“Stand Your Ground!” What comes to mind when you hear that phrase?  I know that for me it reminds me of a football team.  The opposing team has you pushed all the way down the field and they are only a few steps from making that final touch down to take home the cup!  However, the home team does not give up that easy!  They bring in their biggest and best blockers they have.  They dig in their cleats - THEY - WILL - NOT - BE - MOVED!  The coach yells from the sidelines - “STAND YOUR GROUND!”

Another example would be, you are on the front lines, and the bullets are whizzing past you on all sides.  Your mind is telling you run - get to safety.  Your fellow soldiers are showing their fatigue.  You cannot hold on much longer.  The enemy is coming at you from all sides.  If only you could see better!  The darkness is all around you. The flashes of light temporarily blind you.  Over the roar of the battle, you hear these words…  “STAND YOUR GROUND!  STAND YOUR GROUND!”  Just hearing these words helps you refocus on the battle you face - you continue the fight. You find new strength and suddenly you can see the outline of the enemy… That is all you need!

You are at home.  The Internet is not working.  You are bored stiff and cannot seem to find anything to do.  You reach into the bottom draw and pull out your old favourite toy – a Weeble.  (It is a toy made by Hasbro.)  You remember that whatever tries to knock it over, it always returns to the upright position.  By its very design, within itself was the ability to stand upright.  In desperation, about to collapse from N.I.S (No Internet Syndrome) - at the last possible moment - you remember “the Slogan” …

Weebles Wobble But They Don’t Fall Down!

OK that one was not as exciting, but I think you may be starting to get the point.  Whether we are aware of it or not we have an enemy, His name is Satan.  Some people do not like to talk about Him and even some Christians walk in fear of mentioning his name.  I have news for you.  We have nothing to fear.  He is a defeated foe!  Jesus died on the cross, which was the “end zone battle.”  It was the last stand against a ruthless dictator of all humanity. 

The entire heavenly host was on the edge of their seats.  The noise in the Spirit would have been incredible - the roar of victory had already started in the enemy’s camp!  The whole earth shook and trembled, as Jesus “dug – in – the - cleats.”  With all the faith He had, He faced the enemy one - more - time!  I can imagine I hear the voice of God slowly speaking these words… “STAND – YOUR – GROUND”!  Satan thought he had won the fight, but he went down in the first round and he is still down!

The message for today is not your typical Christmas message.  I will not be reciting the Christmas story.  It is not that I do not want to remind you of the wonderful plan of God to have a Savior born into this world.  The greatest gift ever given was when God gave His only Son to die in our place, so that we could live forever in victory.   Every parent wants to give the best they can to their children – God did. The story of Jesus’ birth is a story of hope, a priceless gift from our Father - a free, gift to all humanity.

The retail world can make Christmas, for some people, a competition to get the most expensive gift or more gifts than others you know.  Along with all the excitement, the hidden enemy, Satan, loves it when we are “caught up in the spirit” and we overspend.  The pressure of debt and feelings of guilt that come with it are his game.  Now, I do not want you to start to think I am against giving gifts or that I do not have “the Spirit” of Christmas.  I do. I also know that this time of year can be very lonely and to some very depressing.

Yes - we celebrate the birth of Jesus.  However, to some people the reality is, this time of year they do not see anything to celebrate.  To some people, including myself, there are some things that I had expected to have had accomplished, by this time of year; there are some prayers that have not manifested – yet!  With the end of another year upon us, we could start to look at ourselves and start to think failure.  Satan will help us every chance he gets, to get our eyes off Jesus and onto everything that we have not accomplished, the gifts that we could not get for our family or friends, any areas of our lives that we have not walked in complete victory … yet.

This time of year, with the pressures of the world, family, and schedules, we can start to miss the reason to celebrate.  The noise of advertising, the constant sound of children wanting the toys, the games, and the Christmas socks… well maybe not.  The pressure of retail all around us is real, for some a battle that is hard to resist.

Holy Spirit recently whispered three words in my ear “Stand your ground.”  At first, I thought “Thank you Holy Spirit!  I needed that encouragement.”  However, as I prayed and meditated on those three little words, I sensed God speaking and preparing not only me, but also anyone who is bold enough to enforce the victory that Jesus won on our behalf.   

When Holy Spirit whispered in my spirit, yes it was quiet and gentle, but it had all the power of God behind it.  The more I repeat it, it seems the louder it gets.  To me this is a message of hope and so very timely. 

It does not matter what you are facing!  No matter how loud the voices of consumerism are yelling in your ears!  No matter how far in debt you are!  No matter how sick you are in your body!  No matter what the doctor’s report says! No matter how tired you are and want to give up!  It does not matter, if you feel you cannot go one more step and the enemy is screaming in your ear to give up!

It does not matter how hope - less you feel…

God is commanding all of us…

“STAND YOUR GROUND!”

Romans 8:35-37 “35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love?  Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or are hungry or cold

or in danger or threatened with death? 36 (Even the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.” (NLT)

“Stand your ground”, easy for you to say, you don’t know what I’m going through!”  In the first place, I did not say it, Holy Spirit did.  Secondly, I do not need to know what you are going through, but believe me, God knows and He is saying - “STAND YOUR GROUND!”

We all have our own battles to face and we all face different challenges, but we do all face the same enemy.  I am not sure what the New Year holds for me and I am quite confident in saying, you do not either.  What I do know is no matter what I faced yesterday and no matter what is coming my way, I will stand my ground!

Yes, Jesus won the war, but we do have the duty to enforce the Victory.  The church has been assigned to be “the peace keepers,” so to speak, to protect the local people and themselves from a enemy that lives - to try to take us out.  Notice I said, “try”?

1 Peter 5:8-11

8 Be on your guard and stay awake. Your enemy, the devil, is like a roaring lion, sneaking around to find someone to attack. 9 But you must resist the devil and stay strong in your faith. You know that all over the world the Lord’s followers are suffering just as you are. 10 But God shows undeserved kindness to everyone.  That’s why he had Christ Jesus choose you to share in his eternal glory.  You will suffer for a while, but God will make you complete, steady, strong, and firm. 11 God will be in control forever!  Amen.

The Contemporary English Version.

Satan sneaks around full of “noise,” like a roaring Lion.  I mentioned earlier, the voices and the noise of this world we live in.  We are to “stand our ground” and resist the enemy.  James 4:7-8 “7 Surrender to God! Resist the devil, and he will run from you. 8 Come near to God, and he will come near to you. Clean up your lives, you sinners. Purify your hearts, you people who can’t make up your mind.”  The Contemporary English Version.

I was led to do an Internet search on “stand your ground”.  Apparently there are new laws now in some United States that help private individuals legally stand their ground. This is now the power given to ordinary citizens known as Castle Doctrine – according to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A Castle Doctrine (also known as a Castle Law or a Defence of Habitation Law) is an American legal concept derived from English Common Law, which designates one's place of residence (or, in some states, any place legally occupied, such as one's car or place of work) as a place in which one enjoys protection from illegal trespassing and violent attack. It then goes on to give a person the legal right to use deadly force to defend that place (his/her "castle"), and/or any other innocent persons legally inside it, from violent attack or an intrusion which may lead to violent attack. Within the legal paradigm, therefore, it functions as a type of justifiable homicide.

Guess what, we have that same authority to protect our stuff from our enemy!

In John 10:10 Jesus describes Satan’s whole purpose, his game plan against whoever will let him, as opposed to the purpose and plan of God “10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.” (NLT)

So how do we resist the enemy?

Ephesians 6:10-14 “10 A final word: Be strong with the Lord’s mighty power.  11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the Devil. 12 For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.

13 Use every piece of God’s armor to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the sturdy belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.”  (NLT)

I know we have read this before, but sometimes we get used to hearing scripture, but do we really listen?  Hear is “Dale’s Translation.

“Rely on God - not your own strength!  Use the weapons He has provided.  He has given us His Word, find out what it says, and believe it –all of it.  Remember it is not our friends or family we are fighting; it is Satan working through anyone who will let him.  Find scripture that gives you the promise of victory, aim it directly between Satan’s eyes, and let him have it.  Quit living like the world and believe the Truth of God’s Word and walk in the Victory Jesus already won - for us!”

So far, that version is not a published version, but I hope you get the idea.  There are so many weapons available to us in God’s Word for us to use.  If we do not take the time to look for them, they will not do us any good.  Too often, even Christians want to give up and have God do everything for them.  “It’s too loud”, “too dangerous,” “I’m too tired,” “I can’t go on”!  You probably haven’t said these things, but you may have heard others saying them.

“Stand Your Ground - your victory is at hand!”

Hebrews 12:1-4 “1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish. He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterward. Now he is seated in the place of highest honor beside God’s throne in heaven. 3 Think about all he endured when sinful people did such terrible things to him, so that you don’t become weary and give up. 4 After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.” (NLT)

I love how The Message Bible reads in Ephesians 6:10-18. 

A Fight to the Finish

 10-12 And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials.  And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way.  This is no afternoon athletic contest that we will walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours.  This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.

 13-18 Be prepared.  You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life. God's Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.

“STAND YOUR GROUND!”

Be a Weeble for Christ!

Confession of faith.

It does not matter what I am facing today or tomorrow!

When people say things about me,

It does not matter what the doctor’s report says!

When symptoms of sickness try to come on my body,

It does not matter what my bank account has in it!