Standing Firm
"All men will hate you because of Me, but he who stands firm(unyielding and unwaivering) to the end will be saved (Matthew 10:22)."
Standing firm is being secure in your position in Christ. It is living with determination, knowing that no matter what happens to you in this life, you will not be moved.
There are many people who say they are saved, yet when hard times come upon them, they fall away. Jesus spoke about this when he told the parable of the sower. "The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away (Matthew 13:20-21)." Notice Jesus says, that since he had no "root," that man's joy only lasted a short time. What is Jesus referring to? In nature, a root supports the plant and causes it to be erect (or stand up). The plant could not survive without the root. Likewise, as Christ followers, our "root" is in Christ and in Him alone. He is the One who causes us to persevere through any storm of life. He is our support and we cannot survive without Him. If anyone is not firmly grounded in Christ, they will eventually fall away.
Just giving "lip service" to Jesus is not enough. No, my friend, it is clinging to Him and knowing that He is your source for everything. "I am the vine; you are the branches, if a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in Me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up and thrown into the fire and burned (John 15:5-6)." It is only when we remain (or abide) in Jesus, that we glorify Him on earth and build His kingdom.
Trials and tribulations come to test our faith; these difficult times are where our faith is put into action. We have a choice to make, we can stand on the word and believe God or we can try to take matters into our own hands which always ends up in disaster. It is only in the difficult times (if we keep our focus on God) He will strengthen our character and grow us in Him. We will learn things while we are in the fire that we would otherwise have never known. In my own personal struggles, I have learned that God is my Rock. He is the One I can always depend on. I learned to listen to His sweet voice. I learned that He is trustworthy and never fails. Now, I am not saying that struggles are easy, but I am so thankful for each and every one because through each of them, I have grown in the Lord and He has revealed more and more of Himself to me.
It is by our faith that we stand firm. Don't let anything move you. In other words, keep your eyes on Jesus, not your circumstances. There are so many things that can distract us in this life. Stay grounded in the word of God and remind yourself of His promises. God has given us everything we need in this life, but it is up to us to hide His word in our hearts.
"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong (1 Corinthians 16:13)."
"But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through the belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who loved us and by His grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word (2 Thessalonians 2:13-17)."
Standing firm is being secure in your position in Christ. It is living with determination, knowing that no matter what happens to you in this life, you will not be moved.
There are many people who say they are saved, yet when hard times come upon them, they fall away. Jesus spoke about this when he told the parable of the sower. "The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away (Matthew 13:20-21)." Notice Jesus says, that since he had no "root," that man's joy only lasted a short time. What is Jesus referring to? In nature, a root supports the plant and causes it to be erect (or stand up). The plant could not survive without the root. Likewise, as Christ followers, our "root" is in Christ and in Him alone. He is the One who causes us to persevere through any storm of life. He is our support and we cannot survive without Him. If anyone is not firmly grounded in Christ, they will eventually fall away.
Just giving "lip service" to Jesus is not enough. No, my friend, it is clinging to Him and knowing that He is your source for everything. "I am the vine; you are the branches, if a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in Me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up and thrown into the fire and burned (John 15:5-6)." It is only when we remain (or abide) in Jesus, that we glorify Him on earth and build His kingdom.
Trials and tribulations come to test our faith; these difficult times are where our faith is put into action. We have a choice to make, we can stand on the word and believe God or we can try to take matters into our own hands which always ends up in disaster. It is only in the difficult times (if we keep our focus on God) He will strengthen our character and grow us in Him. We will learn things while we are in the fire that we would otherwise have never known. In my own personal struggles, I have learned that God is my Rock. He is the One I can always depend on. I learned to listen to His sweet voice. I learned that He is trustworthy and never fails. Now, I am not saying that struggles are easy, but I am so thankful for each and every one because through each of them, I have grown in the Lord and He has revealed more and more of Himself to me.
It is by our faith that we stand firm. Don't let anything move you. In other words, keep your eyes on Jesus, not your circumstances. There are so many things that can distract us in this life. Stay grounded in the word of God and remind yourself of His promises. God has given us everything we need in this life, but it is up to us to hide His word in our hearts.
"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong (1 Corinthians 16:13)."
"But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through the belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who loved us and by His grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word (2 Thessalonians 2:13-17)."
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