Daily Caffeination 10/08/06 - Live from Boston, Mass.

Learning to Stand

You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with this world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again, that if your aim is to enjoy this world, you can’t be a friend of God.—James 4:4

A person with conviction is hard to find in our culture today. Very few people will stand up and say, “This is what I believe. . . . ” And when you do stand up for your convictions as a Christian, people may laugh. They may even get mad. But I will tell you something else they will probably do. They will probably respect you. Don’t be surprised if they give you a hard time in front of their friends. But then when everyone is gone, they may walk up and whisper, “Listen, the next time you are praying, put in a good word for me.”

Make your stand, because if you think compromise works, if you think lowering your standards and compromising biblical principles is going to help bring someone to Christ, then consider Lot, the nephew of Abraham. Lot lived a compromised life. The problem with Lot was that he wanted a friendship with God. But he also wanted to flirt with this world. But the Bible says, “Friendship with this world makes you an enemy of God” (James 4:4).

There are many people like Lot today. They want to know God, but there is a weakness in their faith and character. When they are around their Christian friends, they are fine. But the moment they get away from those believers, they immediately drop their standards. Their faith is dependent on the faith of someone else.

Though there is great benefit in Christians fellowshipping together, we have to learn how to stand on our own, because many times temptation will hit us when we are alone. As it has been said, “Character is what you are when no one is looking.”