On This One Stand Firm…

Isaiah 7:9
The head of Ephraim is Samaria,
and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah’s son.
If you do not stand firm in your faith,
you will not stand at all.’”

If you can stand firm in anything, you will be proud of yourself and others will be proud of you. To stand firm comes with a reward of knowing yourself and being known as a principled person. Those who stand firm will harvest the fruit of the choice to stand firm. We all desire to stand firm. We are tempted and we hate it when we fall, but deep within us, we want to stand firm.

We want to stand firm against addiction to alcohol. We want to stand firm against tobacco. We want to stand firm against pornography. We want to stand firm against corruption. We want to stand firm against tempting mistresses and men. We want to stand firm against some sin that has slowed our spiritual growth. Deep within us, we want to stand firm.

We want to stand firm against destructive permissive parenting. We want to stand firm against poor communication that has hurt those we love. We want to stand firm against short temper. We want to stand firm against relatives who we know are ruining our lives with hearsay. Deep within us, we want to stand firm.

We want to stand firm against laziness at work. We want to stand firm against procrastination. We want to stand against fear to try new things. We want to stand firm against discouragement that makes us easily give up on investments, businesses, and projects. Deep within us, we want to stand firm.

God tells us Isaiah in the chapter of our passage today, to go and meet King Ahaz and encourage him. King Ahaz was facing an attack from the combined forces of Syria and Northern Israel. Ahaz and his people were so afraid that God had to urgently intervene, Isaiah 7:2. God tells Ahaz through Isaiah that do not fear, do your best to avoid fear, do not demonstrate fear, keep off fear, Isaiah 7:4. You can’t have faith in God and have fear at the same time. Choose one, faith, or fear? God recommends that we demonstrate faith and keep off fear.

God tells Ahaz through Isaiah that he shouldn’t worry because the combined forces of his enemies will not succeed. They have made plans against you but they will not succeed Isaiah 7:7. God tells Ahaz that Syria and its allies will not last beyond the next 65 years, Isaiah 7:8. Every threat posed by Syria and the allies will end in 65 years. Even our enemies at their best have an expiry date. In 65 years the enemies are gone, but God’s people will abide eternally. God tells Ahaz that He knows the leaders of his enemies. He knows their competencies and weaknesses. God mentions them by name, Isaiah 7:8-9. Then God makes the statement to Ahaz that is also to us. If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.

The success of Ahaz will begin with his faith in God. If he will have a strong relationship with God, he will overcome all obstacles in the 65 years of his enemies. But if he loses faith in God, he will fail in every aspect of his life. If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.

Standing firm in faith will translate to standing firm everywhere else. If you can stand firm in the faith, you can stand firm academically. You can stand firm financially. You can stand firm mentally. You can stand firm socially. You can stand firm in your health physically. It must begin with your faith or else it will never translate anywhere else. If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.

Our most common mistake is that we want to stand firm in faith after standing firm everywhere else. We want to think of faith after succeeding in school. We want to think of faith after making money. We want to think of faith after settling down in marriage. That is why we keep struggling without success. Faith must come first. We must stand firm in faith first before we stand firm anywhere else. If we are to ever stand firm anywhere else, we must stand firm in faith first. If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.

Until faith becomes a priority, failure will remain the result of our best efforts everywhere else. If we are right with God, everything else will go right. Customers will flock. Our memory will function in exams. Relationships will be mutual. Food will be our medicine. Peace of mind will cover us in various storms of life. This is when faith is a priority. If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.

To stand firm in faith requires regular Bible study, regular personal prayers, and regular church attendance. To stand firm in faith requires practicing what we learn from the Bible. Standing firm in faith is choosing to obey God even when it seems to be to our disadvantage. If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.

Dear God, help me to stand firm in my faith in you. May I be able to stand anywhere and everywhere, in Jesus’ name, Amen!