Compromise

Monday

Jun132011

Monday, June 13, 2011 at 10:29PM

Compromise - verb
1. settle a dispute by mutual concession.
2. weaken (a reputation or principle) by accepting standards that are lower than is desirable.

The Lord gave me this word two weeks ago and I have been mulling it over all this time thinking of all the different ways we compromise ourselves, our goals, our values and sometimes even our safety and health. It filters into every choice we make each day, with one choice affecting and influencing another. Compromising our choices ultimately affects how long it takes, or if we will reach our goals at all.

We are taught that compromise is a good thing, that we are being selfish if we don't compromise when faced with a person's differing point of view. It is a big thing in the world today to compromise our stand, to have tolerance for others and their conflicting opinions and beliefs. Yet, as a Christian, compromise can be fatal.

God has put us on the journey, aiming us towards heaven, growing to be more like Jesus every day. It is a long distance race, one that will take our whole lives and will only be finished with Jesus' mighty hand. We will never be complete this side of heaven. Aside from our personal growth, but in direct correlation to it, we are to love God and to love our neighbours as ourselves. As we grow in godly truth, wisdom and abide in his glorious love and grace, we begin to see the needs in others. The searching for a saviour that only those who have found the answers know full well.

Being of good character and standing tall on God's word, being a living example of our faith and his hand in our lives is how we make the greatest influence on others in our day to day. We interact with people every day and they are making judgements about how we behave, how we speak and look. And if they know we are a Christian, they will be judging us for how we stack up in their perceived view of our faith.

Bring on the shudder as the pressure mounts. Thank you, Father for grace.

Moving directly towards our goal brings fruit into our life. But how many of us have really moved directly? My thoughts are going is circles as I tend to do but I see our path wandering all over the place, edging closer in the right direction but far from a direct route that is required to bring the greatest blessing into our lives. Yet, God knows we will not make the 'grade'. He knows our path will not be direct.

Why the wandering? Why the trips around the mountain and then sometimes returning to Egypt and becoming a slave to an area in our life that God has already freed us from? You'd think we would get it a bit faster after he has taught us so many other things. Yet, the human condition seems to be one of the most ridiculous. We have free will and brains that think we can do things ourself. A mind that fights for independence and freedom, which ironically are found in the arms of a humble spirit, submissive to God's leading. True power comes from surrender.

Those times when we choose to not speak about our faith when the opportunity arises. Or those times when we really can't be bothered to attend bible study or church. What about the time when our friends are all discussing something and we don't weigh in on our real opinion as they all think very differently to us. The tv is calling when we are trying to get our time in with God. Or maybe it is facebook? All these times are when we have compromised our end goal. These times when we can stand up and be noticed, make our path that little bit more direct. The flesh is very strong and it guides us away from godly things.

How do we really die to flesh to pursue the things of God with every fibre of our being? To reach into the spirit and destroy that which drags us off the track so many times. To really reach out for God and to find him in the every day. To see his heart beating and to know who he longs for us to be. To not have to fight with our fleshly desires and just submit. I long for this, my flesh brings such a battle in this mind and body. Faith is what keeps me moving. Faith that in my fumbling God will still have glory. That his hand would do a mighty work in my life and I would find breakthrough from that which keeps me captive. God has freed me, yet still I stand in chains. My mind has not yet realised.

Maybe the greatest compromise is that of giving in to our flesh and not living the life he gives us, not living it to the full. Stepping out in faith and just going for it. Trusting that he will be there to catch us when we fall, help us to see why we fell and get us to continue on the path again. I think it boils down to fear. Yet, fear is the opposite of faith and fear comes from the unknown. Not knowing what we will face, having no faith that what he places before us he has already prepared us to face, or we are in the training ground waiting for us to learn a skill we will need before we step into the next phase of our life and service.

We need to be continually renew our minds so our thoughts are not dragging us off or stalling our progress. This is how we defeat fear and grow our faith. This is how we regain our focus for our destination. This is how we remain mindful of not compromising along the way.

"Like a muddied fountain and a polluted spring is a righteous man who yields, falls down, and compromises his integrity before the wicked." Proverbs 25:26 (AMP)

This is God's word for me. Don't compromise. Don't compromise my stand of faith, no matter who I am standing next to.

Bek xx

P.S. I am currently having a giveaway and I would love for you to be apart of it. Jump on over to Identity and comment on the post to be in the running to win! Be blessed!!

Bek |

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