“Never feel sorry for raising dragon slayers in a time when there are actual dragons.” Dr. Georgia Purdy, of Answers in Genesis, made this statement at a conference I recently attended, and it left me feeling both daunted and inspired.
Whenever I think of dragons, I envision a time long, long ago, far removed from modern day. However, the more I see and hear about the atrocities taking place around the globe, I’m reminded that we are in a battle. As much as I like to think that my simple life with my husband and kiddos in the suburbs is just that, there is, in actuality, a battle taking place and I/we need to be prepared and proactive.
One of the biggest battles we are facing is the battle for Truth. We live in a postmodern world that has come to believe, ironically, that there is no absolute Truth. It’s all about “your truth.” Somehow, the concept of “truth” has been replaced with what we formally called, “opinions.” Sadly, now the two words appear to be synonymous. This detrimental way of thinking leads to an erroneous blurring of the line between right and wrong. Maybe it’s not even a “blurring” of the line, it’s more like erasing that line so that they are no longer opposites.
So what do we do? How do we stand firm as Scripture instructs us? Do we need a new strategy, new weaponry?
In today’s world, when we need to know how to do something, where do we turn? Typically, we turn to You Tube, right? In this case, the turning to the Bible is going to give us the examples, strategy, weaponry and answers we need.
Let’s look at how Jehoshaphat, King of Juda, responded when he was informed a vast army was on their way. If you have a few minutes, you can read 2 Chronicles 20:1-22, but I will highlight some key portions of it.
Upon hearing the vast army was on their way, Jehoshaphat was alarmed, but resolved to inquire of the Lord. Not only that, he proclaimed a fast for all of Judah (v.3). The next verse tells us, 4 “The people of Judah came together to seek help from the Lord; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek him.” (Emphasis mine).
Jehoshaphat then prays corporately and in faith (vs. 5-12) to the Lord, recognizing who He is and His power. Then he says in v. 9,”If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.” (Emphasis mine).
In v. 12, Jehoshaphat says, “Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”
He knew the army that was coming was bigger and stronger. This was not about false humility. This was an honest cry for help because they did not know what to do. Can you relate? Have there been times in your life when you haven’t known what to do? Instead of wallowing in helplessness, King Jehoshaphat gathered his people together and they turned their eyes to God. When you don’t know what to do, look to God.
We see again their collective appeal to God in v. 13.
13 “All the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, stood there before the Lord.“
In vs. 14-17, we are privy to how God responds to their plea.
14 “Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Jahaziel son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite and descendant of Asaph, as he stood in the assembly.
15 He said: ‘Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. 16 Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. 17 You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.’” (Emphasis mine).
The Lord starts off by telling them not to be afraid or discouraged. The battle isn’t theirs, but they have to exercise faith by marching down against the enemy. They won’t have to fight, but they will have to take up their positions and STAND FIRM. Then they will see the Lord’s deliverance. He reminds them again, likely because the temptation is so strong, to not be afraid or discouraged. They can be assured the Lord will be with them.
Essentially, the instruction is: GO IN FAITH WITHOUT FEAR.
Faith listens to and does what God says.
Jehoshaphat encourages his people to have faith and they will be rewarded for it.
20″ Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, ‘Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.’” (Emphasis mine).
As we continue to read the passage, we see that Jehoshaphat appoints men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness (see v. 21). Why might he have done this? One reason might have been to help his people keep their focus off of their fears and on the Lord their God, reminding them of who He is. They weren’t praising Him for a soon-t0-be victory, it was all about His love and holiness.
The next verse shows us what happened when they began to sing and praise the Lord.
22 “As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.”
What was Jehoshaphat’s battle strategy?
- He looked to the Lord WITH the whole community
- He prayed
- He had FAITH and he instructed them to have faith
- He obeyed – He did what God told him to do
- He stood firm
- He made sure the Lord was praised and thanked for his holiness and love (not even for the victory). Because of that great love, HE would SAVE them!
As I was studying this idea of “stand firm” in Scripture, I found so many passages that not only instruct believers to stand firm, but also passages describing things of the Lord that stand firm:
- His love (Psalm 89:2)
- His Word (Psalm 119:89)
- His plans (Psalm 33:11)
- His statutes (Psalm 93:5)
- His solid foundation (2 Tim. 2:19)
Those are all things that we can stand on as we stand firm in the midst of the battles around us.
As we think about the importance of standing firm, how do we do that? What does that look like?
- Phil. 1:27 says to stand firm “in one spirit.” (Sounds like Jehoshaphat and all his people)
- Col. 4:12 says to stand firm “in all the will of God.”
- 1 Cor. 16:13 and 1 Pet 5:9 say to stand firm “in the faith.”
- Eph. 6:14 says to stand firm with the “belt of truth buckled around your waist…”
Let’s read Eph. 6 starting in v. 10 and then we’ll look more closely at the armor we need for our battles, most specifically, the belt of truth. Priscilla Shirer’s book, The Armor of God, has some great nuggets I’m going share with you.
As she delves into the “belt of truth,” she starts off by talking about the core because that’s the part of the body in which the belt would wrap around. “A strong core helps with your balance, your stability, your resistance to injury, your stamina over time and under pressure.” (p. 40)
If your core is weak, which she likens to a “flimsy commitment to truth,” then “…you don’t even have a way to do a sit-up, much less a way to keep standing up.” (p. 46) This is true individually and collectively. If we have a weak spiritual core, we aren’t going to be able to stand firm when the wind and waves of lies come our way.
The belt a Roman soldier used when putting on his armor or “girding his loins,” it was with “…something more akin to a girdle than a belt.” (Shirer, p. 43)
“The Roman soldier’s belt or girdle served several purposes. One was to add support and strength to his core…another purpose was equally important: the belt secured several additional pieces of his armor and kept them solidly in place.” (Shirer p. 52)
God designed our spiritual armor to do the same thing. The “belt of truth” helps to secure the breastplate of righteousness.
Not only that, the girdle “…also bore some of the weight, relieving pressure from the shoulders. Without it, the soldier was forced to bear the full weight of everything…making him far less effective in battle. See the spiritual connection? Without the belt of truth, you’re left with the burdensome responsibility of carrying the full weight of your own ‘breastplate’—your own ‘righteousness…’ But with God’s truth strapped around your body, you’re relieved of that pressure. God’s Word—truth—reveals that righteousness has been given to you through faith in Christ …, freeing you from living with the weight of all that sin in you on your shoulders.” (Shirer p. 54)
I recently wrote a blog post about faith. In Eph. 6, we see the importance of the shield of faith as part of our spiritual armor. We are also instructed to put on the breastplate of righteousness. And now, as we talk about the belt of truth, we see how all these things come together to help us stand firm against the devil’s schemes.
Shirer states, “Truth is your core support. It provides the essential backing you need when you’re in the midst of spiritual war.” (Shirer p. 43)
She reminds the reader that, “…the enemy’s overarching device is deception. He shades reality with enticing and alluring colors, seducing us away from black-and-white principles.” She goes on to write, “His packaging is so clever that unless we know what’s true—I mean really know it, know it at our core—we easily fall prey to his ploys.” (Shirer p. 43)
What is truth? Shirer defines it as, “God’s opinion on any matter.” (Shirer p. 43) And that is the standard to which we hold ourselves. It’s our standard for everything. “Without concrete allegiance to and affirmation with this truth—with real truth—you’re left weak and susceptible to things that may look right and sound right yet actually aren’t right. But with the standard of truth in place, you can adjust everything else in your life—your ambitions, choices, and feelings; your mind, will, and emotions…” (Shirer p. 44)
So how do we realistically do this at a practical level? How do we put on the belt of truth so that we can stand firm against the devil’s schemes?
We don’t do anything new. We use the same strategy that king Jehoshaphat used:
- We look to the Lord WITH the whole community
- We pray
- We have FAITH
- We obey and do what God tells us to do
- We stand firm in one spirit, in all the will of God, in the faith
- We make sure the Lord is praised and thanked for his holiness and love
Here’s how Priscilla Shirer encourages us to do it:
“You uphold and affirm the standard—the truth and boundaries set by God in Scripture. You commit yourself to them and resolve to teach them to your family. You daily, systematically, repeatedly begin by letting God help you align your decisions and responses, even your attitudes and ambitions, alongside His benchmark of truth. You continually learn about the character and purposes of God—both from the Bible and from His Spirit. Then you unapologetically synchronize your convictions, even when you find it hard or unpopular to do so.” (Shirer p. 44-45)
I love that she uses words like, “daily, systematically, repeatedly and continually” because they emphasize the on-going, all the time importance of being fully aligned with God and the Truth we use as our standard for every aspect of our lives. “You cannot advance against the enemy successfully and keep from tumbling into error unless you are willing to submit to God’s truth.” (Shirer p. 55)
Shirer makes a good point when she writes, “Just because you read the Bible doesn’t mean you’ve chosen it as your standard for living—any more than a person with a gym membership is necessarily committed to using the equipment in the gym. The real test comes when the ideals and philosophies of our culture swing in the opposite direction, and yet we choose to stand strong and firm on the unchanging standard of God. The time has come for us to be women girded in truth.” (Shirer p. 45, emphasis mine)
Now, I’m not saying that any of this is easy. In fact, I think we need to be conscious of the things that “move” us from standing firm so that we can guard against those things.
1 Cor. 15:58 reads, “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm (steadfast). Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
Perhaps one of the main things that tries to move us is:
- Fear (Ex. 14:13, 2 Chron. 20:17). Think about how many times in Scripture you see the words, “do not be afraid.”
We need pray and fight against fear. When we are completely aligned with God, His Truth and will, it helps us stand firm. Earlier this year, we talked about the importance of alignment. The enemy is sly in his “…attempt at compelling us to move forward without consulting truth, veering us off course and outside of God’s will.” (Shirer p. 61)
In several passages in Scripture, we see that there is a reward for standing firm. It brings deliverance, salvation and life!
Mt. 10:22 “…the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.”
Lk. 21:19 “Stand firm, and you will win life.”
Whether you, like Jehoshaphat, are facing a vast army or whether you are facing modern day dragons, let me encourage you. Do not be afraid and do not be discouraged. Stand firm! The Lord your God is with you! In light of that, let us go be radiant as we fight for Truth.
Go Be Radiant 