|
Standing Strong
by Mark Stidham Ephesians 6:10-13 (New King James Version) 10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 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. We have all seen times when really good Christian people who seem to have a lot of faith fall, and we wonder to ourselves exactly what happened in their situation. In reality it's not any of our business when we see others fall, to know what's going on in their lives, or to know how God deals with them in their particular situation. However, in general, I think we can see certain things people's lives that will cause them to fall. More often than not, a lack of knowledge is involved in their failing to receive God's best. Paul said in 1 Corinthians that many people were weak, sick and some had even died prematurely simply because they did not know or discern the Lord's body. In other words, they did not know that the Lord's body was broken for their healing. Unbelief comes in many forms. Stubborn refusal to believe is probably not that big of a problem especially in the body of Christ. That type of unbelief does rear its ugly head every now and then; however, ignorance is the number one reason that people have unbelief in their heart. Wrong thinking which results in wrong believing has come about because of wrong teaching in the body of Christ. Erroneous teaching has called many to miss God's best in life. Another thing that Paul was referring to in Second Corinthians was the fact that people weren't showing love toward their fellow brothers and sisters. Those that had more, we're leaving out those who had less. Behavior like that will bring judgment against you; we have been commanded to love one another as Jesus has loved us. Loving brothers and sisters in Christ is a command that we can never be able to get away from, and if we are not doing this we cannot receive God's best. Along with this, if there is bitterness and unforgiveness in our hearts, and we will miss the mark. We could list many other things that might stand in the way of receiving God's best, such as failure to meditate in God's Word, failure to act on God's Word, and so on. We can already see that the requirement to do all that faith requires is not an easy task. Of course, living by faith is never easy. Don't let anyone tell you that it is. However living by faith is very rewarding, and is worth the effort. Another major reason that people fail to receive God's best, is the fact that they are not willing to stand for as long as it takes to see the promise is fulfilled in their lives. You must be willing to stand for as long as it takes. Patience must be exercised, in order to make your stand. Many people hear the word superficially but they're not willing to truly give themselves to the word, to make it the final say in their lives. You need to study the Word hear it being preached, and hear yourself saying the Word. These things have to be done constantly, not just every now and then. We have to do these things in the face of adverse circumstances, just because it doesn't look like the word is coming to pass, the word will not return void. Exercising patience is a must for the born-again Christian. And when we have done all of that, we steal must take our stated in the word of God. In his epistle, James talks about letting patience have its perfect work. Patience is the power of being sound or constant, and being constant is where so many of us miss it. We are willing for a very short time to study God's Word, to hear it preached, and to confess it, but it is only when we are constant in these things that we are going to see the full blessing of God, and realize the full victory that God wants us to have. You could describe patience also as commitment; a commitment to living by faith, and standing on God's Word. Many times we have prayed a prayer and then we have gone back on that prayer by a confession of doubt. It's very important that we do not pray one thing and constantly speak another thing; that is not standing. Remember patience is something that is already on the inside of you; it is a fruit of your re-created spirit. Exercise it and let it have its perfect work! Copyright 2007 by Mark Stidham Mark L. Stidham Th.D. is an Ordained minister,a life coach,a motivational speaker, a preacher,a pastor, an evangelist,a web site publisher,a writer,a songwriter, a singer, a photographer and a musician. Mark has been married to his wife and valuable life partner, Patty Stidham for 19 years. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |