Topic: To Develop Strong Convictions, Get to Know the Bible [RICK WARREN Devotional 26 April 2020]

To Develop Strong Convictions, Get to Know the Bible

BY RICK WARREN — APRIL 26, 2020

“Oh, that they would always have such a heart for me, wanting to obey my commandments.”

Deuteronomy 5:29 (TLB)A conviction is a belief that shapes your behavior. It’s something you believe so strongly that it determines the way you act. While an opinion is something you’ll discuss or even argue about, a conviction is something you’ll die for.

The people who’ve made the greatest change in this world—for good or bad—were not the smartest or the wealthiest. They were those with the deepest convictions.

Our society says every value is up for grabs. It says you can do whatever you want, with no moral absolutes.

But the truth is that if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything. Today we need people with conviction who know what they believe.

But is it even possible to know right and wrong in this day and age of relativism? Is it possible to know good from evil?

Of course it is. Some things are absolutely right. Some things are absolutely wrong.

How do you know right from wrong? Use the Bible, God’s owner’s manual for life.

Hebrews 5:14 says, “Solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil” (NIV).

People who know truth are the ones who feast on the solid food of God’s Word. The Bible helps them know right from wrong.

When U.S. Treasury agents are learning to distinguish real bills from counterfeit ones, they don’t study counterfeits. They spend their time studying real bills. Then, when counterfeits come along, the agents recognize that those counterfeits aren’t the real thing.

It’s the same way with the truth of God’s Word. You don’t have to know everything that’s false. You just have to know the truth of the Bible. Then, when falsehoods come along, you’ll see that they don’t square up.

As you get to know truth, you’ll develop conviction. You’ll share God’s values.

The Bible says, “Oh, that they would always have such a heart for me, wanting to obey my commandments” (Deuteronomy 5:29 TLB).

You get a heart for God by developing convictions. And you develop convictions by getting to know God’s Word.

How would you explain the difference between an opinion and conviction? What are some of your opinions? What are your convictions?
How has the Bible helped you develop a specific conviction you hold?
People who change the world are people with conviction. Spend time in prayer, asking God to help you become a person of conviction who values the things he values.