(Stand: 1 Corinthians 16:13-14)
I shared recently that my word for the year of 2024 is stand and that from time to time I would be sharing what I was learning as I sought to better understand the word. Today I am beginning with a look at one of the first definitions I came across while researching what it meant. Stand: a place or post where one stands. This implies maintaining a position or to be in a particular place or location. To me, this definition seems to be focused on position and location.
This seemed like a great place to start my study of my word, stand, so I decided to ask myself two very important questions. Where does a believer need to stand? Where is a believer positioned? The answer to these questions will in fact determine whether or not a believer is indeed able to stand. I believe the answer to the first question has three parts. A believer must stand on the Word of God, they must stand firm in their faith, and they must stand against the enemy.
All of these are made possible by the answer to the second question. Where is a believer positioned? A believer is positioned in Christ. From this position we are empowered to stand! For an important reminder of how important it is that a believer stands, I would like to ask you to pause for a moment and read Paul’s words in Ephesians 6:10-18. Make no mistake, beloved, we are in a battle, a battle we cannot afford to lose.
It is vital that we learn how to not only stand, but also to fight in a way that will lead to victory. In order to do this, we must know our position in Christ. We have to know some critically important Truths. We have to know that we are redeemed and forgiven, we are complete in Christ, and we are hidden in Christ (Col. 1:14, 2:10, 3:3). We have to know that we are born of God and the evil one cannot touch us (1 John 5:18); we are safely held by God.
We have to know that He will help us to stand firm (2 Cor. 1:21-22) and that we can do anything and everything He asks us to do for Him because He will help us (Phil. 4:13). Our position in Christ means everything to the believer. Because His Holy Spirit dwells in us and helps us, we can look to Him to help us when we need Him to. It is our secure position in Him that enables us to stand. If we do not know who we are in Christ, we cannot stand, my friend.
This leads me back to one of the answers to the first question. Where does a believer stand? A believer must stand on the Word of God. It is the only solid foundation that will never fail. It is here that we must take our stand. We must hold tightly to His Word and let it and it alone be the Guide that we base our lives upon. It is this Book that helps us to know Him, know who we are in Him, and know what His will for us is. We must know the Word of God if we wish to stand.
Psalm 119 is one of the best chapters to read if you wish to be reminded of how important His Word is in the life of a believer. “How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping Your word” Psalm 119:9. Beloved, if you want to live a life that pleases God, you must spend time getting to know His Word. You must determine to make it the Guide for your life. There is no getting around it. A believer must develop the habit of making His Word a priority in their life.
His Word reveals His character to His children; it helps us to know who He is and what He is like. It also helps us to know what He wants from us, what He expects from those who follow Him. It contains His commands for those who belong to Him. We cannot please God if we do not know what He expects from us. We cannot truly know Him if we are not making an effort to study, understand, and apply His Word to our lives.
If I want to stand in the ever-darkening world that I live in, I have to plant my feet firmly on His Word and refuse to be moved. His Word must be the Rock I stand on. Everything I do must be built upon it. My life must be built upon and firmly anchored in the Word of God. There is no other option. It is here that I must take my stand; it is here that I must maintain my position. This world does not determine what is right or wrong for me, His Word does that.
As I anchor myself in His Word, it will help me to do the next part in my calling to stand. It will help me to stand firm in my faith. I assure you, dear heart, a believer who is not standing on the Word of God will not be able to stand firm in their faith. Romans 10:17 tells us that “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” This is telling us that our faith grows from hearing the Word of God. In order for our faith to grow, we must be in the Word of God.
If I wish to stand firm in the faith, I must increase my exposure to the Word of God. I believe the Lord is telling me that in order for me to stand firm in my faith this year, I am going to have to be even more intentional about increasing my knowledge of His Word. I believe He is challenging me to increase my time in His Word, whether through reading and studying or listening to it, I must saturate myself in it even more than usual.
My friend, I believe we are living in an age of deception unlike anything I have ever seen. The rise of artificial intelligence has made things easier in some ways and dangerous in others. I believe with all my heart that it is extremely important that every believer owns a physical copy of the Word of God. I believe we all need a Bible we can hold in our hands that cannot be altered in any way. Beloved, we have reached a point where we need to carefully guard against deception.
We need a Bible that we can know without a doubt has not been altered in any way. We need a Bible that we can know has not been changed to make it more suitable for the beliefs of the world we live in. These are dark days indeed and I know that I do not have to tell you this. I pray that your eyes are open, and you are seeing what I am seeing, my friend. I believe we are living in the last minutes of the last days; therefore, we need to do all we can to stand!
This leads me to the final answer to our earlier questions. The believer must stand against the enemy. Beloved, I say again, the believer must stand against the enemy. He is no longer hiding in the shadows; he is out in the open. He is waging war against everything the believer holds dear. He is seeking to oppose the Word of God at every turn. He is after our children. He is vile. He is wicked. He is evil. And we must take our stand against him, my friends.
We cannot sit on the sidelines, for to do so would have dreadful consequences. We have been silent and complacent for far too long. We must stand firm against the enemy. The lines have been drawn. We cannot fail to stand… too much is at stake! We are fighting for the souls of those who need the Truth that we possess, that need the hope that we have found. Beloved, I love you enough to speak Truth to you in hopes that you will heed my warning.
If you are not standing firm against the enemy, you are giving him ground. You are allowing him victory that should not belong to him. Rise up, “the LORD is with you, mighty warrior” (Judges 6:12). Remember, you are not alone in the fight. The Lord God Almighty is on your side! “Therefore, submit to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you” James 4:7. Submit to God. Bow before His will and let Him guide you. Resist the enemy and God will cause him to flee before you.
Remember who you are in Christ, take your position in Him, and in His authority, stand against the enemy. Plant your feet in the Word of God, let it be the place you take your stand. Stand firm in your faith and refuse to back down. Stand firm against the enemy and refuse to give him anymore ground. Fight the battle where it really matters, in the spiritual realm (Eph. 6:12). Rest assured, you are in a battle and to pretend otherwise could be fatal, my friends.
Peter Marshall said, “If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.” There is much truth in those words, dear heart. As I ponder over all that we have covered here today, I realize how necessary it was to begin with this definition of stand. Stand: a place or post where one stands. Isn’t that what must be first determined before one can go any further? Mustn’t we first decide where we will stand before we can actually take our stand?
To be perfectly honest, my heart is heavy with the weight of all that is on my heart. I’m not sure I even did this definition the justice it deserves. I mean, this is it… this is where it all begins. This is where we must stop and ask ourselves a most important question. Where am I going to take my stand? As I stop for a while to consider this, another question comes to my mind. What will my position be? These are questions that must be answered if I wish to stand.
I do. I do wish to stand. I’ll admit that I was and in some ways still am anxious over the word He has given me, but I do indeed want to stand. Because, if you think about it, if you are not standing, then you are likely sitting, lying down, or even worse, falling. None of these are something a believer should be doing in their walk with Christ. The only way forward is by taking my stand and maintaining it with His help and through His might.
You see, in closing, that is what we must remember. Yes, these are dark days, and yes, there is a lot of cause to be concerned, but never forget this Truth. He is with us. We do not have to stand on our own. He will always be there to help us; He will provide the strength we need (Isaiah 41:10). We can stand because He will help us. Our job is to prepare ourselves by getting in His Word and bowing in submission and surrender to Him. He will help us stand!
See also: 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Psalm 91; 1 Thess. 5:16-24
Katrina Douglas
2/17/2024
