Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 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. 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.

Ephesians 6:11-13

Perhaps you have been there – in that place where you felt as if you were all alone. There was no one by your side, no one giving support, no one offering words of encouragement, no one there to lend a supportive hand, a strong shoulder, or even a listening ear. It is a terribly lonely place to be. Not only lonely, but scary, intimidating, discouraging and stressful.

It’s that place where you are standing alone. It seems that you have been abandoned by everyone. Even those whom you thought of as being your very closest friends are nowhere to be found. In those moments when you needed them most, they had left you to fend for yourself.

It may have been in the workplace, when you were being tempted to do something that was a little less than ethical. Perhaps your employer was asking you to make some promises that you knew could not be kept, but the sale depended on promising a delivery date that you knew was impossible to meet. Perhaps it was in the classroom, during that exam that you were not prepared to take, and the A student sitting next to you had their answer sheet in clear view. It would be so easy to look, and copy, their answers. Or maybe it was at that social gathering at which everyone else was doing “it”, whatever the “it” happened to be. Even though you knew that to engage in such behavior would compromise your Biblical convictions, you also knew that to fit in with the crowd you would have to make some concessions. Or perhaps it was during that conversation you were engaged in at which some extremely controversial social issues were raised. You had strong convictions on the issues being discussed, but you felt the pressure to go along with the general consensus. even though it compromised your Biblical beliefs.

The pressure we face in certain situations can seem overwhelming at times. How are we to handle this type of pressure? What are we to do in these stressful situations? Are we to give in and go along, or are we to stand our ground?

The answer, according to the Bible, is straightforward – stand up for your convictions. Even if it means that we must stand alone. Granted, this can be a very uncomfortable place to be. What if our employer is placing a great deal of pressure on us to make that promise? What if my passing that exam is going to determine whether I am able to move to the next phase of my long-term educational goals? What if my standing for my Biblical convictions on those controversial issues cause me to lose some friends?

We can glean insight and instruction from the words of the Apostle Paul quoted at the beginning of this post. Note particularly the last words of the quote:

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.

Ephesians 6:13. emphasis added

Stand! Stand strong; stand in the armor of God; stand on the clear teachings of Scripture; stand regardless of the cost. Stand! Always remember that the armor of God is available for your protection. It will enable you to engage in the battle – that spiritual warfare that rages all around us continuously. Our enemy, the devil, and his emissaries, are always at work, striving to tear down what God has built up. We must stand strong in the strength of the Lord in order to make an impact for Godliness in the midst of such godless activities as are so prevalent in our present cultural and societal state.

Let us stand boldly, fight courageously, use the armor of God wisely, as we contend for the faith that has been delivered to us through the Word of God.

Until next time:

Blessings!