Stand your Position

And having done all, to stand firm.

Ephesians 6:13

Sometimes it’s difficult to stand our position in faith after failure. After studying long and hard for a test, I failed. Being disappointed and disillusioned, I wanted to give up because it took so much of my time and I couldn’t imagine starting over again. Instead I wanted to shrink back in defeat.

Yet, even after our failures—there’s hope in Christ. We are filled with the Spirit of God who compels us to get up, dust ourselves off, and go back into battle. He helps us to learn from our mistakes so that we are more encouraged and empowered to get back into it.

Joshua learned this lesson when the nation of Israel lost a key battle in which they were so confident of victory–he sent only a small unit of soldiers. Later, they discovered that one sinful behavior led to their defeat. They dealt with the sin, stood their ground in faith, and overcame their enemies. (Joshua 7)

Jehoshaphat was minding his own business when a multitude of rogue nations came to attack Israel. He responded immediately with leading the entire nation in fasting and prayer to God. The Spirit of God responded with words of faith and encouragement for them. They were commanded to “stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.” (2 Chronicles 20:17)

Just like Joshua we may need to look more deeply into our lives for the evidence of sin. Or like Jehoshaphat we may need to pray and fast for direction in the battle. Bottom line is that we have our hope and strength in the Lord to help us stand instead of giving up. There’s a powerful plan for our lives that requires us to stand up and push back in the name of the Lord.