T - Department of Defence

S A S O L D I E RmessageSteadfast convictionCan you follow throughon the basic ethicaltenets that govern lifeand your relationshipswith others?By Col (Dr) Sybrand van Niekerk,SSO HRHow strong is your faith?What will it take to make youdeny your beliefs?How much pressure can yourfaith withstand?Will you make compromises?The depth of our convictions oftendetermines whether or not we arestanding tall in this life. A person ismeasured by his or her conviction. Areyou willing to stand up for what youbelieve in, no matter what? Can youfollow through on the basic ethicaltenets that govern life and your relationshipswith others? Or are youinclined to waver, even crack, at theslightest challenge to your beliefs?A case in point is an edict issued by theRoman Emperor Lucinius. In the winterof 320 AD he ordered all Romansoldiers to renounce Christianity andoffer a sacrifice to the Roman gods.Those who did not obey werepersecuted.When the instruction reached theThundering Legion at Sabaste, 40Christian legionaries refused torenounce Christ. They withstood beatings,threats and torture. They werethen marched on to a frozen lake, andordered to remove their armour anduniforms. They were to remain on thefrozen lake until they either recantedtheir faith, or froze to death.Col (Dr) Sybrand van Niekerk.The legion lit a large fire on shore and preparedfood to tempt the Christians torenounce their faith and make a sacrifice tothe Roman gods.The Christian legionnaires replied: "Youcan have our armour and even our bodies,but our hearts' allegiance belongs to JesusChrist." They then began to pray: "Lord, weare forty who are engaged in this combat;grant that we may be forty crowned, andthat not one be wanting to this sacred number".They sang hymns of praise to God.The mother of the youngest legionnairewas present, and she enticed her son toabandon his faith. He marched off thefrozen lake to the officer in charge,Centurion Sempronius, and renounced hisfaith. He was granted permission to rejointhe legion.Centurion Sempronius was so impressedby the conduct of the remaining39 Christians that he confessedhis faith in Jesus Christ, took offhis armour and his uniform, andjoined the other Christians on thefrozen lake. There he prayed andsang hymns with the others.The next morning the FortyMartyrs of Sabaste were foundfrozen on the ice of the lake.Men and women who live byconviction are rapidly becominga rare commodity in today's society,a society that often paintssuch persons as bigots, evenzealots for not accepting theviewpoints of others despite thefact that these viewpoints conflictwith the principles they holddear. We are rapidly becoming asociety governed by compromise,as opposed to conviction.Standing tall is fine as long asyou don't cast a shadow onanother person's space.We live in a society that is captivatedwith the idea of choices. We upholdthe freedom of choice. Convictions areoften seen as old fashioned since theywill not conform to change or compromise,and limit choice.We need to remember that the Biblesays that a double-minded person isunstable in all his ways (James 1:8). Solet us be bold and courageous. Let usstand up for what is right. Let usalways be ethical in our conduct. Letus hold on to our convictions!Remember, convictions are in theheart. Should they be assailed andlost, sin is apparent, not choice."The mother of the youngest legionnairewas present, and she enticed her son toabandon his faith." - CenturionSempronius.46• J U N E 2 0 1 1