Stand Firm

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

-Galatians 5:1 

I don’t know if you’ve heard the adage “don’t just stand there, do something,” but I’ve sometimes wondered if our culture could ever shed the prevalence of these words. I think there’s a consensus in our fast-paced world that says it’s almost always better to be “doing”—working, planning, moving forward (even if it’s in the wrong direction) as long as we’re doing something. 

But when it comes to our walk with Christ, God often calls us to do the opposite.

Wait. Listen. Be still. Trust.  

It’s not always our nature to slow down or to sit still, but sometimes it’s the only way. God can work through our lives and fulfill His purpose. This was true of the Israelites when God delivered them from the Egyptians in the book of Exodus. Before the Israelites witnessed the miracle of God parting the Red Sea, they were given similar instructions in Exodus 14:13: “Moses answered the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.’” 

Just moments before this, the Israelites were panicking. It was as if they had completely forgotten all the miracles that God had done for them in Egypt to bring them to this point. They complained to Moses, in verse 11 saying things like, “‘Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die?’” Or in verse 12, “‘It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!’”

And while their responses sometimes bewilder me, if I’m being honest, many of the doubts I’ve had toward God in tough times have echoed their complaints. And it begs the question: what does it really mean to stand firm?

Get to Know God 

Set aside daily time to pray and be in the Word. It’s the only way to get to know God’s character and who He says He is. Ask God to reveal Himself to you and help you believe His promises. Like Moses told the Israelites, you can expect to “see” God’s deliverance in your life and trust that He will “fight for you.” 

Remember What He’s Done

This may mean keeping a journal. Maybe it’s being intentional about reflecting on the ways God has moved throughout your day, or taking the time to thank and praise Him for who He is. Even if we don’t think we can see God working miracles in our lives in this season of life, we can always be thankful for the ultimate miracle—Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for our sins.

Put on Your Armor

Each day is a spiritual battle, and we should treat it as such. Check out Ephesians 6 and pray the full armor of God over yourself daily. In his book “If You Will Ask,” Oswald Chambers highlights the importance of putting on your spiritual armor. He says, “One of the greatest difficulties in war is to find a man who can keep his head when everyone else is losing theirs. It is only done by steady practice. ‘Therefore take up the whole armor of God’—not to fight, but to stand. We are not told to attack or to storm the efforts of darkness. We are told to stand, unpanicky and unbudged, more than conquerors”. 

Paul also gave the church a similar reminder in Galatians 5:1: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery”. 

I love that word “let”. It reminds me that I have a choice—to either be ruled again by my past sin and shame, or to stand in the truth of who I am in Christ. Because of Him, we have the freedom to choose, so let’s choose to stand firm.

Daneem Kim serves as a youth leader at Maine Street Baptist Church in Brunswick, Maine.