The narrative in Daniel 3:13-26 highlights one of those instances where we can go against secular and religious authority. This story tells of how Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to obey the law of the land. There is time for everything under heaven. There is a time when in order to obey the law of God, you have to disobey the law of the land. These three young men were accused and found guilty of religious anarchism. In simple terms, they were tagged criminals because they were found guilty of breaking the law, and the penalty for this was death by burning. Nevertheless, these young men defied the threat of tortuous death in a fiery furnace. Their attitude made it seem as if they had listened to the teaching of Jesus Christ in Mark 9:45-46, where He said:
“And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt unto life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.”

As seen in Acts 4:19, a similar act of defiance was exhibited by the early disciples. Peter stood up to the religious leaders of that time, giving them a rhetorical question to ponder on. He asked for their advice on whom to obey: earthly leaders or God. Beloved, you need to be defiant whenever you are asked to go against the law of God. The time to stand up for your faith and values is when you are asked to go against it.

If at the expenses of standing up for God, you melt in the face of threats to your life, comfort or career, you cannot call yourself a Christian. Are you in a situation where you are compromising on the truth? Are you falsifying records in your office or business to make more money? Are you collecting bribes before you do your work? Are you covering up for corrupt colleagues or friends? If you find yourself in such circumstances, you need to search deep within your heart and choose whom you will serve today. Serving God means that every moment of your day, every action that you take and every utterance that you make are viewed as service to Him. Always be conscious of the fact that your actions at your place of work or business counts as service to God. Your attitude towards everyone around you is also service to God. I pray that the Holy Spirit will convict your heart and enable you to stand up for Jesus every day.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.