THE POWER OF PERSONAL CONVICTIONS

Every individual has a inherent source of power in his life. It is the power of personal convictions. History has proven that people possessing and standing by personal convictions make a difference in the world. Initially, personal convictions may be disputed or ignored, but in the long run personal convictions are transformative when they are proven to have validity and to be based on the truth of reality.

Personal convictions are not mere opinions which we all have and sometimes are more than willing to share. Personal opinions are often based on ideology and rhetoric. When examined in the light of truth, they have no solid foundation on which to stand or be verified.

The personal convictions of professing Christian should be based upon the foundation of biblical truth. The Baptist Faith and Message states that the Bible is truth without any mixture of error. First and foremost we need the personal conviction that the Bible is indeed "truth without any mixture of error." When we hold this personal conviction in our hearts, we can form personal convictions based upon the truth of the Bible.

The Bible speaks about life and to life. Genesis reveals the beginning of life and Revelation reveals the consummation of life on earth as we know it. Between Genesis and Revelation there are numerous life details and experiences that should elicit personal convictions from those of us who profess to be followers of Christ. Have we been seduced by the world to the point that our personal convictions are more secular based than biblically based?

We have a great example in 1 Kings 21 about a man who was willing to stand and did stand for his personal convictions. His name was Naboth. He owned a vineyard that was nearby to King Ahab's palace in Jezreel. King Ahab decided he wanted to obtain Naboth's vineyard and turn it into a vegetable garden. He proceeded to speak with Naboth about buying his vineyard or making a property exchange with Naboth which would result in him having a better property. Naboth refused to sell or exchange properties with King Ahab.

Why this refusal on the part of Naboth? No doubt, he could have employed the art of the deal and named his price. Most likely, he could have exchanged his vineyard for a larger, more profitable vineyard. Naboth's refusal was based on personal conviction. When God brought Israel into the promise land, fulfilling His promise to Abraham, the land was divided among the 12 tribes. The land was to remain the property of the tribe to which it was given. If ownership was temporarily interrupted by unfortunate circumstances, in the year of jubilee it reverted back to the tribe or tribal member to which it was allotted. Naboth had no freedom to sell his property to King Ahab or exchange it for a better property. "But Naboth replied, "The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers" (1 Kings 21:3 NIV).

Naboth's personal conviction raises a question for every professing Christian, what if any personal convictions do we have today? Are we willing to stand by our personal convictions? Is gaining personal profit or advantage, conforming to the world, going with the flow of popular opinion, being protected from ridicule or unpopularity more important to us than having and holding to biblically based personal convictions?

For the sake of full disclosure, I need to point out that Naboth lost his life because of his personal convictions. The wicked Queen Jezebel, King Ahab's wife, entered the picture. She devised a wicked scheme of lies that ended with Naboth being stoned to death and King Ahab taking possession of Naboth's vineyard. The triumph of King Ahab and Jezebel was short-lived. They both suffered ignominious deaths.

Personal convictions can be costly but in the end, God honors personal convictions that are based upon biblical truth.

Biblically based personal convictions are powerful. They triumph in the end because the truth of God's word endures and ultimately will stand. We desperately need biblically based personal convictions in our world today. May God help us to carefully and thoughtfully form our personal convictions based on biblical truth. Once formed, may God give us the grace and strength to hold them with a firm grasp and a solid stance.