…….then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Ephesians 6:13 (NLT)
Have you ever tried to dress an active toddler? What a task! They wriggle and fidget, squiggle & squirm; they are anxious to get on with their day. The next adventure beckons them; getting dressed is just an inconvenient and unwelcome interruption in their busy life. If only they would stay still the job would be done much quicker!
Notice in Ephesians 6:14 it tells us to ‘stand your ground, putting on the belt….” It is possible to get dressed while ‘on the run’, but really it’s much quicker to stand still and focus while dressing. Many Christians tend to run from one thing to another, reluctant to stop and spend time in God’s presence. We need to be still to focus on his word and listen for his voice. We could save ourselves a lot of anxiety if only we would spend time in God’s presence and get his wisdom and peace for our day.
Dressing in the armour of God needs focus; we need to remind ourselves of his instructions as we face spiritual battles. If we do that, the enemy won’t be able to knock us out in the fray. Verse 13 says that if we put on every piece of God’s armour, ‘Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.’
When Peter speaks about watching out for the enemy who ‘prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour’ (1 Peter 5:8), he goes on to say ‘Stand firm against him and be strong in faith.’ Again in verse 12 he encourages ‘stand firm in this grace’. What grace? In verse 12 he says something that deserves serious thought. ‘My purpose in writing is to encourage you and assure you that (the trials) you are experiencing are truly a part of God’s grace for you.’ That’s rather a strange thing to say, but he has reminded them that what they are experiencing is the same experience of their brothers and sisters all over the world. When we are going through tough times we do well to remember and pray for fellow Christians who also suffer. In doing that we can find courage because one of the things the enemy likes to do is to make us think that we are the only one getting such a rotten deal. That’s his way of getting us to spiral into self pity and isolation.
Don’t go there – remember the devil is a liar, and that there are plenty of people going through difficulties just as bad if not worse than yours. Pray for them and your focus will change for the better. As we stand firm, then the wonderful promise is that ‘after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support and strengthen you and place you on a firm foundation.’ (Vs 10). That's the grace that results from suffering trials. So, stand firm, you can win!
Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to take time to stand firmly when the enemy attacks me, knowing that you will strengthen me and help me because you are my strong place of refuge. Amen
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