I will not obey man above God

Acts 4:17-19
But that it spread no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they
speak henceforth to no man in this name. And they called them, and commanded them
not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and
said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than
unto God, judge ye
After the acknowledgment of the NOTABLE MIRACLE that was done by the disciples, the
priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees prohibited the disciples from further
spreading the gospel of Jesus. Peter and John responded to their threats by asking whether it
be right in the sight of God to hearken unto man or God. He basically asked them whether it
was right to obey man above God, meaning that they were determined not to obey them or
bend to their demands regardless of the consequences. Have you ever been in a situation
where someone superior to you, whether in an office environment, academic institution or
within a government establishment asked you to do something that was contrary to God's
word or your values, with hints of subtle threats if you didn't comply? Would you rather please
man or God? Do you have a boss who is constantly asking you to do things that are contrary to
your faith with underlying threats and the deceptive promise of a promotion? Will you because
of a desire to succeed at all costs compromise your faith? You need to declare your stand and
face the consequences of not compromising your faith. We need to take a cue from the
disciples who publicly refused the high priests to their faces because they would rather die
than obey man. We live in times when there is neither white or black as it relates to
Christianity, we rather have grey areas. We no longer see anything wrong with sex before
marriage or paying bribes. We might not be in a position where we are threatened by a boss or
envious people who try to stop our progress, but we live in a world in which the operating
system is constantly placing demands on us in a bid to pull us away from God and into sin.
This world's system was designed by the devil to ensure that living a life of sin comes naturally
and as long as we live in this world we are bound to face these circumstances that are
designed to make us compromise our faith daily. We therefore need to constantly seek God's
face through the study of His word, prayer and fasting in order to overcome the pressures of
this world.