Stand

Romans 12:1-2

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Conform means taking on the pattern through pressure to be pressed into the mold.

As Christians in America, our situation is much like that of the three Hebrew children in the book of Daniel. We live in a foreign land, a hostile environment; we are surrounded by forces that want us to 'conform.' But God never intended that we would fit in, blend in, tolerate, or 'conform' to this world's standards. God has called us to 'conform' to the image of Jesus, to stand up and stand out! (See Romans 8:29).

As Christians, we are entirely different than the world. The world's nature is darkness; the Christians's nature is light.

"For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:" – Ephesians 5:8

"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." – Ephesians 5:11

"But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light." – Ephesians 5:13

Darkness can never overpower the light, and the only way darkness can prevail is for the light to refuse to shine. Therefore, the devil's strategy is to convince you to put out your light. Most of the time, he attempts to persuade you to 'conform' by making you feel foolish about how you live in contrast to how the world lives, peer pressure.

They separated Daniel and the three Hebrew children from their land, houses, and families. Then, they changed their names. Why? Because their names tied them to their spiritual heritage. Their names defined their destiny in God. Hananiah means "God has favored" and was changed to Shadrach. Mishael, which means "Who is what God is," was changed to Meschach. Azariah means "Jehovah has helped" and was changed to Abednego. 

Satan hates our spiritual heritage, and he hates the Holy Ghost. There is nothing that grieves the devil more than to see people filled with the Holy Ghost shouting and dancing and speaking in other tongues.

First, there was pressure from their enemies. But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the king's meat. That is the easiest battle to win; fighting against our enemies is natural.

Second, there was pressure from their friends. That is where our commitment is tested. There were many of those who were carried into captivity who were of Daniels's brethren, yet they were content and happy to surrender their names and their identities to fit in and be accepted.

Third, there is the pressure from within. That is the most dangerous and destructive of all. All the other pressures are external and can be seen, but this is internal, often hidden, and more challenging to detect. Like Nebuchadnezzar, we create for ourselves an image of God, the god we choose, instead of the God who chose us.

You can easily recognize worshippers of the image by phrases like these: Everybody's doing it, I don't see anything wrong with it, nobody's business but mine, I don't feel any conviction over it, or it's not hurting anybody. What is happening here? You are bowing to the God of your own making. That is the greatest danger of all.

When the devil failed to defile the Hebrews through outside pressure, his next move was to get them to worship the image of man. But even to this, they refused to bow. The music played is still playing today. It's seductive and destructive; it leads to self-will, rebellion, perversity, and violence.

The king's wrath was kindled; he was angry because they would not conform. For anyone who dares to stand for God in today's culture of tolerating everything except Jesus, there will be criticism, and the hearts of the wicked will be kindled toward you.

When you turn down that cigarette, that beer, that joint, an invitation to a party, or purpose in your heart that you will keep yourself pure and maintain your virginity if you refuse to listen to and laugh at dirty jokes or when you won't look at the filthy pictures that others are looking at, there will be anger, criticism, and rejection.

But remember this, my friends, you never go through the furnace alone.

"Didn't we throw three men into the fire? But I see four men loose, walking around, and the fourth is like unto the son of God."

Friends, you are not alone; Jesus said I will never leave or forsake you. If you stand up for Jesus, he will stand up for you. But it is also true that Jesus said:

"If you are ashamed of me and my words, in this wicked and adulterous generation then I will also be ashamed of you when I stand before my father and all the holy angels." – Mark 8:38

Friends, we are told to hold our tongues to keep the peace, nonsense! Sound the trumpet. Our nation is going to hell. First, they took bible reading and prayer out of public schools, they legalized the genocide of the unborn, now they are legalizing drugs, and our children are being indoctrinated that the homosexual lifestyle is normal. When will we put the trumpet to our lips? If not now, then when?

Lord, forgive us for our passivity and conformity. Holy Ghost, give us the courage to put on holiness, to dress ourselves in the armor of God, and to stand."