The Challenges of Standing Firm in your Difficult Season
It is vital for our survival, as a spirit-filled believer, that we realize that when we became Christians, we were drafted into God’s army. Seemingly, everyday we are somehow engaged in a battle with an unseen spiritual enemy that seeks to destroy us.
Know this, otherwise, when trials hit, you will think that something is out of the ordinary with your walk! You will wonder why God has allowed this, and fail to understand the reality of your situation.
God is inviting us to stand firm in the midst of this most difficult post-COVID season like never before. There is a spiritual struggle underway, and some of us don’t like it.
So unless you’ve lived in a spiritual bubble for the past year and a half, it is happening, and we need to figure out how to stand strong and complete our assignment!
We are told to STAND firm and strong in His mighty power, and in His ability to cause us to triumph! We are never the victims, and always the victors! Standing strong and having done all…stand!
STAND—is a military term for holding on to a position that is under attack. It implies the courage to hold your ground because of your allegiance to your Captain (Jesus), even when others may be fleeing from the battle because the enemy seems so strong.
We have got to understand what will be necessary to stand and hold our place during this post-COVID world.
WE MUST BE STRONG IN THE LORD, not strong in ourselves.
Our strength comes from the Lord. To be strong in the Lord, YOU MUST BE IN THE LORD. To be in the Lord means that He has saved you from God’s judgment by His grace alone through faith in Christ alone. Salvation is not based on anything that you have done or deserved.TO BE STRONG IN THE LORD, YOU MUST KNOW YOUR OWN WEAKNESS. Apart from HIM we can do nothing. Our pride blinds us to our true condition. It makes us think that we have some measure of strength in ourselves. Pride makes us think that the longer we are Christians, the stronger we become. But we never become stronger in ourselves. In reality, the strong Christian is one who has come to see more and more of his own weakness and propensity towards sin. That awareness drives him to depend all the more on the Lord’s strength
STAND FIRM AGAINST THE ENEMY BY GROWING IN BIBLICAL UNDERSTANDING
To stand firm, grow in understanding of where to do battle and where to be tolerant of differences. Thus, standing firm against the enemy is the result of putting on God’s full armor.
In the past, we have succumbed to what is considered as “group-think”, (the practice of thinking or making decisions as a group in a way that discourages creativity and individual responsibility).
God has given each of us a personal assignment to stand, in whatever arena we have been planted; but the fear of standing alone and being abandoned threatens to be a very powerful voice in our lives, especially when close associates step away from us.
We must dissolve this fear and intimidation or we will forfeit our designed course for our life! Learning to be alone is part of this, command to ‘Stand, and having done all—to stand!’
In the scriptures, (2 Kg. 21) it shows a history of Israel in confusion. They forsook their God and provoked God to anger.
Even though they had been blessed mightily by Him, They refused to take the responsibility for their assignment. God’s orders were for them to stand and trust Him, no matter the circumstance, no matter what others thought, and no matter who walked away - and for them to not become part of the group-think majority! They responded by breaking covenant and God dealt with their reckless behavior!
Human nature, and the condition of our heart, if left to ourselves, becomes deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.
It's a mistake to think that God has this "endless" storehouse of mercy and grace, to those who deliberately and presumptuously dishonor Him and walk all over the grace and mercy that has already been extended to them!
Clearly, there are times when He is also a God of judgement and justice.
However, the imperfections of true believers are dealt with very differently than the wickedness of ungodly people.
Remember Sampson? Legendary Israelite, warrior and judge, divinely inspired leader, renowned for his remarkable strength?
He was so reckless and presumptuous with the things of God that he betrayed God, his faith and his assignment. He made the mistake of thinking that there was some kind of infinite storehouse of grace that would be extended to him without any consequences!
Sometimes, we too assume we have lots of other choices, and we have the choice of getting around to our god-assignment, whenever we want to, in our own time, and that because the assignment seems so hard, and the fact that we feel so alone in completing it, that we loose focus--and fail to realize that we have broken our covenant with God, as Sampson did.
He treated the commandments of God, his faith, his relationship with God...shabbily and broke his covenant with God, during his period of unprecedented ungodliness.
He was so used to having the strength of the anointing, that he took it for granted! He didn't even realize when the Lord’s anointing had left him!
This stands as a lesson for us all--during this season of dramatic changes occurring in our own nation, and the world!! We must not live overconfidently—overstepping the boundaries God has set, and taking personal liberties!
God is not just your "friend with benefits"–a safe relationship, that mimics a real one, but is void of a serious relationship! He is the captain of the host—the one true God!
Do not live presumptuous lives, by failing to observe the limits of what is permitted or appropriate in God’s eyes.
Stay aware of the covenant and the promises of God and Finish...Strong!