Inner Resolve

Inner resolve is the missing ingredient in so many persons today, inside and outside the faith. We know what we should do but we do not do it. When we are attacked by the satanic darkness we absolutely must take our stand. We know the right action to take but too often we shrink back and lie to ourselves about how things are not that important.

1 Corinthians 16:13 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. 14Do everything in love. (NIV)

When we are afraid to take an open stand on moral issues because we are afraid of ridicule, we are saying to God that we do not believe what He has ordered us to do. When we turn away from doing what is right and just we are turning away from Christ

To live a productive life one must have inner resolve. No achievement, whether related to religious life or to secular activities, can be made without one's ability to stand firm against opposition. If we are not willing to suffer the pain of sacrifice to achieve our goals, then we do not deserve to achieve success.

For too long, we have abdicated our responsibilities saying God will provide, God will act, God will help, or God will answer. Yes, God does provide but He is angered when we can provide but expect Him to do the work in our place. Yes, God will act but we call down His wrath by shirking our Christian duty in expectation that He will do for us what we can do ourselves. Yes, God will answer but His answer will not be what we want to hear when we fully know what His will is yet we refuse to obey Him. When we shirk our responsibilities to God and to others by trying to send these responsibilities up to God, we are building our own lake of fire.

We are responsible for our own behavior. We are responsible for controlling our emotions, attitudes, and thoughts. In current day thinking, others would have you believe that you cannot control your emotions, attitudes, and thoughts, therefore you are not responsible for them. When we throw off our responsibilities and say to God, to others or to ourselves, "I cannot help it", "I cannot control it". When we adopt this attitude or thinking we are running away from our responsibilities before God.

1 Thessalonians 5:6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. 7For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. (NIV)