“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 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 6:10-13
Standing strong for Christ in the midst of this dark and evil world is hard, but good and right. Being courageous for Christ requires Spirit wrought diligence and endurance. For an effective stand doesn’t happen with just words or what amounts to lip service. No, as standing for Christ begins with conviction and the fruit of it coming out of your mouth, such a stand needs to continue in your having strength and good courage in the midst of the storm, as well as in between storms, as you carry out righteous acts.
In light of the Kirk assassination last week and the response of many around the nation, really around the world, to rise up in shared grief, shared righteous anger against the evildoer who unjustly took his life, as well as shared and greater passion to walk faithfully with Christ and proclaim Christ, it’s time for the body of Christ to put feet to the passion in a sustained, biblical walk in service to our King. The same is true for you as you consider how to better serve Christ faithfully in the wake of deadly enemy attack, looking forward to the light on the path ahead that God has laid out to carry out his charge. As God has provided many times before in history, this is a providential opportunity to press forward in strength together and, by God’s grace, advance His kingdom.
As you prepare, fear is often the first to try to flood your heart and soul, with the goal of keeping you off your feet so that you won’t stand. Yet, take comfort that you are far from being alone in experiencing this! Even the great and bold, Joshua, who was commanded by God to lead His people into Canaan and conquer it experienced this. God promised Joshua in Joshua 1:6, he was to be “strong and of good courage”, as he was to divide the land as an inheritance to His people. Joshua was to be “strong and very courageous” in obeying all of the law God had given to Moses, not deviating from it, so that he would prosper (v. 7).
Do you see the helpful lessons here? Strength and courage are essential undergirding for obedience. In verse 9, God repeats this lesson again and connects it with absence of fear and dismay (lit. feeling beaten down and discouraged), knowing the presence of your God – “Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Indeed, like Joshua, the God who commands you to obey His Word, is the God who can carry you through all He puts upon you. Further, you have experienced His faithfulness and promised presence. May this dash any fear or dismay in your heart and build your strength and courage!
Standing strong for Christ is done well as you remember that you’re standing on Christ and in Christ. Like David, you have been brought up out of the horrible pit, out of the miry clay. God has set your feet upon a rock, which is Christ, and has established your steps. (Psalm 40:2) You stand strong in Christ as you stand united to Him by faith and receive all of the benefits of your union with Him. The Apostle Paul’s charge in Ephesians 6:10 should ring all the more clear in your ears and to your heart- “be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” You need to be strong for service, strong for suffering, and strong for fighting. However, having no strength of your own, if you are to go forth, you must go forth in His strength. Paul goes on to say, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. You need to be fully armored to be successful in the fight- “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)
Specifically, what righteous acts should you as God’s people be about the business of doing? Here are eight to consider that encourage you in Christlike living and kingdom building.
- Fervent Prayer- Prayer is a righteous act and essential duty that’s part of your Christian armor. It’s the buckle that keeps the rest together. It’s where all spiritual stability, growth, and restoration begin. You ought to pray for God’s blessing and protection of the righteous, along with praying for His justice against the wicked. Paul calls you to pray with “all prayer and supplication”. (Ephesians 6:18) He calls you to pray in public, private, and secret. Your prayers should include confession of sin, petitions for mercy, godly wisdom, and thanksgivings for grace received. Paul also teaches you that you must pray in the Spirit, and by the grace of God’s good Spirit. You need to remain watchful to keep yourself in a praying frame of mind, taking all opportunities to do so. (Psalm 27:8)
- Timely Wisdom in Season- Having petitioned your Lord for great wisdom, you must seek to grow in the discernment He gives you to know the time your in and how to press forward righteously in this time. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)
- Wisdom Regarding Life and Death- Standing strong for Christ involves a stand that is fully mindful that your life is in God’s hand, your days are short, and your days are numbered. As these things are true and death is ahead of all of us, this must inform and give more zeal and focus in your walk today. For you don’t know if God is pleased to give you tomorrow. (Psalm 39:4, James 4:13-16)
- Thorough Sword Study- Effective standing for Christ also involves preparation and ongoing sustenance. It’s good and obedient for you to be faithful in study and training in the Word. It’s good to be nourished by the Word. It should be honey to your lips. It’s good to be daily mindful of its work and value. “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;” (Psalm 19:6-8) As was true for Timothy, It’s also important for you to be skilled in accurately handling the Word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15) Private study, family worship, and Christian education through the church are all good opportunities for your growth.
- Time for Building- As much as this is a time to love what God loves and have godly hatred for the sin and evil that God hates, this is also another time of strength in building. In many ways, there never is a time where such love, godly hatred, and building shouldn’t be present in the lives of Christians and the church. However, there are times of renewed focus. Along with other important pieces in building, the family is an essential core. Are you preparing and looking forward to having a family? Do you have a family now? If so, how healthy is your family? If you don’t, how healthy are your preparations? What needs to be done to help your family be built up and even more healthy? As the flesh, the world, and the Devil overtly attack men and women to sabotage their future in order to prevent new families from forming. They also have their crosshairs on existing families to tear who God has brought together, and is building, apart. Therefore, it’s all the more essential that there is a godly focus on the family, more being established, their purity, health, and growth. There also needs to be good support in building up singles and individuals in the body. Strong stands for Christ come through healthy families and healthy churches.
- Courageous Sword Fighting- All Christians need to know the Bible well in order to do “sword fighting”, or defending the faith against the blind and ignorant, as well as false teachers and evildoers who don’t know or distort the Bible. The Word of God is your sword in the fight. (Ephesians 6:17) In order to do this well, it’s helpful for you to study apologetics. This will help you learn how to and practice engaging people in conversation, applying the knowledge you learned in study about God, the Gospel, and other matters of faith and life to their arguments, objections, and worldview. It’s fair to say that apologetics is an art. For debating or having dialogue with strangers, some of whom are against you, takes patience, courage, confidence, clarity, and grace.
- Consistent Outreach- Part of every faithful church’s stand for Christ needs to include having concern and care in an outward face towards those who are lost or otherwise on the outside. Outreach should be well rounded. Every faithful church also needs more and more folks to join in evangelism and outreach activities as they bear witness of their faith. How can you join in? Engaging in a variety of kinds of outreach is good. Spend time proclaiming Christ in the public square. Sing psalms together to the Lord. Maintain a regular voice to the civil magistrate to govern well, to support what is good and shun evil, according to God’s Word. Sharing the Gospel through tract distribution, prayer tables, door-to-door, etc. are other righteous acts to continue carrying out, even conversation with friends and neighbors.
- Faithful Fellowship- How does fellowship help and support your stand for Christ? The one another activities, like hospitality and other fellowship, that God calls you to do should be of great interest to you. This should be true whether you’re on the giving or receiving end. You should spend time in both, by the way. Sharpening one another, and being around each other to sharpen each other, is important. (Proverbs 27:17) Investing time and relationship with each is important to stir one another up in love and good works- which strengthens your stand. (Hebrews 10:24) Don’t neglect such things!
- Sincere Service- How can service be a righteous act that is worth doing? Your sincere service, and that done with brothers and sisters in Christ, shows forth the love of Christ to many who are in need. God uses service to minister to hearts in meaningful ways- some that are unexpected both in and outside the congregation.
May God richly bless you and bless our church as we seek to be faithful in these ways and others to the glory of God!