And Now We Stand

Now Stand

We’ve come to the point of being fitted in God’s armour. Now what? We’re all dressed and ready, but where do we go and how do we get there?

When it comes to spiritual warfare, we’re a bit spoiled. We don’t have to go looking for it. It comes to us. And when it arrives, we stand.

In Ephesians 6:10-14, we read:

Take your stand – against the devil’s schemes
Stand your ground – when the day of evil comes
To stand
And stand firm.

Most importantly, we stand in the full armour of God. We need it all. To go underdressed or ill-equipped into battle is not only unwise and irresponsible, it’s asking for injury.

Getting dressed

Even though our enemy is unseen, he is supremely cunning and a skilled tactician. It is not enough for us to mime putting on armour each morning. Daily, we have to intentionally and prayerfully connect with God.

Every time we’re confronted with choice, we need to be wearing God’s full armour: be in genuine relationship with God.
When called upon to share the truth, we need those boots fitted and ready to go; having genuinely experienced the peace of the gospel for ourselves.
When accused, we take cover under the shield: confidently trusting the One whose armour we wear.
Whenever we face temptation, we need proficiency in wielding the sword: Scripture woven into our DNA by regular use.

Stand how?

The best way to learn how to stand in battle is to learn from the experts.

Moses

At the age of eighty, Moses returned to his adoptive nation to make a stand against Pharaoh.

¹³Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. ... ¹⁴The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
Exodus 14:13-14

David

As a teenager, David was outraged at Goliath’s insults against his God. He didn’t need Saul’s armour; he was already wearing the full armour of God.

⁴⁵David said …, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
1 Samuel 17:45

Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego

In a foreign land, these men took a stand refusing to bow down to false gods.

¹⁷If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. ¹⁸But even if he does not, we want you to know, … we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
Daniel 3:16-18

Paul

Opposing riotous hordes, Paul stood firm in the knowledge and love of God.

⁷But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. ⁸We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. ¹⁰We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.
2 Corinthians 4:7-11

Christ

In obedience to His Father, Jesus went to the cross to make a stand against sin and death.

²³Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. ²⁴Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.
John 12:23-26

Fighting God’s war

Throughout Scripture and history God’s children have been called to make a stand against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil. It may or may not look like a victory in the eyes of the world. But in the heavenly realms, the Dark suffers casualties.

For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.”
Deuteronomy 20:4

Know this, we are at war.

But we are not alone, we have all we need for victory because our God fights for us. However, like the heroes listed above, in battle we are called to be:

Still
Courageous
Brave
In Christ
Obedient.

Like Christ, we too will suffer. But along with Christ may we pray:

²⁷“Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. ²⁸Father, glorify your name!”
John 12:27

Fighting God’s way

Christ’s kingdom is not of this world. The world’s wisdom is foolishness to God and His ways are beyond our understanding. It follows that, as God’s children, we fight differently to the world, armed with weapons having divine power to demolish strongholds.

God’s way is love.

We make a stand by putting on the full armour of God, choosing to follow in the footsteps of Christ, filled with the Spirit, obeying the Father’s law of love, so that, above all, He may be glorified.