Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes … Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place …” Ephesians 6:10-11,13-14, NIV

 

It is glaringly obvious that there is serious warfare taking place in the spiritual realm. And that God has not left us defenceless or without the ability to stand our ground against the enemy.

 

Anyone who has experienced an assailant trying to attack would probably caution against unpreparedness. One cannot wait for a horrific situation to unfold before learning self-defence; it very well could be too late. Life-and-death situations require rapid-response decisions in which failure to know how to handle things could prove fatal.

 

In just such a way, we cannot wait for our Adversary to attack us before learning the Word of God. We have to memorise it and stand on the Word – it is how we stand our ground. When the Lord Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, he stood his ground and on the Word of God. Satan let up in order to wait for an opportune time to strike again.

 

But little did he know that on one of the darkest days in Jerusalem, in fact, unprecedented darkness had come up over the land that day, the dawn of a new dispensation was rising. The devil may have thought that for once, he had the victory, but like the ultimate chess game, at the cross, Jesus made a spectacle of the devil. “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” (Colossians 2:15)

 

We serve a God who has triumphed, who has more than stood his ground against Satan, and has promised to take care of us. The blood of the Lamb saved us for good. He is our Good Shepherd who guides his errant sheep. We just need to stand firm on God’s promises and, as we stand our ground, sing along to Stuart Townsend and Keith Getty’s contemporary hymn:

 

In Christ alone my hope is found,

He is my light, my strength, my song;

This Cornerstone, this solid ground,

Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.

 

Prayer: Father God, thank you for sending your Son to die a horrendous death to set us free and allow us to have victory over death and the devil for eternity. Thank you that we are able to put our hope in Christ and stand firm even through the fiercest storm. Amen