Stand

Stand

By David Brenneman 

A lot of times in my life I have felt beaten down. Worn down for what seems like decades by the battles with Satan's minions and my own sin nature. It mostly came to a head in 1999 when indeed Jesus reached through all the masses of the sins and lies to pull me out, to stand me on my feet again. To prove once and for all that He saved me, and was yet still going to do a work in and through me.  That the powers of Satan were not greater than the powerr of my Savior. 

I couldn't stand for so long that I think that I had forgotten how to.  Oh the dangers of the battlefield of the mind of man.  

Read this...2 Corinthians 10:4-6 NASB "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not wage battle according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying arguments and all arrogance raised against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete."

A grave mistake of my human existence, many decades ago, was to get ahead of God.  To, in my mind, have figured out what He was showing me that He was planning for me and to take off after it.  I ran headlong into dangers that I was never prepared for. The places that I ended up.  To say the least, I felt so trapped at where I was to the extent that suicide became an option. 

But Jesus wasn't done with me yet. I am here by the grace of God.  Now involved in many things that were His intent for me.  I certainly am not who I used to be.  

It's often a difficult thing to stand, for the enemy of God likes to deliver hits below the belt. He likes to follow up with hits to drive us down.  It takes us, interestingly enough to the place and point, where it honestly does us the most Spiritual good. To our knees before God. 

Ephesians 6 talks about more in regards to this battle we are in in this life. We are most certainly not in this life for leisure or for the entertainment.  Those things are for after we pass on from this world.  We who are in Christ Jesus have work to be doing while it is yet daylight. John 9:4 NASB "We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work."

Ephesians 6:10-18 NASB "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having belted your waist with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having strapped on your feet the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

With every prayer and request, pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be alert with all perseverance and every request for all the saints,"

Realize full well that you are in a battle not of flesh and blood. The war is over our thoughts and intentions, of our actions or inaction. The war is ongoing until we are stripped of our sin nature either at death, if we have died in Christ, upon entry into His Heaven or the Rapture of the Church.  Those who die without salvation in Christ Jesus won't be battling their sin nature in Hell, they will be paying for their own sins from this life. 

In this here and now is where and when Satan tries to sway the thoughts and desires of your heart and mind.  It is here where he tempts you to go left when you should go right or vice-versa.  It is here where it's the place where we can get caught up into sins that so easily entangle. It is the now in your life that matters in regards to standing. 

You may indeed have taken a lot of hits. You indeed may think that you have been forgotten of God.  I know that up until the spring of 1999 I really did.  God seemed so far away. I felt so dirty in my sins. I was beaten down for so long.  In one breath of one sincere prayer, Jesus reached through it all and pulled me out.  If you are weary and have become so discouraged, I encourage you to make the most of being knocked to your knees and pray for forgiveness and deliverance. Jesus will not disappoint the person who sincerely means it. 

You must believe. Hebrews 11:6 NASB "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.".

You must be ready to do whatever God's plan for your recovery entails. 

It indeed involves what I like to refer to as Spiritual Surgeries.  It involves the removal of things that have no part or portion with God’s plan for your life.  Indeed it WILL be things that you have grown to "love" in some instances.  It WILL be because remember "sin that so easily entangles".  We are always prone towards things that may not be good for us.  They seem right.  But are not. Proverbs 21:2 NASB "Every person’s way is right in his own eyes, But the Lord examines the hearts." Proverbs 12:15 NASB "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But a wise man is he who listens to counsel."

We read in Ephesians 6 the purpose and makeup of the full armor of God.  We are to stand. God does the fighting. Our offensive weapon is the Word of God.  As it says of itself in Hebrews 4:12 NASB "For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.".

To stand after getting a hit often hurts. We are slow to get back up, but getting back up is necessary.  Car accidents can be horrific, but it's absolutely necessary to get behind the wheel again if at all possible to move past it.  

TobyMac had a song along these lines interestingly enough titled the same "Get Back Up"

… You turned away when I looked you in the eye,
And hesitated when I asked if you were alright,
Seems like you're fighting for your life,
But why? Oh why?
Wide awake in the middle of your nightmare,
You saw it comin' but it hit you outta nowhere,
And there's always scars
When you fall that far

… We lose our way,
We get back up again
It's never too late to get back up again,
One day you're gonna shine again,
You may be knocked down,
But not out forever,
Lose our way,
We get back up again,
So get up, get up,
You gonna shine again,
Never too late to get back up again,
You may be knocked down,
But not out forever
(May be knocked down but not out forever)

… You're rolled out at the dawning of the day
Heart racin' as you made you little getaway,
It feels like you've been runnin' all your life
But, why? Oh why?

… So you've pulled away from the love that would've been there,
You start believin' that your situation's unfair
But there's always scars,
When you fall that far

… We lose our way,
We get back up again
Never too late to get back up again,
One day, you're gonna shine again,
You may be knocked down but not out forever,
Lose our way, we get back up again,
So get up, get up
You gonna shine again
It's never too late, to get back up again
You may be knocked down, but not out forever,
May be knocked down, but not out forever!

… This is love callin', love callin', out to the broken,
This is love callin'.
This is love callin', love callin', out to the broken
This is love callin'.
This is love callin', love callin',
I am so broken
This is love callin' love callin

… We lose our way, (way way way ay ay ay)
We get back up, (get back up again)
It's never too late (late late late ate ate ate)
You may be knocked down but not out forever!

… Lose our way,
We get back up again,
So get up get up
You gonna shine again
Never too late to get back up again
You may be knocked down,
But not out forever,

… This is love (lose our way) callin' love callin' (get back up again)
To the broken
This is love (never too late) callin'
(May be knocked down but not out forever)
This is love (lose our way) callin' love callin' (we get back up again)
To the broken
This is love (never too late) callin'
(May be knocked down but not out forever)

… This is love callin' love callin'
Out to the broken,
This is love callin'

We will always hear a voice beating us down.  We will because our sin nature doesn't like nor want the things of God.  We will because Satan's in agreement with our sin nature.  The voice we need to cling to is Christ Jesus.  Only in Him can we grow, move, and stand.  

It honestly is a cold naked world trying to defend against an enemy we cannot see but sees us us, knows us better than we know ourselves.  

He custom crafts lies to fit our situations to keep us from the Will of God, our sanctification. 

As to me and God's plan that I so got ahead of.  You're reading about it daily.  I have dreamed of being a writer.  Outside of this blog I have never been able to collect thoughts into something substantial.  By staying with God’s plan for me, by walking with Him, He makes the impossible happen.  I am often blown away by what comes out of me in a post.  As this began so it continues.  He gives me things to write and it's on me to write them.  Just like the watchman on the wall of the Old Testament.  

Jesus is coming soon.  To be found doing what He wanted of me is far more important than the desires of this world.  As the Bible says: "Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. For this reason you must be ready as well; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will. Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household slaves, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes." Matthew 24:42-46 NASB.