'Put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you will be able to STAND YOUR GROUND. And having done everything, to stand.' Ephesians 6:13
That is the ultimate call. What's so difficult about simply 'standing'?
In this day and age, everyone is constantly being tossed to and fro by the media, by trends, by the opinions and patterns of this world. We are a distracted lot. What do you really stand for?
Few people have true convictions. We are all being tossed to and fro by mere feelings and emotions that influence our thoughts and actions in the spur of the moment. But what is the unwavering truth that we should stand by in spite of all our emotions and all the distractions we face?
We are not called to go with the flow. Just because the vast majority of young people today enjoy listening to Lady Gaga doesn't mean that's its necessarily good music. Just because everyone accepts something to be the 'norm' doesn't mean it is acceptable and pleasing in God's eyes.
The hardest thing about standing your ground is to stand ALONE. What does is feel like to be the only person speaking out and standing up? Frankly one would imagine it to be embarrassing and quite frightening. But we do not truly stand alone, although physically it seems we are.
It baffles me to think that Jesus, despite all the wonderful miracles he performed, despite the words of Truth, His love for the people in the shadows, was ultimately rejected and crucified by the world, even by the people who knew the good things he did. A servant is not greater than his Master. If Jesus suffered these things, do we expect any less?
Do we expect to lively successfully this side of heaven and compromise the truth we are meant to live by and speak of? Can we expect to comfortably live each day going about our plans, without our friends ever knowing the Hope that we have in Christ? Do we expect to not be ridiculed and persecuted for our belief & our testimony of faith in Jesus?
If we are not facing opposition by the world, that means we are living too comfortably. We are compromising, we do not even realize that we've already begun to fraternize with the enemy. The deception does not occur brazenly, it creeps in ever so subtly. Christians who are half asleep, and spiritually starved will not realize it. That is the danger. We no longer stand our ground when we are not watching and alert.
Having done everything, our call is to stand. In everything we do, remain steadfast in Christ. First things first and the rest will come. Do not worry what the world thinks, for this world is soon passing away. Cling on to the things eternal, not the things temporal. Stand your ground by standing firm on a faith that is founded not on shifty emotions, but on the unwavering Truth.
~ j a n i e ll e
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