Stand Firm

by Vianne Satterfield

Ephesians 6:13-18 NLT “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”

Taking a stand and standing on God’s promises are vital aspects of having courage to stand firm, which is not for the faint-hearted. As followers of Christ, we are exhorted by the Apostle Paul to put on the full armor of God, which gives us the weaponry needed to successfully fight spiritual battles. The spiritual weapons include the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, feet fitted with the readiness of the gospel of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s Word.

Standing firm is a stance of faith and confidence in Jesus Christ who enables us to win against our enemy. Jesus Christ is our Victor; we can be victorious and overcome the battle that is before us. When we have equipped ourselves with God’s armor, we have His strength — we can stand our ground; we can resist the devil and we can stand firm.

As we stand firm with our spiritual armor on, we are less likely to give in to the tactics of the enemy, namely fear, doubt and discouragement. I fight against these top tactics especially when faced with obstacles and challenges of various kinds. It can be frustrating but I remember to straighten my armor, pull my shoulders back and stand firm so that I can fight and pray more effectively! Fighting spiritual battles effectively requires active faith and persistence, not passivity or giving up easily.

Remember: Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world. (I John 4:4) Be confident in the Lord and know that He will go with us wherever we go and whatever battle we may face. (Joshua 1:9)

I thank God for enabling us to be victorious in Christ. I ask the Lord to help us be confident while fighting the battles and to give us courage to stand for God and His ways. I ask the Lord to help us to defeat fear, doubt and discouragement. I thank the Lord for His empowerment and presence in our lives that gives us the ability to resist the evil one. I thank the Lord for the promise that He is with us and strengthens us every step of the way. AMEN

I write this blog with the hope that others can receive encouragement from believing and applying God’s Word to their lives. Today, I need this encouragement to stand firm and be strengthened. I am thankful for the power of God’s Word. Amen

I highly recommend Priscilla Shirer’s Bible study entitled, “The Armor of God,” if you want to better understand how to effectively utilize the armor of God in your daily life.