What do you REALLY believe?

While waiting for the container the other day, we got into a discussion about religious freedom.

It seems the government is requiring the United Pentecostal Church to join some sort of ecumenical organization. Although all of the implications of that are not clear, it is clear that it is something they would not choose to do on their own. One of the implications is that the church board would be required to be turned over completely every 4 years, presumably to facilitate government intervention.  There is also a law here in Honduras that all female children attending public schools and all women working in public are required to wear pants which violates our beliefs.

It's interesting to observe what kinds of emotions this kind of thing raises in an American - myself. The idea of government intervention in any aspect of religion is so foreign to us.  Whether we agree with the action in question or not, we bristle at the thought of being "made" to do anything. The reaction in my gut is something like this: "It’s so unfair. Just take them to court and sue. No one can dictate what you can and can't wear. Justice will be done."  - a perfectly logical way of thinking in the States. We have the legal framework and constitution for this to be possible. In Honduras it's not so simple. While there is always the possibility of negotiations, greasing palms, whatever to get to the place you want, there is simply no guarantee that in the end things will go your way.  So what then?  The concept of true justice and right always winning in the end is so engrained in our minds as Americans that we rarely stop to think about what would happen if we were literally forbidden to - or at least had serious consequences for - practicing our faith as we believe it. 

If you subscribe to the belief that you don't truly know what you believe until that belief is tested, then do any Americans truly know what they believe?  Our thought pattern is "it's my right to believe this and do this. If I'm challenged, I'll fight until I win. The authorities will eventually end up on my side." But what if they don't?  Do you really believe what you say you do enough to stick with it in the midst of seriously adverse circumstances? 

Our thinking tends to be "if i do what's right God will look out for me and make sure that everything is smooth sailing." Our minds don't often stretch to the point of "maybe this is a test of my faith. If I truly believe this with all my heart, I'll be loyal regardless of adverse circumstances."  It is just assumed that before it gets to that point, someone - God himself, legal authority, whoever - will intervene.

So thats the question for today. What do you truly believe?  If the heat got turned up, which beliefs would you be willing to abandon? Of course we'd all like to believe the answer is none. But if we search deeply, we may find that we are willing to give a little on our "less important" beliefs. As long as you were allowed to keep the main part of your beliefs would you be wiling to compromise in modesty of dress or cleanness of your language and conduct?  If you would give up those things, what makes you think you would stop there? If you kept being pushed maybe you'd keep giving in until the very belief that Jesus is the one true God was gone.

I always tell my kids "how you perform on your tests in school is not determined during testing time. It is determined by the effort that you put into it before the test actually gets here.  Once testing time comes, your fate is sealed. Prep time is over. Its time to perform."  Maybe this is true for all of us.  Don't wait for the challenge to your belief to arrive. Decide now what you believe. Through prayer and study of the word, find the truth. Convince your self that it is THE truth. Then believe it with all your heart. And when the test comes, don't waver. Simply act out what you've already prepared for.