I was recently asked about conviction and whether or not a father had the authority and right to go against a girls convictions, or whether a girl could/should go against her father’s authority, if her “convictions” were different from his.

Girls, I would like to talk about convictions versus scriptural truth and the dangers of convictions. Yes, I am going to use the word “dangers”. Why? Because in this day and age, we are taught to follow our emotions and that emotions out-weigh biblical truth. Let me explain.

I can not tell you how many times in my own life I have had people tell me that if my convictions differed from my fathers, it was my RIGHT to go against his authority. Not only that, but they told me that I should, or else I was not following Yahweh. I can’t tell you how backwards this doctrine is! Where in Yahweh’s word do we see that conviction out weighs His truth in His Word?

This is where people get on some very, very dangerous ground. Do I believe that Yahweh talks to women? By all means. He spoke to Rebekah and told her about the twins. He spoke to Mary. He speaks to a lot of us. BUT, He will never, and I mean NEVER go against His word! When a girl tells me that “Yahweh has said” or told her something, and it goes against His word, I know she is not speaking the truth. Remember this warning:

Deuteronomy Chapter 11:16

[16] Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them;

Girls, something that we must remember is that our hearts are easily deceived. We as young ladies need to be especially careful about this. Yahweh says that we are easily deceived. I Timothy 2:11-14 says

[11] Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. [12] But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. [13] For Adam was first formed, then Eve. [14] And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.

We can see this with Eve. Yahweh said we are the weaker vessel. I Peter 3:7: “ Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.”

Yahweh said that we are the weaker vessel and Satan will try to use that weakness against us. He will try to convince us that we are right, regardless. He did it with Eve and he will do it again with you! This is why we, as young ladies, need to be especially careful in this area of “conviction”.

Eve was convinced that what she was doing, was right. But was it? Just because she was convinced and convicted in her own heart that it was right, did it make it any more right? No.

Isaiah 5:20-21

[20] Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! [21] Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!

Jeremiah 17:9

[9] The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Girls, our hearts can not be trusted. We will think that good is evil and evil good. Our heart is deceitful and very easily deceived. To put it bluntly, we are very gullible, like it or not. It’s just how Yahweh created us and we must realize this truth.

Yahweh has placed us underneath authority for a reason. He has placed the man, the warrior, over us, because girls, like it or not, we need that protection! And there is indeed a protection that comes with a leader and one who holds authority.

Years ago, I was “convicted” or “convinced” (same thing) about something. I honestly thought it was the truth. This has happened many times over the years (like I said, we are easily deceived, myself included). I have gone to my father with it and he has told me “no”. Could I have stood up and said “I don’t care what you say, I “believe” this?!” Yes, I could have. But you know what…I would have been wrong, dangerously wrong. Not only would I have been simply wrong (and I was wrong, which I later realized), I would have been stepping out from that authority and protection, giving Satan full way to attack me, and I would have been in direct disobedience to the One that I thought I would have been “serving and obeying”…the One I thought I was following, but really wasn’t…because my heart is deceitfully wicked

Conviction does not and never should hold the weight that scripture does. We must build our lives, not on emotion or conviction, but on Yahweh’s word! Convictions will change, ask anyone around you, but scripture will not. That’s the difference.

Yahweh has given us regulations and rules to follow. One of them is submission. And Girls, remember, submission only starts when you DISAGREE, but choose to be subjected, regardless as to how you feel. This is true submission. If you agree, you are simply agreeing, not submitting. No two people will agree on everything. They simply won’t. But where you do not have scripture backing you up completely and clearly, you have no right to step out on that “conviction” or “belief”. You can be convinced of anything. Remember, Yahweh told us that we will think white is black and black is white. In other words, we will think that wrong is right and right is wrong. Eve was “convicted” and “convinced” that eating that fruit was right, but did that make it any more right? Of course not! The same holds true within your life. Remember that.

Our father’s and husband’s were placed over our lives, to protect and guide us. Yahweh gave them authority that He did not give us. He also gives leaders knowledge that He doesn’t give to us. Think about the story of Lot and his sons. Yahweh told Lot (the leader) what was about to happen. Lot had knowledge that his sons and sons-in-laws, simply did not have. The same holds true with any leader. Think of it in terms of the military. The General gives orders to the Sergent, and the Sergent to the Private. The Priate is told to march and go someplace. He isn’t given the knowledge that the General or Sergent has. He is to follow their leadership. Do some Privates have other ideas and even good ideas? Yes. But that doesn’t change the fact that they are under authority and must follow those over them, or they will be in great danger and will find themselves on the road alone. So it is with us. Yahweh gives our leaders knowledge that He simply does not give us. So if we follow our own thoughts and feelings, we will be leading blindly. Lot’s sons and sons-in-laws “thought” they were right, yet were they? Did that stop their death? No, it did not. They still died with the rest of the people….BECAUSE THEY FOLLOWED THEIR OWN HEARTS, NOT THEIR LEADERS.

Girls, Yahweh gave us a chain of authority for a reason and He knew what He was doing. Trust Him, not the devices of your own heart. He will never lead you wrong, your heart will.

I also think about the story in 1 Kings 13. This prophet was told by Yahweh to not eat or drink in a certain place. It was the word of Yahweh. Another prophet and man of Yahweh came by him and told him to do the opposite, so he did. He went against the word of Yahweh, which he knew was the word of Yahweh, to follow something else that was not the word of Yahweh and what happened to him? He was killed. NEVER should anything take first place, than the word of Yahweh. Like I said, Yahweh’s word is sure and is truth. Anything, ANYTHING that goes against the word of Yahweh, you can rest assure, is wrong and sin. Let this be the test of your heart. Does it contradict ANYTHING in the word of Yahweh? If so, you are being deceived if you follow your heart. Follow facts, Girls, not emotions.

What I have done when my own conviction/thoughts/beliefs have differed from my fathers, is to sit back, pray and follow his leadership. I do not override my fathers authority. I do not speak about our differences to anyone but God. He alone knows my thoughts and my heart. I pray that Yahweh would lead my father in the way he needs to go and needs to lead our family in. I also pray that if I am wrong, Yahweh will show me, and if my father is wrong, He will show him. And I wait.

Girls, I have been SO blessed through doing this! I have been able to honor Yahweh and honor and obey my father. If he doe not give me permission to do something that I think I should, I just don’t do it. More times than not, Yahweh has shown me that it was “I” who was wrong, not my father. My staying underneath his leadership and following his authority, has blessed me in ways I can’t even come close to describing to you!

In conclusion; Do I think fathers have the right and should have their daughters go against their “convictions”? Yes. Not only do I believe they have the right, I believe if they truly believe something else and scripture doesn’t clearly say the opposite, they should have their family follow them in whatever Yahweh is leading them in. And I believe we daughters and wives, need to follow them. This is what a leader is and what a leader must do. The buck stops with them and rightly so. They were given the command to lead, and we were given the command to follow. So let’s back those men up with everything that we have and submit to them with a joy that is unspeakable! And Girls, don’t forget to pray for those leaders! They need your prayers and they desire your prayers! Follow them, yes, but never stop praying for them, too! )