{"id":1871,"date":"2011-10-16T20:14:06","date_gmt":"2011-10-17T00:14:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/simplelife\/?p=1871"},"modified":"2011-10-16T22:55:47","modified_gmt":"2011-10-17T02:55:47","slug":"standing-up-for-god","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2011\/10\/standing-up-for-god.html","title":{"rendered":"Standing up for God"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>\u201cIf it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. \u00a0But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up\u201d (Daniel 3:17-18).<\/em><\/p>\n

I can only imagine the heart pumping horror of being caught in the situation that three young men found themselves as vividly described in the book of Daniel in the Bible. \u00a0They had probably been raised as royalty in their home country of Judea. \u00a0Carried away into captivity, the men had faced the king’s servants as underdogs and prisoners. \u00a0Yet, they had won the approval of their captors and had been given positions of honor and responsibility in the kingdom of Babylon.<\/p>\n

Then the unthinkable happened. \u00a0The king erected some kind of super-skinny statue that the entire kingdom was to worship and bow before. Up to this point, the young men had been allowed to worship their God with impunity. \u00a0But this was a day of decision and their decision was to neither hide nor bow to worship.<\/p>\n

We know the end of the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abedngo. \u00a0They were thrown into a fiery furnace which had been stoked to an unbelievably high temperature. \u00a0However, the Lord joined them in the fire and their lives were spared.<\/p>\n

These men would not compromise even when it meant that they would die. \u00a0They were willing to be killed while taking a stand for God. In Egypt today, men and women have been massacred because they chose to\u00a0stand up for God, knowing but putting aside the risk.<\/p>\n

I’m impressed by these young Jewish men who stood up to one of the most powerful kingdoms ever known to men. \u00a0Even more impressive is that they didn\u2019t do a lot of talking. \u00a0They were willing to merely stand.<\/p>\n

They were standing up when they could have been bowing.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
French Coptic Christians protest persecution of Christians in Egypt<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As the Chinese Christians and the Coptic Christians in Egypt have found, there will be a time for each of us to stand for God. Is there a way to measure the strength these modern-day martyrs exhibit as they move through the streets of Egypt, knowing what their fate will be? \u00a0Yet they are willing to give their lives for their faith.<\/p>\n

How will we stand for the Lord? \u00a0Will there be a time that we must go on the defensive, exposing our lives to the fate of men who desire to destroy our faith? \u00a0It may not happen in our lifetime; but each day we must make decisions to stand for the Lord. \u00a0Here are three simple actions that each of us can take daily that will impact the lives of others, as we stand for our faith.<\/p>\n

First, we don\u2018t have to say anything, simply refuse to join in the sin that surrounds us each day. \u00a0Is it gossip or cutting corners at work? \u00a0Perhaps it’s deliberately speeding or running red lights. \u00a0The Internet has become an escape for many people, ignoring values for a cheap momentary thrill. \u00a0I can refuse to join. \u00a0Simple but powerful.<\/p>\n

Second, I can be firm when people ask me about my relationship with the Lord. \u00a0Without slipping and sliding, I can tell people \u00a0the truths I’ve learned from the scriptures revealing how to live for Christ.<\/p>\n

The third thing is perhaps the most powerful. \u00a0I can tell others the truth about what God has done for me. \u00a0In clear but a simple way, what the Lord has done for me is the most dynamic word I can speak. \u00a0No one can take from me or distract from my personal testimony describing what Jesus has done for me and what Christ means to me.<\/p>\n

I can’t imagine the horror of the three men as they stepped into that furnace of fire. \u00a0However, I also cannot imagine the strength that God gave to them to stand up for him no matter what happened. \u00a0As I pray for the persecuted Christians around the world, I’m praying that God will give them the strength of Shadrach, Meshach and Adednego. \u00a0I’m praying that there will be angels that will surround them protecting them and loving them through the struggles.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cIf it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. \u00a0But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":387,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,20,302,287,186,49,301,4,41],"tags":[21,688,730,699,715,701,729,95,57,700],"class_list":["post-1871","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christianity","category-church","category-coptic-christians-in-egypt","category-faiths","category-hope","category-inspiration","category-persecution","category-simple-truths","category-spirituality","tag-christian","tag-christianity","tag-coptic-christians-in-egypt","tag-faith","tag-hope","tag-inspiration","tag-persecution","tag-persecution-of-christians-in-china","tag-prayer","tag-spirituality"],"yoast_head":"\nStanding up for God - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2011\/10\/standing-up-for-god.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Standing up for God - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cIf it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. \u00a0But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2011\/10\/standing-up-for-god.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-10-17T00:14:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2011-10-17T02:55:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/simplelife\/files\/2011\/10\/false_worship_golden-statue-150x150.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Linda G. 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