Defend and Resist
(James 4:7; Eph. 6:10-14; Isaiah 7:9)
When I was much younger than I am now, there was a country song that included the words “you’ve got to stand for something, or you’ll fall for anything”. I thought of those words today as I sat down to look at the next definition for stand that I had on my list. This definition for stand meant a halt for defense or resistance. This meaning of stand implies intentionally stopping to “stand” and defend- to resist the enemy. This is a physical position in which one stops and prepares to fight or resist. My friend, this meaning of the word implies a battle!
James 4:7 tells us to “submit to God, but resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Every believer needs to give careful attention to the order of the words in this verse. Before we can resist the enemy and stand against him, we must first make sure that we are submitting to God. We must come under His authority before we can successfully resist the enemy. We will have no power over the enemy if we are not first making absolutely certain that we are submitting to God. Are you living under the authority of His Word? Are you living in obedience to His Word and His Spirit?
“How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping Your Word” Psalm 119:9. Keeping His Word is an important part of living a life submitted to God. The only way to know the will of God is to get in the Word of God. There is no way around it, dear heart, we must prioritize the Word of God if we wish to be victorious over the enemy. An important part of standing is having something firm to stand on. If you are going to halt and make a defense, you need a firm foundation beneath you to stand on. That’s what His Word is for us; it is a firm foundation we can stake our lives on.
As I considered what this definition of my word for the year, stand, meant, I visualized someone making a deliberate choice to say, “This is it. This is where I make my stand. I will not be moved from this position. I will hold to this position, and I am ready to fight to defend it.” I see this definition as a defining moment, a crossroads if you will. It is that moment when a person has to decide what truly matters; the moment they must decide that this is where they make their stand because this is something they will not compromise on. They feel this way because it is so important to them.
As I said at the beginning of the year, I can’t help but wonder why God gave me this word. It is a word of action. I am learning it is a word implying unwillingness to compromise on what matters most. In a world where compromise seems to be swiftly becoming the way of life, God knows we need to be reminded that He is still looking for people willing to stand firm on His Word. He is still looking for people willing to “stand in the gap” before Him “on behalf of the land” (Ezekiel 22:30). As the darkness continues to spread, God is looking for people willing to stand and be a light.
Lights cannot compromise with darkness; they must expel it. They must stand and shine for all the world to see so that they can point people to THE Light (John 8:12). That’s why it is so important that we learn to stand, that we learn to resist the enemy and stand for Christ. This world needs the hope we have to offer. “so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God, who are faultless in a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world” Phil. 2:16. Beloved, look around you and you will see a world that is darker than I have ever seen it.
My heart is saddened on a regular basis, and I am appalled at the news I see of people I thought were genuine believers who are compromising their faith. More and more people are compromising on the Word of God in order to fit in with the world around them. My friend, this is not acceptable! As believers, children of the Most High God, we are called to live our lives based on the authority of His Word and His Word alone. I say again, His Word is our Authority. This is one area we cannot afford to compromise. His Word must be the very foundation of everything!
Which leads me to the place where we must draw the battle line, dear heart. It is at His Word that we must halt for our defense. This is the place we stop and prepare for battle. No matter what the world around us says, the believer must let His Word be our Guide. We must resist the evil that is spreading, this deception that has taken hold of so many people. “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness, who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter” Isaiah 5:20. We are there, my friend, we are there.
This definition of stand is about defending and protecting. It is also about resisting and opposing. We are at a time when the believer needs to be ready to do all of this. We must be ready to defend and protect the Word of God. We must defend and protect that which is sacred and holy. We must defend and protect what is right. Which also means that we must be prepared to resist and oppose the enemy. We must be ready to resist and oppose the evil that is spreading across this world. It is a call to action, my friend, because we cannot afford to remain silent!
“Be serious! Be alert! Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. Resist him and be firm in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the world” 1 Peter 5:8-9. In case you haven’t realized it by now, the Christian life is not supposed to be a passive experience. It is meant to be a battle; that is why we are told how to put on the armor (Ephesians 6:10-14)! Whether you want to admit it or not, dear heart, you are in a battle that you cannot afford to ignore!
This is why it is vital that you learn to stand firm against the one who wages war against everything that we hold dear! Beloved, if you are anything like me, you have people you dearly love that need the hope that you possess. You have people that you love who are fighting battles that are so very heavy. They need you to stand in the gap and fight for them. They need your prayers. They need the Light you have to offer them. There are people who need you to be willing to stand firm and hold out a light for them to see so that they can find their way to Jesus!
This can only happen if you are willing to be one who is willing to stand. It will only happen if you are one willing to do battle against the enemy. Are you one who will take a stand and refuse to compromise on what the Bible defines as right and wrong? Would you be willing to stand firm on His Word, even if it offends the culture around you? Since my word is stand and He continues to prod me to do just that, I want to remind you of some things that are clearly defined in His Word. At the risk of offending some of the people who will read these words, I must speak Truth.
According to His Word, all life is sacred. From the womb to the tomb, all life is sacred to Him. The Bible clearly defines a baby in the womb as a life that matters to God, that has purpose and meaning given by God Himself (Psalm 139:13-16; Jeremiah 1:4-5; Luke 1:39-44). This means that a follower of Jesus Christ must be willing to defend the most helpless because they know how sacred their life is to the One who created them. Speaking of creating, there is another place where we cannot compromise. God created two genders and two genders only (Genesis 1:27).
We cannot compromise and go along with the deception that is sweeping across the globe. There are two genders, and they are assigned in the womb by the One who created them. He was not confused, and we must not go along with those who are. Pray for them, love them, and be a godly witness, but do not compromise by catering to their confusion. Stand on what the Word of God says, my friend, it’s always the right thing to do. Let His Word guide you and rest assured; it will not lead you astray. Hide His Word in your heart and let it guide your actions.
Here’s another important Truth that must be clearly stated if we are to stand against another evil that is currently spreading across the globe. Antisemitism has no place in the heart of a believer. God gave Israel to the Jews, the descendants of Abraham as a permanent possession (Genesis 12, 15, 17). In Genesis 12:3, God told Abraham that all of the earth would be blessed through Him, and this is certainly true. Jesus Christ, our beloved Savior, was a Jew. Salvation came through Him, a Jew. Furthermore, we owe the Jews our gratitude because it was they who brought the gospel to us.
In Psalm 122:6, we are told to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem”. As followers of Christ, we must stand against the antisemitism spreading across the globe. We cannot, in any way, allow this evil to take root in our hearts, we must stand firm against it. Evil such as this is spreading with a rapidness I would not have dreamed possible, and it is important that we stand against it. Dear heart, you must get in His Word and discern for yourself what is true, what is right. And then you must prepare yourself to stand. “… if you do not stand firm in your faith, then you will not stand at all” Isaiah 7:9b.
Forgive me if I seem harsh, my beloved, but I feel such a sense of urgency as I see the evil spreading so rapidly. Now more than ever, we need people ready to stand. We need people who will hold the line and refuse to compromise. We need warriors. We need protectors. We need defenders of Truth unwilling to bend to the will of this world. Are you ready to stand, my friend? Remember: you will not stand alone! “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you” Deut. 31:8. As dear Aslan said to Lucy, “Courage, dear heart” (C.S. Lewis)!
See also: 1 Cor. 16:13; Gal. 5:1; Heb. 13:5
Katrina Douglas
