Hold The Line

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints" - Ephesians 6:10-18

A Brother preached from 1 Peter 5 this past Sunday. The one thing I took away was the phrase, "Hold the line!" He was referring to the fact that our faith, what we know to be true and right, is under attack like never before. That brought to mind soldiers in their positions facing an enemy force that outnumbered them.  Their leader was moving along the line of troops saying "Hold the line, hold the line." It was a battle that was crucial to winning the war. The troops needed courage. They needed to be reminded that the stakes were high. That success rested on their shoulders. Depended upon their determination to face the enemy and not yield, even to the point of death. Courage is action in spite of fear, not because you are not fearful.

My mind then went to a Lord of the Rings movie where King Aragorn was speaking to his army. He could see the fear on their faces. I took the liberty to clip it out and to make slight modifications to the references.

"Hold your ground, hold your ground! Sons of [the most high God], my brothers! I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. An hour of wolves and shattered shields, when the age of [the Church] comes crashing down! But it is not this day! This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good Earth, I bid you stand, Men of [God]!"

Hold the line! We are facing a strong enemy that would have us abandon everything that is sacred and declared as Truth by the Creator God in favor of being acceptable to those whose god is Satan and whose destiny is an eternity in hell, separated from God. Hold the line.

"And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha." - 2 Kings 6:15-17

We are not alone. Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world! Hold the line! Trust in the Lord and in His mighty hand. Do not feint in the face of the enemy. Do not compromise your faith for the sake of convenience or acceptance. Our God is greater.

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone