Let’s Stand

By Pastor Jeff,

Ephesians 6:11, “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Verse 13, “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”
(withstand; anthistēmi, anth-is’-tay-mee; to stand against, that is, oppose:—resist, withstand.) antihistamine; any of various compounds that counteract histamine in the body and that are used for treating allergic reactions (such as hay fever) and cold symptoms .I don’t know about you, but the dealing with satan is one allergy I would like to get rid of quickly! Verse 14, “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;”

Three times Paul tells us here that it is important for us to “stand”! I don’t know about you but it seems very apparent that we are living in is not evil? So, what does the word of God say we are supposed to do about that?

I want you to notice something here, Paul does not tell us once we have the armor of God on, to go out and look for the enemy, he simply tells us to stand!
I’ve been serving our Lord Jesus Christ as best as I can for going on 35 years now, and I can tell you without a doubt that what Jesus says in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
Tribulation, (pressure (literally or figuratively):—afflicted, (-tion), anguish, burdened, persecution, tribulation, trouble.) it will find you, if you are breathing, you can’t ignore it, you can’t hide from it, you can’t give it away, and you can’t pray it away. It’s part of the curse that we are all subjected to until we go home to be with Jesus. Don’t ever worry about looking for a fight with the enemy of our soul, because it will find you! The bible just tells us to be ready by putting on the whole armor of God and stand!

We also need to be aware of some key points here, Verse 10, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.”
Who’s strength? Who’s power?
As I get older, I unfortunately can relate to our friend Job a little more as we see the consequences of sin on this fallen world, Job 42:2, “I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.”
I think most people have misread the Book of Job, in that most commentaries I have read say it shows that Satan is limited in what he can do to anyone. I don’t believe that’s entirely true, Job 1:10, “Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.” It was this divine protection that was place upon Job and his family that protected him. Otherwise why would Jesus tell us that, “In the world ye shall have tribulation:” If we all when we come to Christ have this same protection! why do we need this armor that Paul tells us to put on?

James 4:7, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” His strength, His power! 1Corinthians 16:13, “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit (act manly) you like men, be strong.”
Exodus 14:13, “And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will show to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.”

Listen, the devil has much power and is one not to be trifled with, mankind surrendered this world to him at the fall, it took the death of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to snatch the keys of death and hell away from him. Paul told the church at Ephesus to put on the armor, to stand, if you are struggling to get up, grab unto my arm and stand, if you don’t feel that you able to keep standing, stand anyways!

Picture care of: knowing-jesus.com