There is an old saying: either “you will stand for something, or you will fall for anything. Now that’s an idea worth thinking about!
When it comes to the spiritual conflict, the Apostle Paul exhorts us to take a stand against the devil. In Ephesians 6:11 he says, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Our willingness to take a stand is absolutely essential if we wish to win the battle against the ways of Satan.
The word for “stand,” when used in an intransitive sense as in Ephesians 6, means “to stand still, to resist.” It means “to stand firm and hold one’s ground”.
I remember a football game where the opposing offense was pushing our defense all over the place. They were winning the battle at the line of scrimmage so our coach called a time-out and took us aside. He said, “You guys have to dig in and defend out goal! Don’t let them push you around! Sure, it’s tough out there – but you have to take a stand, or we’re going to lose this game. Now go out there and do something about it!” Well, our defense rose to the challenge, and we won the game. Now that’s the idea here. We have to dig in and take a stand if we want to keep the devil from advancing his cause.
Listen! We can’t be “convenience Christians,” where we are only concerned about our comfort and pleasure in order to enjoy the “good life.” We have to be known for our convictions, where certain issues are important enough to die for. Sure, it’s a war out there. But if we don’t raise our voices and speak out for what we know to be right, Satan will push us all over the place. So, let me ask you, “Are you willing to take a stand for what you know to be right?”
Hey. Standing takes courage – especially if someone is trying to knock you down.