Standing firm

Have you ever felt off balance? It feels a little weird doesn’t it. What makes it feel weird is that we are not standing firm. Have you ever been in the ocean jumping the waves? The thrill of going over the wave is great but when it tosses you and you can’t find the ground, it feels scary. Why – you have stopped standing firm. Standing firm is a position that we like to be in because it makes us feel safe and secure. It makes us feel in control and we feel like the circumstances around us can’t touch us if we are standing firm. So how do we stand firm in our Christian walk? What will ground us and make us feel like we are safe?

I was reading 2 Corinthians 1:24b which states at the end of the verse “for it is by your own faith that you will stand firm”.  So let’s ponder that statement for a little while. How can our own faith make us stand firm? You might be thinking my faith is flimsy, I don’t feel I have much or I can do it my way. That’s not what this verse is trying to say. 

In verse 21, it states that it is God that enables us to stand firm. It is never in our own strength or ways that we stand firm. We are like a wave of the ocean, tossed about with different ideas and concepts and we follow whatever one suits our circumstances at the time. God does not want us living like this. He wants us to remain standing firm no matter what happens around us.

But I don’t have any faith, you may say. The Bible says that God has given each Christian the measure of faith. We have each been given the same amount. However like some of us may go to the gym to exercise their bodies, we need to exercise our faith to ensure we stand firm.

How do we exercise our faith? By hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Reading the Bible, believing it and doing it. It is not enough to read it, you will grow lazy. It is not enough to believe it, you will become fat.. it is not enough to do it, you will become tired. Therefore, we must be continually doing all three. It is only in doing all three, that we can stand and remain standing firm. We will not be pushed over by every wave but will remain standing even when the waves are coming.

So this week, I encourage you to read your Bible (even if it is only one verse – be careful to not get it out of context), believe what you are reading and then go put it into practice. Over time, your relationship with God will improve, your finances will improve, your health will improve and your relationships with others will improve. You will be able to stand firm and know that God is always with you and His Word will sustain you through everything.

Have a great week and keep living the life God intended for you.