Stand

 July 25, 2024

“Finally, become strong in the Lord and in the might of his strength. Put on the full armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the stratagems of the devil…”

I love that little word “stand!” Christians often imagine themselves standing strong against Satan and the world, only to find themselves surprisingly overwhelmed. “What went wrong,” they ask themselves. I can tell you: They tried standing against the world before they learned to stand with God. Listen to what Elijah said about himself: 

“And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.”” —I Kings 17:1 

Before he stood against Jezebel and her 450 prophets of Baal, he stood in the presence of God. He described himself this way again in 18:15. Someone once said, “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.” The something you want to stand for can only be found by standing in the presence of the living God. But what does it mean to stand before God? In Ephesians 1:20-21, Paul gives us a clue:

“He raised [Christ] from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.” 

Christ is seated. This means two things. 1) His work is done, and 2) he has authority. Even today, it is proper to stand before authority. In a courtroom, the bailiff says, “All rise” when the judge enters the room. Only when he is seated does everyone else sit down, because he is the authority in that courtroom. 

When we stand in the presence of God, we are recognizing his authority. Stand before him today so you can stand against the devil tomorrow.