In a climate and environment of information overload, constant changing views and perpetual questions about faith, it is essential that the child of God hold fast their belief in God and his word.

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In Romans 12:1, 2, Paul implores the Christian to present himself or herself in wholeness to the Lord in service. The integrity of body, mind, and spirit is brought as a whole to the Lord. This requires integrity in each part of the whole.

Romans 12:1-2 (New King James Version) 

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“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

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Some easily comprehend the importance of pure minds but are lazy about their physical care. Our bodies are gifts from God, and because of that we are commanded by God to take care of them, knowing that we are fearfully and wonderfully made.

Integrity requires that our actions reflect our belief. Today, there remains little room for debate over the broad principles of healthful living. Exercise is important for the body. If we know this, we show a lack of integrity if we neglect giving our bodies the exercise they need. Fresh clean water and moderate amounts of sunshine are very beneficial. Because we know these things, we are called upon to follow them. Likewise faith, learning, meditation on the word and Godly knowledge is necessary for the mind.

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We must make choices that only we as individuals can make, regarding how much we take in and the kind of information we absorb. This will have an impact on what we believe and how we behave.

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True religion and the laws of God go hand in hand. It is impossible to work for the salvation of men and women without presenting to them the need of breaking away from sinful gratifications and doubtful conversations which destroy health, damage the soul, and prevent divine truth from impacting the mind. Men and women must be taught to take a careful view of all the information, every habit and every practice and put away those things that cause in their mind. God expects His light bearers to believe in him and his word. They must hold their belief in God high above Satan’s false standards.

Review all of your personal attitudes and behaviours and ask yourself, are you living up to all you know and believe about God? If not, what is keeping you from making the kinds of changes that you can do for your good? 

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Essentially does what I say, what I do and how I behave agree with and depict what I believe through Christ Jesus.

You can either accept that the word of God is fallible and men have improved upon it, therefore casting into doubt your believing the word of God. Or you could hold steadfast to your God-given beliefs. Stand by it in the face of the world and shout loud to all it is as it is and will come to pass because God said so. In your heart and mind declaring I speak because I believe God.

Are you a person of conviction? To what degree do your convictions determine how you live? What role do your convictions play in the decisions that you make? Are there things you will not do because you believe that they are wrong and that they are opposed to what you believe in Christ?

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We are to live what we believe and to be willing to sacrifice for the faith in which we believe. It is one thing to say what we believe, and it is quite another to live them out every day.

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There are things that we must not do because we believe in our hearts they are wrong, and they go against everything we believe is right in God through his word by the holy spirit .

It has been said that if we don’t stand for something, we will fall for anything. As Christians, we must stand and act on the principles and teachings of God’s Word.

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We should always stand for the things we hold true and dear without compromise or apologies. Too many times people are living lives of compromise because they want to fit in, be accepted or liked.

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We must not compromise or give up on what we believe and the truths that we have been taught and have been instilled in us in order to be popular with anyone.

Our Lord never said, “It is OK to muddy the truth just to be accepted by your friends and peers.” It is not easy to take a stand for God in today’s world and in the community and culture in which we live.

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At times it would be so easy to let down our guard and just “go with the flow.” The only problem with this is that if we do it once, it would be so easy to do it the next time.

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When I think of conviction, I can’t help but think of Daniel in the Bible. Daniel was among the captives which the king of Babylon took with him after he seized control of Judah.

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Nebuchadnezzar took the very best of the people of the kingdom of Judah to serve him. They were invited to eat of the king’s table, but Daniel and his three friends declined the king’s food.

Daniel and his friends stood and acted on their beliefs and they never compromised on their faith, even if it cost them their lives.

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Even when they were commanded to fall down and worship the idol that the great king had set up for them, they refused to follow the king’s order because of this; they had to suffer the consequences. They were thrown into the fiery furnace.

It would have been so easy to just do whatever they were told to do. It would have saved them much pain and anguish if they had just complied with the king’s executive command. But this is not what they did. They did not yield when their love and devotion to the Lord came into question.

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Daniel and his friends held their ground and stood up for what they believed. We would do well if we would do the same.

All too often we tend to give in to pressure rather than stand up and be counted for doing the right thing. God had promised to bless and give us the strength when we do what is right and pleasing to Him. 

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The Holy Spirit brings conviction to the human heart and mind that conviction brings people to their knees in total surrender and devotion to the Lord. 

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We are becoming a world that does not want to hear about sin or its consequences. In the days in which we are living, people don’t want to hear the truth of the Bible. They want something that gives them that warm, safe feeling inside. There will be plenty of time for that after we have dealt with our sin.

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No one likes to hear things that make them feel bad about or question themselves, but we must be willing to face up to the truth no matter what it may be. Belief comes when the truth is faced and accepted. This then informs and guides our actions. It is only after this acknowledgment of ourselves that we can truly experience the blessings of God.

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Christ died on the cross to save us from our sins. He did this of his own free will because He loves us. He did this because there was no other way to bring salvation and hope for mankind.

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The bible declares with the heart men believe and with the mouth confession is made unto righteousness. We must become active for faith without works is dead.

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It is not enough to simply believe you must act to see the evidence made manifest. 2 Corinthians 4 v13 “I believed and therefore have I spoken”

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Bishop EA Copeland