4. The Parent’s Privilege: Gifting the Faith to the Children by Standing Up.
- The Parent’s Privilege: Gifting the Faith to the Children by Standing Up.
“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 this 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. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm, then…” (Ephesians 6:10-20).
Soldier in the Army of the Lord – Blind Boys of Alabama – YouTube
Stand Firm. The three Greek words that are all translated “stand firm” all mean pretty much the same thing: to be immoveable; to stand against someone or something; to fix oneself firmly; to set one’s face resolutely in a certain direction; to hold one’s ground with determination; to maintain one’s position; to withstand compromise; to refuse to change; to be steadfast in one’s resistance; to hold fast without giving in; to be strong and steady in what is important. The reader of Scripture is told to stand firm well over twenty times. Here are ten passages that encourage us to stand our ground against evil and the evil one:
(1.) “Be self-controlled and alert. Our enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith.” (1 Peter 5:9).
(2.) “Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, stand firm. Let nothing move you.”(1 Corinthians 15:58).
(3.) “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then I will know that you stand firm in one spirit without being frightened of opposition, contending for the faith.” (Philippians 1:27).
(4.) “So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold tightly to the teachings we passed on to you.” (2 Thessalonians 2:15).
(5.) “It is for freedom that Christ has set you free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1).
(6.) “In all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith. For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 3:8).
(7.) “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be people of courage; be strong. Do everything in love.” (1 Corinthians 16:13).
(8.) “We eagerly await our Savior from heaven, the Lord Jesus Christ, who by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body. That is how you should stand firm in the Word, dear friends.” (Philippians 4:1).
(9.) “Be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. Don’t grumble against each other, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! (James 5:8).
(10.) “The people who know their God will stand firm in Him.” (Daniel 11:32).
You’ve Already Won | The Worship Initiative (feat. Davy Flowers) – YouTube
This Means War. When a country declares war, the citizens don’t have much choice… the citizens are called to go into battle if one wants to remain a citizen. When someone starts following Jesus, that believer becomes a citizen of God’s kingdom. In our fallen world, the kingdom of Satan has declared war on the kingdom of God, so warfare comes with the territory. The same holds true when one becomes a parent. The Christian home is a spiritual battleground for the souls of the children, and the faithful parent needs to stand up, stand firm, put on the armor, and be a warrior for the children. Only, Satan’s fighters in this spiritual battle don’t have bodies, they are invisible. These fighters of Satan are headquartered in the heavenlies where Satan has his hideout, and conduct constant warfare on Christian believers here on earth. So our war is not against flesh and blood, it is fought with spiritual weapons in the unseen world. God has given us all the supernatural weaponry we need, which includes the armor of God… the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the footwear of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation. Most of the armor is protective equipment, but two are aggressively offensive in nature: the Sword of the Spirit (the Word of God) and the prayers of the faithful. These two spiritual weapons are empowered by the Holy Spirit and are divinely effective in the unseen battle. If ever there was a time to wisely handle the Word of Truth, if there was ever a time be a prayer warrior, this is it. The parent who wants to gift the Faith to the children at home stand ready to rumble, wearing the armor, wielding the Word, kneeling in prayer.
Charles Jenkins & Fellowship Chicago – War (Live) – YouTube
Soldier and Priest. There are two traditional ways of picturing our part in spiritual warfare… the military version and the priesthood version. St. Paul focused on the believers as soldiers ready to do battle against the powers of darkness. But there is also the version which puts the believer in the role of priest in our inevitable spiritual battles. Both pictures of the armor of God are helpful to us, since as soon as we believe in Jesus Christ and strive to pass that belief on to our children, we find ourselves on the devil’s radar. In his pride, Satan doesn’t yet accept that he has been forever defeated by Jesus, so he continues to wage these after-battles to make things as miserable for us as possible. So on the one hand, we believers are pictured as soldiers of the Cross, engaging in battles in the spiritual realms. On the other hand, we are in the fellowship of the priesthood, wielding the power of the Lord to put up a stiff resistance to Satan and his demonic horde. What makes this armor of God interesting is that in Paul’s classic Ephesians 6 passage above, the spiritual equipment could be understood as either the useful clothing of an active soldier or the holy garments of a High Priest.
Willie Banks & The Messengers – I’m On The Battlefield For My Lord
A Battalion of Priests. It is fascinating that so many of us believe the spiritual equipment we need for the spiritual battleground is reflected in the sacred garments of the High Priest Jesus. The armor of God described in Ephesians 6 has often been historically seen as the holy clothing of our priesthood, outfitted to be spiritual warriors, using “weapons of righteousness” (2 Cor. 6:7), “pulling down strongholds” (2 Cor. 10:34-35), and “taking captive every thought” (2 Cor. 10:5)for Jesus. One could make the case that believers are called to fight our spiritual battles like a battalion of priests as we follow the High Priest into the action. Placing the priests on the front lines has been known to happen, fighting evil through prayer, praise and worship (Hi there, Jehoshaphat).
King Jehoshaphat. He was one of the most faithful and devoted God-followers in the royal history of Israel. He led a national revival and “brought the people back to the Lord God of their fathers.” (2 Chron. 19:4). At one point he was faced with a threatening coalition of powerful Canaanite forces. It was abundantly clear to everyone that the forces of Judah were vastly outnumbered by this enemy coalition of warriors, that they were helpless against what the Bible called “a multitude, a vast horde” of enemies. Jehoshaphat’s response to this threat was to declare a fast throughout the nation, to seek the help of Yahweh. He stood in the Temple in Jerusalem, and he humbly uttered a prayer that has inspired countless readers ever since. Some of his prayer’s highlights: “O Yahweh God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You?… If disaster comes upon us – sword, judgment, pestilence, famine – we will stand before this Temple and in Your presence, and cry out to You in our affliction, and You will hear and save… Oh our God, will You not judge our enemies? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us, nor do we know what to do. But our eyes are upon You.” (2 Chronicles 20:6-12). Jehoshaphat offered these memorable words to God in the presence of all the people of Judah. We could all stand to memorize his words… If we meet with affliction, we will cry out to you, Lord, and you will hear us and save us. We don’t know what to do, Father God, but we look to you for help. After a trusted prophet of Yahweh assured him that the battle was the Lord’s and that He would defeat their enemy, King Jehoshaphat gathered the people again and declared, “Believe in Yahweh your God and you will be able to stand firm! Believe in the Lord’s prophets and you will succeed!” (v. 20). At this point we witness in this passage the spiritual genius and faith of King Jehoshaphat, and we become inspired by the three elements that led to his victory: Worship, Music, and Mercy.
WORSHIP: In preparation for battle, Jehoshaphat first appointed a choir, a choir of all things, to approach the battle lines and sing to Yahweh. This choir was to shout their praises and sing in “the beauty of holiness.” (v. 21). That phrase has two different translations, depending on the version of the Bible. One version translates it as meaning to praise the splendor of His holiness, to exalt Him in His beauty, to worship the One majestic in holiness. Or the other translation would be, to worship Him in holy attire, in sacred vestments, in clothing that sets them apart from everyone else in service to God. There is, however, no controversy of the Hebrew word for “praise” in this passage (yadah). To praise Yahweh here means to worship the Lord with hands extended. Setting the stage here in the valley before battle… If you were an enemy of Israel and waiting for the war to begin, what is the first thing you would see on the front lines? Instead of soldiers breathing fire, you would see a marching choir of priests out in front, wearing priestly clothing, with arms extended outward, singing and shouting and praising their God Yahweh! It would seem that the enemies of Judah would be dumbfounded, to say the least.
Surrounded ( Fight My Battles ) – UPPERROOM
MUSIC: Music on the battlefield? On the first line of defense, the front lines? Actually, what would inspire the troops better than music lifting up the power and love of their God Yahweh? This reminds us of David, “the sweet psalmist of Israel,” singing his songs of victory and deliverance, “You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. You shall encircle me with joyous shouts of victory and rescue. Like garlands of hosannas, you shall enfold me with songs of salvation.” (Psalm 32:7). Jehoshaphat’s prophet said exactly the same thing. In other words, watch Yahweh do all the heavy lifting in this battle! Sure enough, after crossing the Red Sea, what’s the first thing Moses sang in praise to the Lord? Moses and Miriam referred to God as “Yahweh the Warrior!” Much like David and Moses and countless other biblical heroes, Jehoshaphat believed that God is a conqueror, and He can vanquish the foes of His Chosen People. And there is something about music that inspires the heart, enlivens the mind, and activates the will. Music has an indescribable impact on the human being. Music can’t really be defined, it can only be experienced, loved and lived into. Apart from the Bible’s hymn book, the Psalms, there are well over thirty songs recorded in Scriptures. We even see a strong connection between music and the works of prophets, confirming the spiritual nature of music. “When you arrive at Gibeah of God, you will meet a band of prophets coming down from the place of worship. They will be playing harp, a tambourine, a flute, and a lyre, and they will be prophesying. At that time the Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will be prophesying with them. You will be changed into a different person.” (I Samuel 10:5-6). So in light of the nature of music, and its history in Scripture, it is not necessarily surprising that Jehoshaphat chose to put his choir on the front lines, singing about the mercy of Yahweh God.
MERCY: “They went out ahead of the army, singing, ‘Give thanks to the Lord Yahweh, for His mercy continues forever!’ And what was the choir singing about as they confidently walked into battle against a fierce foe? What was the most important thing they could think about at that particular time? Yes, they sang what has been called the eternal song of the saints. They lifted their voices and triumphantly sang about Mercy. God’s Mercy. The Hebrew word for mercy in this passage is the rich word hesed. It is a rich feast of a word. Hesed needs to be described, not defined; lived into, not merely thought through. HESED: completely undeserved mercy and loving-kindness; practical and eager love-in-action; steadfast and loyal compassion; unending favor; the ardent desire to do good for someone; the deep love reserved for someone in an intimate relationship, and if there is no prior relationship to treat someone as if that relationship existed; covenant faithfulness; a merciful generosity that goes above and beyond what is expected.
GARMENTS OF PRAISE Lyrics Robin Mark
Sometimes the Lord says to us, “Don’t just stand there, do something! And other times He says, “Don’t just do something, stand there!” In this case, the army of Judah did indeed stand there and watch at the front lines as the singing priests lifted the battle to God and His blessing. As the worship song, “Surrounded – This is the Way We Fight our Battles” sings out, “It might look like I’m surrounded, but I’m surrounded by You!”
The Strong Will in the Home. When a soldier stands firmly, s/he refuses to change his position or retreat. When a priest stands firm, s/he cannot be moved from his/her duties as a servant of the Lord. In both cases, to be cowardly instead of courageous is out of the question. If the Lord wants me here, I will stay here! Parents need strong wills to combat the evil one, and it follows that those who have strong-willed children should count themselves fortunate. The Lord God is on the lookout for those determined souls who have a holy stubbornness and a strong will that can be molded for good. Without a righteous resistance to evil, how else can one stay pure or faithful to God? How else can someone stay strong against temptation and respond with a firm ‘’NO!” Only those who are resolute of mind while also submissive to God will be able to stand one’s ground against that which is wrong or harmful or disobedient. If one is passive and weak-willed, it is important to strengthen that will before it’s too late. We are told to resist the devil, to not compromise one’s conscience, to not yield to temptation. Standing firm in the Lord means saying “No” to sexual temptation, to moral compromise, to deceit and dishonesty, to a spirit of unforgiveness. Standing firm means bravely declaring “Yes” to God and “No” to our Adversary the devil in the spiritual realm. It takes a strong will to plant one’s feet in the ground and remain immoveable, and that strength can only come from the Almighty God.