I don't understand what God is doing to me. I'm a bookkeeper, and I got fired last week because I refused to do something illegal that my boss wanted me to do. (Of course, he won't admit that's the reason.) What good did it do me to stand up for my Christian principles? — M.R.

Let me reverse your last question: What good would it have done you to compromise your Christian principles and do something illegal?

The answer is clear: It wouldn't have done you any good—and in fact it would have done you great harm. You would always have carried a burden of guilt and shame for doing what you knew was wrong. You could also have been held legally liable for doing something you knew was wrong; our headlines are filled with cases of men and women who were caught in similar circumstances.

In addition, your conscience would have become a little less sensitive, so that you would have found it easier to do something wrong the next time you were asked. Sin is like that: It makes us insensitive to what is right. The Bible warns, "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts" (Hebrews 4:7). A seared conscience is one of the devil's greatest victories.

I commend you for refusing to do what was wrong, in spite of the pressures you must have felt. Listen: God knows your situation, and He never abandons His children. Thank Him for delivering you from this moral and spiritual danger, and trust Him to guide you in the future. The Bible promises, "The Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless" (Psalm 84:11).