Unresolved – Part 5

Be Aware & Stand Firm

As a follower of Jesus, we need to be aware that we will face the same challenges and resistance that non-Christians face. The world, our own flesh and even the devil (or more likely, demons doing his bidding) are poised against everyone. I won’t take the time here to break that all down, but we only have look back over the last week and our own experience will confirm that truth. We can be living life as best we know how, walking by faith and trusting Jesus with every step… and still we have these three things coming against us… all the time… everyday.

Only God knows why… ultimately, I believe, it is because through this fight He is glorified in the highest way. It is better for us and more glorious for Him if we walk through this life and face this resistance than for us to be reborn and be completely free from all of life’s challenges. (John 17)

Too often, I think, we buy into the line of thinking that once we decide to follow Jesus all will be roses and wine. The reason for this, I believe, is that embedded in our sin nature is the desire to run from anything that is difficult. We naturally seek the path of least resistance. So, at the crisis point in our life when we reach out to receive Jesus, we think that after that prayer we have actually found the route to a trouble free life. This is not what Jesus teaches (John 16:33), but it is what we naturally think… because at some level, the thing we’re reaching for in Jesus is an escape from the life we currently have.

In Christ, we do escape death… but along with that we are not promised that we’ll be leaving all the woes of life up that point behind. We still have to navigate through all the junk we brought into our relationship with Jesus. The difference is that we actually now have the ability to deal with them.

Remember, post conversion we still are facing the same enemies as we were prior to conversion. So, we need to be aware of that AND we need to be aware of what’s asked of us during these times. Notice the activity of the devil (I believe you could exchange “devil” for “world” and “flesh” and the truth holds). Then notice what the believer is being encouraged to do.

Ephesians 6:10-12
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

James 4:7
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

I Peter 5: 5-9
All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

Resist… Stand Firm

Too often the times of trial are all the more devastating to us because we “feel” like a bad Christian during and after. We beat ourselves up because we didn’t “win” or “grow” or “increase our faith” when the battle was on. Here’s the thing I’m learning. The bible doesn’t say that we are to grow or increase during these times. We are simply asked to resist and stand firm. The win is to persevere with our faith intact.

Trials allow us to develop the ability to persevere (James 1:2-3) and its only those who persevere to the end that are saved (James 1:12 & Matthew 10:22).

Think about John the Baptist. Jesus called him “the greatest man born of a woman”. When John was imprisoned by Herod he feared for his life and we see his crisis of faith. Remember, he had done everything right, he lived by faith and he stayed true in the midst of heavy resistance; heck, he even baptized Jesus. He reached out to Jesus for confirmation of all he thought he knew and he was met with this response by Jesus, “Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.” (Matthew 11:1-19)

That is tough. The in between place where John had to recognize that to live is Christ and to die is gain. That is unresolved.

We know he didn’t advance or grow or win… he lost his head, literally. What could John do? All he could do was be aware (That he was facing opposition not because of a lack of faith, but because of his faith) and stand firm (persevere to the end, with his faith in tact).