One of our great challenges in an unbalanced world is to maintain our equilibrium and keep standing.
God has done a marvelous thing by making us His children. This change has re-created and made us living representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ.
God has endowed us with His Own Spirit to enable and protect us in this age. He has purified and cleansed us by the blood of Christ and equipped us to stand strong. He has given us the Lord’s strength and power in the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 6:10 tells us to “be strong and empowered in our union with the Lord and draw the strength that we need from His unlimited power.”
God wants to help you where you live, so He has given specific equipment to keep us standing in the Lord’s strength.
Ephesians 6:13 NLT Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.
Along with the everyday challenges of life, we contend against the enemy of our souls. This text tells us that our real struggle is not against “flesh and blood” or human enemies. Our real struggle is against “rulers, authorities, powers of this dark world and spiritual forces of evil.” These forces of evil are positioned to challenge your very existence and spiritual victory. These forces of darkness attempt to knock you off your balance and mess with your equilibrium so that you cannot keep standing.
We are still standing.
- It is difficult to stand firm in faith when we are plagued with unanswered prayers.
We are still standing.
- When desperate desires loom over our soul, it is hard to keep standing.
We are still standing.
- When an unsaved loved one is going deeper and deeper into sin and misery, it can be hard to keep standing in prayer.
But, we are still standing.
- Faith to overcome and keep standing is hard when a nagging physical condition has no resolution.
But, we are still standing.
- It is hard to still stand when there is no relief from overwhelming financial obligations.
God has given you the tools and strength to “still stand.”
How can we still stand when the struggle continues?
Florence Chadwick was the first woman to swim the English Channel both ways.
On her first attempt, the weather was foggy and chilly; she could hardly see the boats that accompanied her. She swam for fifteen hours. She became so tired that she begged to be taken out of the water. From a boat that was alongside, her mother told her she was close and that she could make it.
Finally, physically and emotionally exhausted, she stopped swimming and was pulled out. As soon as she was in the boat she discovered the shore was less than half a mile away. At a news conference the next day she said, “All I could see was the fog.…I think if I could have seen the shore, I would have made it.”
Many times in life all we can see is the fog.
Often we are closer to victory than we think. You cannot see how close you are to an answer. Stand firm in faith and you will finally overcome.
You need to learn to keep standing in prayer.
What do I mean?
Keep on holding on in prayer and don’t stop praying. The answer is closer than you think.
In Mark 11:25 NKJV Jesus said: “And whenever you stand praying… if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.”
To stand praying is more than a posture that we take.
Jesus is talking about taking a stand or prevailing in prayer. When we stand praying, we are taking a stand from which we will not be easily moved.
Keep Standing in Prayer.
James 5:16 NLT “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results.”
James 5:16 NIV “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”
Jesus said: “When we stand praying… we must forgive.”
The act of forgiveness opens the door for the Father’s answers. We cannot even get forgiveness if we have unforgiveness in our heart.
Standing in prayer should bring us into Christian maturity and spiritual perfection in Christ.
Before anything else, our prayer life should deal with our own inconsistencies. We need to be perfected in Christ. Prayer must deal with what is lacking in our own lives.
When we stand praying, we must take every stubborn obstacle to God in prayer.
Is something hindering your walk in TOTAL VICTORY? You need to pray with victory in mind. Address every situation that is hindering your life.
- Pray until conditions change in your heart and mind.
- Pray until circumstances change.
- Pray until you hear God.
- Keep on standing in prayer.
Keep on standing on the Word of God.
To keep standing, you need to know what God has said.
Why do we need to know what God has said?
Proverbs 30:5 NLT Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to all who come to Him for protection.
Hebrews 4:12 NLT For the word of God is alive and powerful.
You can depend on what God has said. His words are sure and stand fast forever. No word of God ever loses its power. God’s word always achieves His purpose. Every word of God proves true.
Keep Standing on the Truth
Ephesians 6:14 HCSB Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist and righteousness like armor on your chest.
Take your stand on the Word of God.
Stand with the truth like a belt around your waist and righteousness like armor on your chest. You cannot expect to keep standing if you live an ungodly life and claim God’s promises. Truth and righteousness go hand in hand. We cannot win and live in sin. God’s Word always leads us to a holy life and righteousness.
Psalms 1 shows us the difference in the person who is ungodly and the righteous.
The Word tells us: “the ungodly shall not stand…” and “the way of the ungodly shall perish.” But it says: the righteous “shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water.” Not only will it keep standing, they will bear fruit in season. God wants to make you stand in His strength and blessing.
Take a Stand For God
God asks us a question in Psalms 94:16.
Psalms 94:16 NKJV “Who will rise up for Me against the evildoers? Who will stand up for Me against the workers of iniquity?”
God is calling us to take a stand for Him.
- Take a stand for holiness and righteousness.
- Take a stand for goodness and peace.
- Take a stand against sin and evil.
- Take a stand in your life.
- Take a stand in your home and family.
- Take a stand in your community.
- Take a stand in your nation.
Queen Esther took a stand that could have cost her life.
Mordecai told her of a plot to kill all the Jews in Persia. Esther had to choose if she would take a stand or be silent. She knew if she were silent, her countrymen would die.
SHE CHOSE TO STAND.
People need to know where you stand.
- They need to know you stand on the side of Christ.
- They need to know you read and live by the Bible.
- They need to know you pray and are faithful to God.
- They need to know you are faithful to your spouse.
- They need to know that you are pure in heart.
- They need to know that you are a child of God.
Keep on Standing in Faith
Elijah continued standing in faith when he was praying for rain.
God gave him the promise of a broken drought. There were no signs of rain, but he had God’s word.
1 Corinthians 16:13 NLT Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong.
- When you pray, stand firm in the faith.
- When you face delays, stand firm in the faith.
- When the enemy attacks on every side, stand firm in the faith.
- When you get bad news, stand firm in the faith.
How can you keep standing in faith?
1 Corinthians 1:9 NKJV God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
You can keep standing in faith because God is faithful.
He has called you into the fellowship of Jesus Christ the Conqueror.
In Christ, we are more than conquerors, (Romans 8:36).
Keep Standing Together
Sometimes you have to stand alone in prayer. You can stand strong on the Word by yourself. You may have to take a stand for what is right all alone. You have to stand in the faith if no one else does.
God never intended for us to stand alone.
- He gave Eve to Adam.
- He gave Moses—Miriam and Aaron.
- He gave Elijah—Elisha.
- When the burden of the congregation became too much for Moses, God told Moses to appoint elders.
Numbers 11:16-17 NKJV So the LORD said to Moses: “Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, …that they may stand there with you… so that you do not have to bear it by yourself.”
Keep on standing together.
- When John the Baptist went out preaching and baptizing, he had faithful disciples.
- Jesus called 12 and later 70 disciples to help in the ministry.
- He sent them out two by two.
- When the New Testament Church was set in order, the Holy Spirit ordained elders, helps, governments, and teachers.
We must keep standing with one another.
Jesus said, “where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:20)
We all face the same kinds of trials and afflictions. The weight of these is often more than we can carry alone. We find strength when someone else is standing with us.
We were in the hospital with Martha and Robert.
Robert was dying with heart troubles and Martha was overwhelmed. She had stood as long as she could, but was now in the waiting room wringing her hands. Martha kept saying, “I can’t make it if Robert dies.” We were standing in the hallway in the intensive care looking into the room where doctors and nurses were working on Robert. Robert’s heart stopped beating at least five times, but we kept standing in prayer. All of a sudden without explanation, Robert’s heart started beating and he came out of that hospital healthy.
In fact, Robert out lived Martha by several years.
We must keep standing with one another.
Keep Standing as Conquerors
A conqueror is a person who refuses to be defeated. Regardless of the attack, they keep on standing.
Ephesians 6:13 NKJV Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Each of us face an evil day when crisis hits.
Whenever the EVIL DAY comes, you need to be standing in the whole armor of God. There is something amazing about God’s people who refuse to sit down and give up in the EVIL DAY. You can stand as a conqueror even if you have to stand alone.
Keep Standing as Conquerors
2 Corinthians 4:8-9 NKJV We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—
It is difficult standing alone.
When the Apostle Paul was going through those difficult days, he needed someone to stand with him. Paul and Barnabas had traveled and suffered together. When Demas forsook Paul, he asked Timothy to come quickly.
He said, “the Lord stood with me and strengthened me.”
Then he said, “the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom.” ( 2 Timothy 4:17-18)
He knew that God was helping him and was delivering him. God will help you if you must stand alone.
As strong as the Apostle Paul was, he wanted Christian brothers near him during his tests. When he was closing his last letter to Timothy, he said, “Do your utmost to come before winter.” (2 Timothy 4:21)
Ecclesiastes 4:9–10 NIV Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up.
We want to do everything we can to keep standing.
- Get others to pray with you.
- Stand together in the Word.
- Stand together in faith.
- Stand together as a conqueror.
- The Church has not done all we can do to stand.
- We need to become giants of God.
- We need to be giants in prayer.
- We need to be strong in the Word of God.
Right now, you need to decide that you are not going to quit.
You are going to keep on standing.
