Many of us would like to think that we are ‘strong of character’, but do we really have strength of character? If we consider what the early Christians suffered through for their belief and their faith I wonder how many of us would be able to withstand that type of persecution? Being fed to lions, being crucified, burnt to death, whipped, beaten, shunned by family and the community and many other forms or persecution we used to try and destroy the Christian faith. They resisted to the point of death, they died for what they believed in, true strength and courage.
Fortunately we do NOT have these problems in this country at the moment, but is there still something that we can use to see how strong we really are?
Have you considered your resistance to temptation as being a form of persecution? How well did you resist? Temptation can be so subtle that we do not even realise that we are being tempted, the person doing the tempting may be your best friend or a family member. Sometimes your friends will use peer pressure to try and get you to do what they are doing. How well do you resist it?
Another test of our strength is how well we resist giving up. When you are tired, discouraged and feeling like you are not achieving anything, do you persist in doing what you know to be right? It takes strength to conquer your own weaknesses and failing, it takes strength to resist temptations, it takes strength to persevere in spite of great pressure.
How well do you withstand the pressure?
Are you one of the few who has true strength of character?
Once again, we do not intend to ‘run’ your life for you. The choices are yours to make, but you need to know all of the facts to make a good decision. Do not just accept what has been written, read the scriptures for yourselves and see what God has said.