FIVE SIMPLE RULES - Part 2

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love. (1 Corinthians 16:13-14, NIV)

In the first part of this post we recognized our urgent need to be watchful and alert to the activities of the devil, the one revealed in the bible as our adversary, the enemy of our soul.

Now we turn our attention to the second pre-requisite of a victorious Christian life we identify in the text as “Stand firm in the faith”.

RULE #2: STAND FIRM IN THE FAITH

The thrust of Satan’s scheme against a Christian hinges on a plot to destabilize, discourage and derail your trust in God, but God wants you to stand firm in the face of wayward winds that blow against your Christian beliefs and witness.

As a principle of victorious Christian living, to stand firm in the faith requires that a believer be steadfast in holding and defending the truth of the gospel. It is a challenge to be a faithful doer of the Word, affirming the truth of God’s Word in all circumstances; and refusing to give up “the ground of truth” despite challenges that press us to the contrary. It is a call to firmly maintain and hold on to our personal confidence in God.

A central proposition of our Christian faith teaches that: “...anyone who comes to [God] must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrew 11:6, NIV).

What we know and believe about God, our conviction that God is who He says He is and He will do what He says He will do, is based on His self revelation as we diligently search for Him. But the enemy of your faith does not want you to abide in the truth.

The devil is a thief, and is intent on undermining your confidence in God. He is always working to get you to doubt what you believe about God and about Jesus Christ.

He planted a seed of doubt in Eve’s mind with the question: “Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?” (Genesis 3:1), and with that, he derailed her trust in God. Apostle Paul saw that danger in the Corinthian church (a danger which is still as real, if not more, among contemporary believers) and warned:

“I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.” (2 Corinthians 11:3–4, NIV)

A victorious Christian comes up against the wisdom of the world, the lies and deceptions, but refuses to succumb to their influence. He keeps his ground and sticks with God’s revelation. He knows and is sure of the One in whom he has believed, and refuses to be moved from his convictions.

There are many voices, but only one is the voice of the “good shepherd”; there are many words but only the word of one is the truth. The word of God is truth (John 17:17), but the voice of the stranger is the voice of a lying spirit.

Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons (1 Tim 4:1, ESV)

It is the will of God that you keep standing firm in the faith and not pay attention to deceitful spirits. God has given you the Spirit of truth by whose effectual working you are able to understand the truth and distinguish it from the falsehood of false teachers.

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you--unless you believed in vain. (1Co 15:1-2 ESV)

You have the grace to stand firm and live a victorious Christian life. By faith alone you enter into that grace wherein you have been called by God to stand firm! (Rom 5:2). The greater One who is resident in you (1 John 4:4) enables you by His empowering presence to firmly stand in defence of your Christian faith with unwavering confidence.

You have not believed in vain: God exists and He rewards...! Keep standing firm in your faith!