Acting upon Convictions

Anselm Strehlke: European Bible Training Center | Germany

In this fallen world, our words often don’t match our deeds. It is one thing to affirm biblical convictions, but a whole other thing to act upon those convictions when faced with a challenge. We are tempted in the moment to lay aside what we know to be true and to only see ourselves and the problem. The greater the challenge, the greater our fear of failure. When Moses handed the baton of leadership to Joshua, there were massive challenges ahead for Joshua. Do you rely on God’s word when the problems seem insurmountable? He was supposed to lead a stubborn people into unknown territory, and use them as an inexperienced army to fight against the mighty Canaanites. In this situation, God had some encouraging words for the new leader of Israel. He could have said: “Come on, Joshua, you can do this,” in order to temporarily alleviate Joshua’s fear and puff up his self-esteem. Instead, God reminded him that he was not going to be the first to cross the Jordan River—God was. God Himself had not only prescribed the way to go but was also committed to His servant and His promise to lead him to victory. Joshua had expressed his conviction earlier that God would give Canaan into the hands of Israel. But now it was up to Joshua to not only believe what God had said but to actually go forward in faith. How do you react when your biblical convictions are challenged? Do you rely on God’s word when the problems seem insurmountable? Our Almighty God is asking you to trust Him and stand firm on what He said, whatever comes. He is asking you to act upon your convictions.

Connect with TMAI on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, and increase our schools’ reach by sharing our content with your family and friends.