Ephesians 6:10-14
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil .. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore …”
While we rejoice in the Supreme Court’s overturn of Roe v Wade, there is much work to be done to return our nation to a culturally healthy place. On this July 4th I know that many believers across America are watching in dismay as our nation continues to descend into moral confusion, political conflict, and economic uncertainty. In many ways, like Elijah, we are experiencing a prophetic moment in our own generation.
In Ephesians 6 the Lord calls us to stand in His strength so that we are able to “resist in the evil day.” You will note that the central theme in this passage is stand firm. It is so important that Paul repeats it in verses 11, 13, and 14.
In the Greek text, the word for “stand firm” is steko. As you would expect from the context, it is a military term that defines the heart of the warrior ethos. It defines the warrior spirit. Steko describes three disciplines at the heart of a true spiritual warrior.
- Be Prepared Steko describes a warrior who has been trained to stand firm in battle; it is a warrior who has prepared himself to fight and win. The true warrior is skilled in the use of his weapons. He stands firm because that is what he has been trained to do. Standing firm in today’s world requires training (musar). It requires building discipline and skill into your life so that you are prepared to fight and win the battles you will face.
Never forget the admonition of 1 Timothy 4, which instructs you to strive (agonizomai), train yourself (gumnazo), and do so with great effort (kopos).
- Hold Your Point Steko describes a warrior who — in the midst of a battle — holds his position and defeats his enemy. It’s a warrior who holds his point. A warrior is part of a unit, and in that unit he has a position. He has an assignment. The true warrior does his job. He holds his point. He stands firm.
“Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you.” (2 Chronicles 20.17)
- Be relentless Steko describes a warrior who is relentlessly persistent and continues to stand firm and hold his point not just once, but again and again and again in response to the attacks of the enemy. The true warrior is tenacious. Unrelenting. Relentless.
“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” (1 Corinthians 16.13).
The verbs in this 1 Corinthians verse express ongoing, continuous action. “Be continuously watchful; keep on standing firm in the faith; keep on acting like men; keep on being strong.” Standing firm is something you continuously do. Never give up. Never give in. Never stop in your response to God’s call on your life.
Notice that in Ephesians 6.13 Paul says that we need to resist the enemy “in the evil day.” This is a reference to specific times when Satan or his minions are targeting you and attacking you, when the enemy knows you are vulnerable and attempts to use a particular situation to discourage, tempt, deceive, or accuse you.
These situations are the “evil days,” and if we are not equipped with the full armor of God and operating in His strength, then we will be defeated.
This was Elijah’s challenge as he fled in fear from the threat of Jezebel, and the Lord admonished Elijah to get back into the fight. We are facing the same challenge in our day, and the Lord is admonishing us, as well.
“Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord.” (Philippians 4.1)
The Lord is calling. Trust Him, stand firm, hold your point.
