It has been said if you can’t stand firm, then you won’t stand at all. We see this proven out in our spiritual lives. No one can claim they stand for Jesus if they won’t stand for Him under trials and difficulties. Standing firm means to stand without wavering. You can’t be a warrior for Jesus one day and live your life as if He wasn’t Lord the next.
In Ephesians 6:10-18, Paul tells us to always be prepared for the day of battle by putting on the full armor of God. If we do that, we will hold fast to Christ regardless of what the enemy sends our way (Ephesians 6:13). The easiest way to not lose our footing is to never take our eyes off Jesus, never stop delighting in His Word, and never stop reminding ourselves that our life is not our own (1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Galatians 2:19-20).
Standing firm doesn’t mean life will be easy. Difficult seasons come for all of us. If we aren’t living our lives fully committed to Jesus, the lightest wind will knock us off our feet (Ephesians 4:14). But with our feet firmly planted in the truth of God according to His Word, the Lord will bring us safely through any storm (Matthew 7:24-27; Matthew 8:23-27). Nothing soothes pain quicker than praying and picking up your Bible. Read through some Psalms and you will see the pain you feel is nothing new and is not unique to you. Everyone encounters trouble in this world (John 16:33), but only those who trust in Jesus will hold fast no matter what comes.
Remember, there will come a day when we stand before our King and look Him in the eye (1 Corinthians 13:12). I want to spend my life standing firm on His Word, so I am not ashamed when I see Him face to face. Imagine spending your life giving only lip service to His Lordship. How will you feel when you see Him? It will be worse than you think because he will spit a lukewarm follower out of His mouth (Revelation 3:15-16). Worse still, He will declare He doesn’t even know you, banishing you from His presence forever (Matthew 7:21-23; Matthew 25:31-46). All because you couldn’t stand for Him when the trials of life came at you.
This doesn’t mean we can never fail. We will get lazy and weak at times and take our eyes off Jesus. It happens to us all. As we grow deeper and more mature in our relationship with Him, these missteps will become fewer and farther between. If you aren’t seeing that kind of progress in your walk, then you need to check your commitment. Do you really believe Him to be the Lord that He is? Are you surrendering everything to Him or only playing at this “Jesus thing”? The driving desire of every committed follower of Christ is to know Him and serve Him more and more each day.
Are you standing firm in your commitment to Christ in every area of your life? Are you willing to count the cost and find Jesus worth more than any and everything else this world has to offer? Until you let go of the things of this world, you will never be able to stand firm in the face of trials. Only those who turn their back on the world, repent of their sin, and give their full allegiance to the King of kings can inherit the Kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). Don’t let yourself be tossed about by the cares and temptations of this life (Ephesians 4:14). Stand firm, rooted in the Word of God, cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ, and inherit His promise of eternity with Him.