Standing our ground is perhaps the most important aspect of spiritual warfare.
For this reason, take up the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand your ground on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand. Ephesians 6:13 (NET)
Paul uses an analogy from ancient warfare when he wrote that we should put on spiritual armor by faith, which is described in the passage following the above verse. Even though he lists each piece of armor in Ephesians Chapter Six, we should not think of it as individual pieces acquired separately.
Every aspect of our armor comes as a package when we receive Christ.
We simply need to recognize what we have and consciously arm ourselves with the same. This is the same as “putting on Christ,” which is mentioned elsewhere. (Romans 13:14 and Galatians 3:27) We are complete in Christ (Colossians 2:10), having all that we need for life and godliness. (2 Peter 1:3) In other words, God does not dispense grace or gifts piecemeal. Rather, he gives us all things in Christ.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, Ephesians 1:3 (NKJV)
Understanding that Christ is our spiritual armor enables us to stand against the enemy.
Standing firm positions us to experience God’s fighting on our behalf. During Jehoshaphat’s rule, when Israel faced a vast horde of enemy soldiers, God instructed his people to trust completely in him.
You will not fight in this battle. Take your positions, stand, and watch the Lord deliver you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Don’t be afraid and don’t panic! Tomorrow march out toward them; the Lord is with you!’ ” 2 Chronicles 20:17 (NET)
Ultimately every battle is the Lord’s.
When David faced Goliath, he proclaimed (prophesied) that God would defeat the giant.
And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us!” 1 Samuel 17:47 (NLT)
David had to fight, but he understood that really the battle was being waged by God himself, who gave David the victory. The rest of the army of Israel stood back in fear, but David stood firm in faith. His stand of faith resulted in his being willing to enter battle with the giant enemy warrior.
Standing firm results from our knowing that God is with us to give us the victory.
Somewhere along the line, David wrote the beautiful song we know as Psalm 23. Perhaps it was before his pivotal defeat of Goliath.
David understood that his strength was found in God’s presence.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4 (NASB95)
Moses was able to stand up against Pharaoh because he too knew that God was with him.
But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 God answered, “I will be with you. And this is your sign that I am the one who has sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God at this very mountain.” Exodus 3:11–12 (NLT)
It took a while for Moses to be convinced, but eventually he came to believe that God was indeed with him, which enabled him not only to confront Pharaoh but also to lead Israel for forty years through the desert.
If God is with us, it is enough for us to stand up against any force of evil and fulfill our calling.
Standing against the wiles and onslaught of the enemy also requires courage on our part. The devil seeks to convince us that God has abandoned us, and we are on our own.
Faith in God’s faithfulness allows us to shield our hearts against these lies.
In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Ephesians 6:16 (NLT)
Jesus guaranteed that the enemy cannot ultimately harm us.
Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you. Luke 10:19 (NASB95)
But this promise does not preclude that we may suffer threats and harm to our physical bodies through persecution.
The tests and trials of life are used by Satan to make it appear that God cannot be trusted.
These contradictions to God’s benevolent promises to keep us from all evil, are tests of our ability to stand by faith in his faithfulness. Jesus withstood these contradictions, and so must we.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. 3 Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. Hebrews 12:1–3 (NLT)
Sometimes God grants us a magnificent deliverance in answer to our faith. Other times he may allow us to suffer contradiction, giving us the opportunity to demonstrate our courage and faith in the face of adversity.
And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, 33 who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. 35 Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; 36 and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated 38 (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. 39 And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect. Hebrews 11:32–40 (NASB95)
Whether we experience glorious victory over the things that challenge our faith, or God allows us to suffer contradiction, we must stand by faith.
When we make up our minds to give God thanks in every circumstance because we fully believe that he will work all things out for our good and his glory, we become overcomers by faith.
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 (NKJV)
Whether we receive the object of our faith in this life or not, we overcome because of our faith stance.
Such faith glorifies God because it is God-centered rather than man-centered.
Standing by faith is rooted in the conviction that God is loving, faithful, and always with us. Our part is to remind ourselves of these things by remembering to pray, study the Word of God, share the gospel with others, and worship. This allows us to be fully clad in God’s protective armor, which protects every part of our being from head to foot. As we learn to stand on the promises of God, his Word becomes a spiritual sword in our hands by which we can defend ourselves and inflict damage on the enemy of our souls.
Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— Ephesians 6:14–18 (NKJV)
The belt of truth holds everything in place through our conviction that every word of God is true. The breastplate of righteousness guards our heart from the onslaught of condemnation. Our feet or walk with God is protected and strengthened as we fearlessly share our faith with others. Our faith acts as a shield to protect our hearts from Satan’s fiery darts of doubt and fear. The helmet of salvation guards our minds with the hope (firm conviction) of God’s complete faithfulness. Knowledge of God’s Word put into practice enables us to properly defend ourselves and even attack. Finally, prayer is how we stay in a proper attitude of complete reliance upon God for ourselves and others.
