To have an unshakable life, we must have uncompromising faith in God. This faith and trust in God refuses to compromise even when we are tempted and tested. Each of us will be presented with temptations and trials that would rob us of the life and victory that we have in Christ. We must develop a resilience and resistance to the attack of the enemy. This is a physical, spiritual, and personal challenge. When Jesus was teaching His disciples how to pray, part of that prayer was: “do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one,” (Matthew 6:13). This is a request for God’s intervention when evil would come in. 1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us, “God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape.”
God has provided specific spiritual equipment that enables us to have an unshakable life.
He wants you to have such faith and trust in Him that even when you go through the deep waters you know that the Lord will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up and the flames will not consume you. You know this because the Lord, your God is your Savior.
Our loving heavenly Father has made us as an example to the world and He has given us the equipment to stand strong.
Matthew 5:14–16 NKJV You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Since we are the light of the world, it is important that we do not compromise.
God told Jeremiah something that applies to each of us.
In Jeremiah 29:11 the Lord declares, “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
God has some unshakable and uncompromising plans for you and your future.
You need to know that the Lord is able to turn things around for you so that His good plan is accomplished.
Joseph’s life was a demonstration of an uncompromising faith and trust in God’s plans for his life.
When he was a young man, God showed him the great plans for He had for his life.
When Joseph shared his dream, no one believed him. As his life progressed, it appeared that everything was working against God’s plan. After his brothers plotted to kill him, Joseph was sold as a slave and was taken to Egypt, (Exodus 39). At that point in his life, it appeared that his future and dream had been taken from him. Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh’s guard, bought him from the slave traders.
God still had a plan for Joseph and blessed everything that he did.
Don’t give up on God when things don’t work out the way you think they should. When his master saw that the Lord was with him, Joseph found favor in his eyes. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and everything that he owned. God knows how to bless you even in circumstances that you cannot control.
Genesis 39:7 NIV “After a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!”
In Genesis 39:9 NIV Joseph replied: “No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?”
We must have an uncompromising attitude toward sin and temptations.
Satan will bring up anything he can that will appeal to your flesh and human nature. He wants to steal, kill, and destroy what God has given you.
When Joseph refused to compromise his faith and values, it appeared that everything went wrong.
The old enemy of your soul will tell you that life would be better if you would compromise. He will tell you, “If you will give up on God things will be better.” He is a liar and will tell you that God is not listening and does not care about what is happening in your life.
When Joseph was uncompromising and unshakable, he was severely tested.
You need to remember that Joseph was under divine appointment. His life was being directed by the sovereign God. God’s hands and eyes were on Joseph.
God has a plan for your life.
If you stay true to God, He will prosper you and fulfill that hope and future.
How can we keep from compromising when we go through the water of adversity and the fire of oppression?
Joseph was in a strange land and was surrounded by people who did not have faith in God. All he had was his own faith and trust in the integrity of God’s promises.
Joseph’s experience offers four great truths that will help us be uncompromising.
First, realize that it is not a sin to be tempted or tested.
Everyone will be tempted and tested. Jesus Christ was tempted like we are, but did not compromise or sin. Satan did everything he could do to draw Jesus into sin. He offered Him riches and a position. When the Lord would not compromise, Satan tried to get Jesus to forsake His mission in life.
Potiphar’s wife became an instrument of temptation.
She was without moral constraint and was filled with a vile attraction for Joseph.
Satan is the enemy of your soul.
He will try to undermine and destroy your faith and future. He did it with Adam and Eve, even after they had walked in the garden with God. The adversary appealed to them on the basis of legitimate desires. He told them that they wanted to be more like God. He told them they would gain new wisdom. He told them that the tree was lovely to look on. Satan knows how to put a spin on the truth. He is wicked to the core and is the father of all lies.
Joseph remained unshakable and uncompromising.
Satan will try to convince you that you are evil and weak because you are tempted.
1 Corinthians 10:13 NKJV No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
Second, understand Satan’s goals when you are tempted.
Satan wants to destroy your influence.
God had a specific purpose for Joseph’s life. Even in bad situations, he was blessed by God’s favor. Joseph refused to compromise and as a result his influence for God remained strong. Everything God had planned would have been lost if Joseph had compromised.
Satan wants to ruin your life.
He wants to ruin your testimony and destroy every plan that God has for you. The evil one wants to bring you to shame, ruin, humiliate and destroy your future and attack your God.
1 Peter 5:8 NKJV Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
1 Peter 5:8 Amplified “Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour.”
This is exactly what is happening and why we must be uncompromising with our faith and trust in God.
Third, what is the power behind temptation?
Satan is the power behind all evil temptations.
He is a master of deception and will hide the consequences of sin’s actions. He wants to make evil look good and good look evil. You need to know that God never tempts us to do evil and sin, but He always delivers the godly out of temptation.
Look at the misleading power of temptation.
- It happens unexpectedly.
- Once started, it is persistent.
- It is made to appear like personal gain.
- It looks unavoidable.
- You never have all of the facts.
Fourth, how can we remain strong and uncompromising?
You do not have to fall prey to Satan’s misleading devices. Satan is a powerful foe, but he can be defeated. James 4:7 says, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” 1 John 4:4 “Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.”
You can live an unshakable life by refusing to compromise your faith and trust in God.
1 Corinthians 10:13 NKJV No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
God promised to make a way for you to escape.
2 Peter 2:9 NKJV The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation.
God always provides the help we need so that we will remain unshakable in difficult times.
How can we be unshakable and uncompromising in difficult times?
First, there is victory through Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:57 NKJV But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Throughout history, Satan has been relentless in trying to defeat humanity. He thought he had an opportunity to completely defeat humanity when he tempted Jesus Christ the eternal Son of God. If he could defeat Jesus Christ, there would be no hope for mankind. In the wilderness, in the Garden of Gethsemane, on the cross and in the tomb, Satan tried to hold Jesus captive to his devices. Jesus Christ defeated Satan in every situation. You need to know that God sent His Son into this world so you could experience His victory and life.
Second, you must refuse to compromise.
- Abraham said, ‘I have put my trust in God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth and I will take nothing as a reward for services rendered,’ Genesis 14:23.
- Elisha refused to take payment for healing the leper, 2 Kings 5:16.
- Everyone kept telling Job to give up and curse God, but he continued to hold on to his faith in God, Job 2:9-10.
- Peter refused the bribe of Simon the sorcerer, Acts 8:9-20.
You must resist the devil and refuse to compromise. Sometimes we just have to say: NO! One of the first words of power we learn is NO! You can say NO to compromise!Stop trying to work around it and just say NO! Say NO and leave it behind you.
Third, avoid areas of weakness.
Proverbs 4:14 NKJV Do not enter the path of the wicked, And do not walk in the way of evil.
If there is a lion in the path, don’t go down the path. If you want to have an unshakable life, you must be uncompromising in your faith and walk with God. Get the Word of God down in your heart and hold fast to what God has said. Keep believing that God is faithful and He will always provide a way for you to escape. Make up your mind that you refuse to compromise your faith and trust in God. God is faithful and He will make a way for you.
