Podcast Episode 27 – Without Compromise (part 10)
This week’s episode builds on Monday’s article, part ten in the series titled “Without Compromise.” Here is the transcript of the podcast:
Have you struggled with compromise or conformity? That’s the ongoing question we are talking about in this series. Today’s discussion is the ninth in the series, and all of them are based on a study of Daniel chapter 1 and correspond to the articles posted each week on the Leadership Ezra website. The big idea we are discussing is how you can navigate pressure without deviating from your values – specifically, the pressure to compromise or conform in an unhealthy or immoral way. It’s really a discussion of how to lead and live with excellence without compromising your faith. And today, it’s time for you to decide what your commitment will be.
Years ago, early in my teaching experience, I heard my principal, Brooks Everett, give a chapel message to students based on Joshua 24. It stuck with me, and over the years I have used the ideas he shared in conversations with others, and so I am doing the same here. Here’s the basic story:
Joshua and the people had finished all their battles in conquering the land of Canaan, which was followed by dividing it up among the tribes. Joshua had lived through the escape from slavery in Egypt, the establishment of the nation at Mt. Sinai, the 40 years of wandering in the desert, and then finally the conquest of Canaan. At the end of all that, he gathered everyone together and very carefully reviewed the lessons that had been learned from their experiences. After reviewing their experiences, he issued them a challenge in verses 14 and 15 and said, “Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord! 15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.” (And here’s the part that everyone knows and quotes.) “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” His assumption was that the people – collectively and individually – would serve someone (or something), but it would be up to them to decide who or what it would be. Joshua planted his flag in the ground on serving God and threw down the gauntlet.
When they responded by saying, “We’re with you, Joshua! We will also serve the Lord!”, that’s where the story gets a little interesting. Joshua looked around at the crowd, considered what they said, and replied by stating, “No, you won’t.” He tells them that they are going to end up quickly turning away from God, who will then have to chastise them and administer consequences for their unfaithfulness and broken promises. Once again, the people say to him, “No, really and truly we will serve the Lord!” That’s when Joshua challenges them to look around, to notice who is making this commitment, and to hold each other accountable.
Joshua and the Israelites were at a crossroads, and they needed to make a decision. The decision they would make was future-focused – they were deciding their behavior and their response to what they would face in their foreseeable future. That serves as an example for you and me. We will be facing pressure to compromise at different times and in different ways, and it would be wise for us to determine ahead of time what actions we will take when it happens. This seems like a simple truth, but it’s one that I had to repeat and emphasize over the years to teenagers that I interacted with; otherwise, when they would not take the time to do this, they would wilt under pressure because the prior commitment wasn’t there. In the middle of a crisis, it’s much harder to make that commitment at the moment and in the moment, so it behooves you to be proactive and decide ahead of time. And as we learned from Daniel early in this podcast and website series, that process begins by first establishing and committing to your beliefs.
What does that mean for you? It means this: first, be clear and confident of what you believe, of your worldview. My worldview is based on the truth of Scripture and the confidence that God is the Creator of the Universe and the source of wisdom and truth. You have to decide what yours is. Then, consistently make your decisions and take your actions today that reflect your worldview. Finally, commit to holding true to that worldview in your decisions and actions tomorrow when you face the pressure to compromise.
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The bottom line is that your ability to resist the pressure to compromise tomorrow is directly tied to your commitment to hold to your worldview today. If you are not prepared before it happens, you will find it very difficult to resist, and are much more likely to give in and compromise your faith.
When we circle back to Daniel as our model of this, I end up in Daniel 1:8, which tells us that “Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself.” He decided ahead of time that he was going to hold strong to his belief in God and to the resulting implications and principles that aligned with that belief. When the pressure came, he was able to resist. Now, it’s your turn to make that commitment. Will you commit to holding fast to your faith in face of pressure? You get to decide.
