December 31 | Stand Your Ground

Series | The Life of Revival

Scripture | Ephesians 6:13, “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.”

Lesson 31 | Stand Your Ground

Whether you like it or not you are in a battle.  This battle has been going on since the Garden of Eden.  Long before you ever were born the sides were determined and the battle line drawn.  On one side is the devil with those who willing choose to following him in rebellion and their motto is, “my will be done.”  On the other side is Jesus along with all who follow Him in humility and their motto is, “not my will but God’s will be done.”

This battle is not fought with swords and guns or any other kind of earthly weapons, 2 Corinthians 10:4-5.  This is not a battle just for the strongest men among us or for those who enlisted in the Army.  No, this is a spiritual battle that by its very nature enlists every man, woman, and child.  No one can avoid this fight.

The good news is that Jesus came almost 2,000 years ago and defeated our enemy and destroyed all of his kingdom, 1 John 3:8.  The bad news is not everyone has switched sides.  Some even rejected Jesus as their only hope of victory and are now in hell waiting to be cast into the lake of fire with the devil and his demons.  As a result, eternity is at stake in this battle and only those who confess Jesus as their Lord and King are saved.

For those of us who have switched sides and are now reborn into the Kingdom of God we are commanded to put the whole armor of God on and stand our ground.  We are to stand our ground until either we die or Jesus comes back and establishes His eternal Kingdom on earth.  We cannot predict how the devil will fight against us but we can be sure his evil days will come.  Some battles may involve our families, others our communities, and some our very own souls.  However, what we can be sure of is that no matter what battle we face, “greater is He that is within us than he that is in the world,” 1 John 4:4

I challenge you to put on the full armor of God and stand your ground and when you have done everything you can- continue to stand.  If you should stumble and fall, quickly get back up and stand your ground again.  Should people leave you and disappoint you continue to stand your ground.  And if you think the battle will never end, don’t give up but rather praise God in the midst of your trials and stand your ground. Stand.

Here are three ways to stand your ground: (1) Build your life on the foundation of God’s Word; (2) Put on the whole armor of God and never take it off; and lastly, (3) Depend upon God in prayer for victory in every battle you face.     

     

Reflection | Are you willing to stand your ground?   

Action | (1) Explain from the Bible why you should stand your ground.  (2) Pray that God will use you to reach out to those who have been defeated by the enemy.  (3) Lastly, for more information regarding standing your ground read the following books, “God’s General’s,” by Roberts Liardon and “Foxes Book of Martyrs,” by John Foxe.  

One Year Reading Plan (Optional) | Malachi 3:1-4:6, Revelation 22:1-21, Psalm 150:1-6, & Proverbs 31:25-31. Click here to read online.