“After you have done everything to stand. Stand firm then . .” Ephesians 6:13-14 NIV
“Those who stand for nothing fall for anything.”
My thoughts today encourage you to “stand up straight.”
When I was a boy, I really don’t know if I slouched a lot, or if it was because I was stature-challenged, but my Mom seemed often to say, “Allen, stand up straight.” She believed doing so reflects pride, confidence, alertness and readiness. Does that describe you? Now Mom was talking about my physical posture, but ever more important is your spiritual posture – being upright, forthright, and righteous. In matters of the soul and character, do you stand up straight?
When the Apostle Paul tells you to “stand up straight,” his concern is all about the spiritual battles in which you are engaged every day, ready or not. Today’s Bible verse is about standing, not falling nor failing, just standing. Here’s what you need and God provides for your safety – “the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, and the shoes of peace.” Ephesians 6:14-15 NIV.
The very things that God gives for your spiritual success and victory are also the things of supreme value for which you must stand – truth, righteousness and peace. Do you know what you are to stand for? “Those who stand for nothing fall for anything.” (Alexander Hamilton, American Statesman 1754-1804). Stand for something, and know what that is.
Stand adamantly for truth. Be valiant for what is true, absolutely and completely true. Find the courage of your convictions. What do you believe strongly enough to risk embarrassment, loss, or popularity? Be true to the truth! Remember the three Hebrews and the fiery furnace in Babylon? Read Daniel 3:5-25 NKJV. They did not bow; they would not bend; they could not burn. They stood out in a crowd, upright when no one else was.
Stand clearly for righteousness, for all that is right and only what is right. This starts in your heart. See Proverbs 4:23 NLT. On issues of righteousness there can be no compromise, no negotiation, no allowance of wrong. To do otherwise is to be weakened when you can least afford to be, while at the same time giving aid and comfort to the enemy.
Stand faithfully for peace – not relishing the battle, nor shrinking from it. That insures peace for yourself and others. The enemy’s strategy is to render you unwilling or unable to resist, effectively removing you from the battle by damaging, demoralizing, or destroying your expectation of victory.
Standing up for God’s truth, righteousness, and peace will assure victory in every instance. Doing so prepares you for the critical time when you must stand up straight, when “ we will all stand before God’s judgment seat . . so then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.” Romans 14:10/12 NIV. Best to be prepared for that day.
And stand up straight; my Mom will be there!
My prayer today is that you will stand for all that is good and Godly.