ROOTED AND FRUITFUL: BUILDING DEEP CONVICTIONS AND STANDING UP FOR THEM

Lately, I've been gaining a great deal of respect for people who answer questions with biblical references. 

People who don't assume God's stance on a position because that's what sounds logical to them. 

People who do not rebrand societal norms as scriptural obligations.

That even when the Bible does not explicitly state that so and so is wrong, they can discern from the nature of God and prayer, His will in the new situation.

People who have been in the Word so much that when a situation arises, their first reaction is not to consult their intelligence but God's intended design. And mind you, they're not dumb; these are highly intelligent people who choose to let the wisdom of scripture have preeminence over their own ideologies. 

Taking a trip down history, we see this phenomenon play out in the lives of two people in the Bible - Jesus and Eve.

The enemy had one goal: to tempt. But let us see how differently they responded.

The  first two temptations of Jesus began with the phrase, "If you are the son of God…”

To Eve, he asked,  “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

Genesis 3:1 NIV

Two words of importance were used here: “if” and “did”.

“If” raises questions about a possible future, and “did” raises questions about whether the past happened. Each of them paints a picture of chance, that something might be false or true. In both cases, however, God had made His stance clear. 

“This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.”- Matt 3:17

The enemy chose to tempt Jesus in the area of his identity. 

This happens to be one of the greatest wars the enemy has waged upon our generation. We have people calling themselves less than what God intended, in the big things- when we twist God's original design completely-and in the small things, hiding behind insecurities. This is not new.

But Jesus always had a good answer: “It is written”. He did not answer with his own perspectives; he answered with what was already stated. Absolutely settled in His God-given identity, He did not have a point to prove.

He did not shoo the devil away. He, unlike Eve, did not expect answers from the devil. He spoke and He spoke scripture. Regardless of how the encounter made Him feel, He chose to esteem the Words of God more than the taunts of the devil.

There was no need for plenty of back and forth.

“But you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil…”- Gen 2:17

Eve, however, listened for a reply but had no rebuttal for it. Unfortunately, she was deceived by a cunning serpent who told her that, “No! You will certainly not die,”. In fact, God knows that when you eat it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil”- Gen 3:4

The woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. - Gen 3:6

She reasoned it. She deduced logically that it might not be that bad and God was probably wrong or to be kinder, “he didn't really say.”

The devil loves “ifs”; he loves conditionalities. Always causing people to doubt and waver, poking at holes we've left uncovered. In areas where convictions are weak. He knew who Jesus was but decided to throw a little “if” into the equation. He knew that God had commanded mankind not to eat of the tree, but he asked, “Did God really say?”

Jesus mirrors the trait of standing on God's word perfectly. We can see how he dealt with the temptation from the devil. All his replies were from Deuteronomy in the Old Testament. Even when the devil also tried to quote scripture out of context to support his points, Jesus could see through his tricks and replied with Scripture in context.

Sticking with what the Bible says can be unpopular. We run the risk of being tagged as rigid or colloquial. Trying to navigate protests from people about the “what ifs”, the exceptions. 

“The Bible says …but what if…?”

We might sound idealistic, but let us stick to what God has said before we deal with the exceptions that are usually caused by human disobedience. Even those are covered under His divine wisdom and abundant mercy

Remember this, dear sibling, anytime the devil throws an “if” at you, maybe he needs a reminder, do your best to remind him and keep it moving. Have enough of the Word stored up so that you will know the reminder to use.

Recall all the times he has thrown a little “if” at you. The times he has made you doubt your identity in Christ.

The times he has dropped suggestions into your head that made you feel less than what God calls you.

The times he has pressured you to prove a point. The times he has caused you to do things out of character because “if you are a child of God”.

The times you did things that were "good" instead of things that were honourable.

The times when he has caused you to judge yourself and others using shallow yardsticks like your appearance or material possessions.

Then look squarely at your Bible. The book that has all the answers you would ever need to withstand the enemy and whatever life may throw at you, and choose to believe it.

We live in a time when convictions are being consistently tested by people and systems. We must learn to grow deep roots so that we are not uprooted in times of shaking.

Jesus walked through this life going through the struggles we face, yet He remained faithful in all circumstances. Surely we can do better. We can choose to let the Word determine our actions or let the world define them for us.

Let the Word be your greatest companion. Bind them upon your heart, commit it to memory like your life depends on it- because it does.