TAKE YOUR STAND
Matthew 7:24-27
Ephesians 6:10-20
On the PBS children's program, "Between the Lions," there's a character named Cliff Hanger. At the beginning of every Cliff Hanger story, our hero is dangling precariously from a gnarly tree root on the side of a cliff. The plot is always the same. Cliff tries to get his feet safely back on solid ground, but no matter what he tries, he always ends up where he started: dangling from that same gnarly tree root.
Ever have days like that?
There are interesting and anxious times we are living in.
This summer, we experienced first hand the drought that is drying up the crops of the Midwest, while many of our young adults are drowning in debt. Meanwhile, our senior citizens worry about the financial implications of the new national health plan.
Global warming looks like its becoming a reality while the conflicts born out of the Arab spring continue to heat up in places like Syria. We, however, don't have to look far from home to find the victims of abuse and broken relationships.
Many in our local communities are still cleaning up from the land-hurricane storm of last year, and our neighbors in the Eastern U.S. will be recovering from this years tornadoes and storms for a couple of years, at least.
And we all are experiencing rapid social, technological, economic and political changes that seem to shift the sands of our lives beneath our very feet.
The hater of our souls loves to take the anxiety and fear that are produced by times like this and use them like flaming arrows to bring us down. These are the times, as Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:10-20, we must put on the full armor and protection of God in order to withstand the assault.
With the Belt of God's Truth, we strengthen the very core of our beings. We protect our hearts with the Breast Plate of God's Righteousness and repel the arrows of fear with the Shield of Faith. We renew and transform our minds with the assurance of God's saving grace through Jesus Christ as we put on the Helmet of Salvation. And with the Sword of the Spirit, we counter the lies and deceits of this world and the forces of evil with God's word.
But first, we stand. We stand on what is solid and steadfast and everlasting. Not on our bank accounts and our investments or our jobs; not on how cool or good looking or smart we are; and not on any particular political party -- we take our stand on God.
"He [God] alone is my rock and my salvation; my stronghold, so that I shall not be shaken ." Psalm 62:7
God, and God alone is the rock upon which the wise build their lives. God is the source of our strength and our protection.
So, friends, in these interesting and anxious times, do put on the full armor of God, but first take your stand on God, and God will give you the foot wear need to get thou through, whether it's hope or courage or the basic needs for living.
Take your stand on God. All other ground is just shifting sand.
Ephesians 6:10-20
On the PBS children's program, "Between the Lions," there's a character named Cliff Hanger. At the beginning of every Cliff Hanger story, our hero is dangling precariously from a gnarly tree root on the side of a cliff. The plot is always the same. Cliff tries to get his feet safely back on solid ground, but no matter what he tries, he always ends up where he started: dangling from that same gnarly tree root.
Ever have days like that?
There are interesting and anxious times we are living in.
This summer, we experienced first hand the drought that is drying up the crops of the Midwest, while many of our young adults are drowning in debt. Meanwhile, our senior citizens worry about the financial implications of the new national health plan.
Global warming looks like its becoming a reality while the conflicts born out of the Arab spring continue to heat up in places like Syria. We, however, don't have to look far from home to find the victims of abuse and broken relationships.
Many in our local communities are still cleaning up from the land-hurricane storm of last year, and our neighbors in the Eastern U.S. will be recovering from this years tornadoes and storms for a couple of years, at least.
And we all are experiencing rapid social, technological, economic and political changes that seem to shift the sands of our lives beneath our very feet.
The hater of our souls loves to take the anxiety and fear that are produced by times like this and use them like flaming arrows to bring us down. These are the times, as Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:10-20, we must put on the full armor and protection of God in order to withstand the assault.
With the Belt of God's Truth, we strengthen the very core of our beings. We protect our hearts with the Breast Plate of God's Righteousness and repel the arrows of fear with the Shield of Faith. We renew and transform our minds with the assurance of God's saving grace through Jesus Christ as we put on the Helmet of Salvation. And with the Sword of the Spirit, we counter the lies and deceits of this world and the forces of evil with God's word.
But first, we stand. We stand on what is solid and steadfast and everlasting. Not on our bank accounts and our investments or our jobs; not on how cool or good looking or smart we are; and not on any particular political party -- we take our stand on God.
"He [God] alone is my rock and my salvation; my stronghold, so that I shall not be shaken ." Psalm 62:7
God, and God alone is the rock upon which the wise build their lives. God is the source of our strength and our protection.
So, friends, in these interesting and anxious times, do put on the full armor of God, but first take your stand on God, and God will give you the foot wear need to get thou through, whether it's hope or courage or the basic needs for living.
Take your stand on God. All other ground is just shifting sand.
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