Stand Firm

Stand Firm part 1

4:24

Stand Firm part 2

3:17

"Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

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.

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6‬:‭11‬-‭17‬, ‭NIV‬‬.

Why is it so much easier to believe lies over truth?

That’s what this battle between good and evil boils down to—truth and lies. Lies are the arrows that the enemy uses to shoot at us, looking for a place to land.

That’s why we need the shield of faith, faith to believe what we know is the truth: Jesus really did live, die, was buried, and was resurrected.

This truth must prevail within us if we are going to stand firm against the schemes of the enemy—Satan. Lies are one of his greatest weapons against God.

So, why is it so difficult to believe truth over lies?

We believe lies easily. We often believe what others tell us about ourselves versus what God tells us. Someone might say, “No one loves you.” That’s not the truth; we know God does—desperately.

Why would we believe the liar over God who speaks truth?

Because lies are like play dough, easily manipulated to fit our desires and occasions. We want something that we know is not right, so we justify truth to get our own way.

It can be a large lie, like justification to divorce due to a challenging marriage, or something smaller like buying a pair of shoes that are not in the household budget.

A lie is a lie. The purpose of a lie is to get our eyes off of the truth and on to ourselves. Satan has had thousands of years lying to mankind, and he’s good at it. He has built empires on lies and destroyed lives. He is not for us but is against us.

Once Jesus rose from the grave, He conquered sin and the lies that accompany it. Jesus broke the bondage of lies that so entangled us!

“O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

But thanks be to God, which gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ,” I Corinthians 15:55-57, NIV.

We now live in a period of grace—God’s grace. But the liar is on the lookout for anyone he can drag back down to the pit. Anyone. Christian or not, Satan is on the prowl looking for someone to devour. He wants to hurt God.

How can truth stack up to this angry foe?

Because truth is from God. It has weight. It’s authentic. It’s real. Yes, it also has responsibility and takes discernment, but it also brings freedom. It brings life to those who are willing to fight, with Jesus, against the schemes of the enemy. The truth, God’s authentic authoritative truth, needs respect and to be honored and obeyed.

This is our greatest tool against the enemy—truth. God’s word is truth, for God cannot lie.

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free,” John 8:31-32, ESV.

We have freedom! We are no longer entangled and wrapped up in the lies of the enemy!

And yet, the battles still rage around us.

How do we continue to protect ourselves? We need to know what God says, believe it, trust it, and walk behind our King of kings!

We put on God’s spiritual armor:

Righteousness—to do the right thing.

Know and trust the gospel of peace—Jesus’ story.

Have faith—it’s our first line of defense, our shields that stop the arrows.

They are not real arrows but lies that sting like an arrow. When we recognize a lie, we need to say, “That’s a lie! I choose not to believe it.” This is faith.

Our salvation covers us, and the Holy Spirit lives within us, instructing us, helping us, and guarding us.

The key to winning the battles comes down to obedience.

Are you willing to obey God? Obey Him with everything?

Father,

We know the victory is Yours. We thank You for all that You have done on behalf of mankind. Thank You.

We are in need of Your truth—help us know Your Word well enough to use it in battle. We understand that the armor of God isn’t a children’s story but a call to duty. Help us to appreciate the seriousness of this calling and be willing and able to stand firm.

You have the victory. To You be the glory and honor, forever and ever.

Amen.