke up one morning wondering “what does this day have in store for me?”  David, the son of Jesse, was the shepherd of his fathers sheep. He was skilled in the use of a slingshot for defense and playing the stringed instrument known as a “lyre”. 

David was anointed as King by Samuel at the command of God. He was sent to King Saul to play music to calm the king, but meeting the giant was the pivotal point in his life. 

While David was still a young man he was sent by his father to take food to his brothers and to see how his brothers were. The brothers were in the army of the king. Upon arriving, he left the food with the quartermaster and went to see his brothers at the battle front. 

While at the battle front, David saw Goliath for the first time. Goliath was a Philistine, an enemy of Israel, he was a giant and a champion warrior. Goliath continually mocked the army of Israel, the God of Israel and the King who was present. 

David wondered why nothing was being done to deal with Goliath and began questioning. His oldest brother was angry and began to ridicule him asking “why are you here?” and accusing him of just wanting to watch. David continued to ask questions over his brother and the king heard him. 

David told the king, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.” (1 Samuel 17:32) but the king told David he was young and untrained, unlike the giant. 

In 1 Samuel 17:34 it says, “… David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.”

From experiences in life, David was convinced that God watched over him and gave him the skills necessary for whatever he would face in life. David was determined to face and overcome the enemy. When the king tried to dress David like a soldier, he told the king “I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.”(1Sam 17:39) 

1 Samuel 17:40 tells us, “Then he (David) took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.” 

1 Samuel 17:45-47 recounts David’s declaration to Goliath saying, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.” As he declared, David charged the battle line, pulled a stone from his bag and using the sling he struck Goliath causing his fall and death”. David then took Goliath’s sword from its sheath, used it to remove Goliath’s head as declared. (1Samuel 17:48-54).

Now about the additional stones… Goliath had brothers, in 1 Chronicles 20: 4-8 it says, “In the course of time, war broke out with the Philistines, at Gezer. At that time Sibbekai the Hushathite killed Sippai, one of the descendants of the Rephaites, and the Philistines were subjugated. In another battle with the Philistines, Elhanan son of Jair killed Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, who had a spear with a shaft like a weaver’s rod.In still another battle, which took place at Gath, there was a huge man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—twenty-four in all. He also was descended from Rapha. When he taunted Israel, Jonathan son of Shimea, David’s brother, killed him. These were descendants of Rapha in Gath, and they fell at the hands of David and his men.”

Have we been confronted by “giants” in our lives, something we have never seen or experienced before? These very “giants” mock us, our families, our faith and the God we serve! Will we take a stand against the giants? Will we declare, in confidence, that the battle is the Lord’s? Stand your ground, fight the good fight and you will witness victory as your giant falls at the hand of God. 

Persecution: a trial by Fire 

Our last example of conviction is found in the book of Daniel where we find Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were given charge over the area of Babylon for king Nebuchadnezzar. (Daniel 3:12)

Nebuchadnezzar had decided to create a 90 foot tall golden idol to be worshiped. On the day of dedication, all those in authority were commanded to attend. The instructions given said,  “…Nations and peoples of every language, this is what you are commanded to do: As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.” (Daniel 3:4-6) It was at this time that a group Chaldeans brought a complaint to the king saying, “But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego—who pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up.” (Daniel 3:12)

Nebuchadnezzer was furious because his decree was not followed and he questioned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. After questioning the three men, the king gave them an ultimatum saying, “Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?” (Daniel 3:15)

Daniel 3:16-18 tells us, “ Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

Nebuchadnezzer did as he threatened, He had the men tied and the furnace stoked seven times hotter than it had ever been before. The men were thrown into a fire so hot that the soldiers who carried out the order, died at the furnace opening. Then the King saw four men walking about in the furnace and ordered  Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to climb back out. (Daniel 3:24-26)

Two final things to note in this story:

1. All who were present witnessed “that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them”. (Daniel 3:27)
2.  Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.”

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are one of the best examples of living out our convictions under extreme conditions. In the face of utter death, they were convinced in the saving power of the God that  they served. You can sense the conviction in their statement when they said that our God will save us BUT even if He doesn’t we will not serve your gods.  

It was during a time of prayer and reading in the book of Daniel that God pointed out the convictions demonstrated by Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. It was at this time that I started to look into my own life and faith practices asking the question “would I have done the same thing as these three men”? It is my prayer that God would continue to build both my faith and convictions for the trials I am yet to face.

As the reader I ask you, like Abraham, has the Father in heaven given you a specific promise you are holding onto? Are you convinced that God will keep the promise even if He asks you to sacrifice it? 

Are you determined to follow God even if He gives you an assignment that might seem crazy or futile to everyone but you? 

Are you convinced that the Lord is with you and that you have the perseverance needed to fight the giant face to face? 

Are you determined to stand firm for holiness and godliness in the face of persecution and threats?

Ephesians 6:10-13 says, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”