Stand Firm

Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.– Eph 6:11

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Continuously and consciously clothe yourself with truth, righteousness, the gospel, faith,salvation and God’s word so that you can daily stand firm against the devil’s schemes.

The truth that there is a creator grounds our work, and our lives into a reality that is larger than ourselves. The truth of sin, provides an explanation for things that we perceive that are not right in our workplace. The truth of redemption provides us with hope. We are able to stand righteous before a holy righteous God, with our sins forgiven through faith in the death and resurrection of our Lord. God’s righteousness protects our hearts from the evil that is around us. The Gospel is not only good news for tomorrow, but the anchor that provides us peace in the storms of life. When our faith rests firmly on the bedrock foundation of the completed work of Christ, every flaming dart of fear, of doubt, of temptation that we are surrounded with in the workplace is extinguished. God’s free gift of salvation protects the talents, skills,wisdom, knowledge and understanding God has blessed us with to only be used as instruments of righteousness. Finally the word of the Lord, the sword of the Spirit enables us to be strong in the Lord and his mighty power, and to resist the devil’s temptations that we face at work.

Truth, righteousness, the gospel, faith and salvation, are offensive weapons to protect you against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly realms. They are not defensive weapons to be used against your colleagues. There is only one defensive weapon, the sword of the Spirit and it is to be used to resist the devil's temptations.

Prayer

Father, we put the belt of truth round our waist. Help us to rest in the truth of who you are, and who we are in your sight. Guard our hearts with your breastplate of righteousness. Through the power of your gospel, may we be instruments of peace in every encounter with other people. Lord, we know we can’t do this on our own strength, and so we take the shield of faith, trusting you to extinguish all the flaming arrows that Satan and people throw at us. Thank you for the gift of salvation. Amen

Blessings

James Bruyn

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Ephesians 6:10-18 (NIV)

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 our 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, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

Be Strong In The Lord

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power – Eph 6:10

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As Christians, some of the challenges we face in the workplace are of our own doing—consequences of our actions and attitudes.That’s why Paul warns us to live in such a way that nobody can find fault in what we do. Some of the other challenges we face in the workplace are part of living and working in a fallen world. Storms, sickness, weeds, broken down machinery, computers that crash, death, decay, and rot are all part of God’s curse on this planet.

Yet other challenges in life and work are spiritual in nature. Sometimes it’s obvious when Satan is scheming against you like when he appeared to tempt Jesus. Other times, you may be completely unaware that a battle is raging in Heaven over your soul and prayers, like when Daniel prayed and the angel sent to Daniel was resisted for twenty-one days (Daniel 10:12–14).

Although you have to be careful not to see a demon in every shadow, you do have to be aware of the fact that even at work,the devil will try to trick you or drag you down emotionally. The armor of God is something you need to continuously and consciously clothe yourself in so that you can daily stand firm against the devil’s schemes. For you fight against the powers of this world’s darkness and against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly world.

Just like it takes time and practice for a soldier to learn the proper way to hold a shield, or use a sword, it also takes time and practice to wear and use your spiritual armor effectively. As you start your day, pause in prayer to put on the whole armor of God.

Prayer

Father, we thank you that you have provided us with your armor so that we can stand strong in you and in your mighty power against the devil’s schemes. Help us to look beyond our situations and focus on your love for us. Thank you for the Bible; speak to us today through your word so that we may be able to stand firm in this day of evil. Amen

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Ephesians 6:10-18 (NIV)

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 our 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, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

Rejoice!

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. — Isaiah 26:3

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It’s easy on Sunday to sing about rejoicing in the Lord, but when you leave church and the realities of life sink in, it can be hard to find joy and peace. When you focus on what you perceive to be bad or wrong about stressful situations, it’s hard to rejoice because you cannot see God or what God is doing. Only when you shift your focus from your anxiety to think about what is true, noble, right, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy about the situation does God’s peace and joy come flooding in. Only then do you perceive the unseen and catch a glimpse of what God is doing.

Paul writes to the Philippians from a Roman prison cell, and encourages them to “rejoice in the Lord always.” In fact Paul lays out a black-and white scenario for the Philippians and for us. He suggests that you can choose to be anxious or you can choose by prayer and thanksgiving to present your requests to God. Paul chose the latter in his life, and in doing so he was able to rise above the tension and conflicts that surrounded him. Paul firmly believed that perfect love casts out fear, and that prayer alleviates anxiety. 

Do you find yourself being torn apart as your hopes pull you in one direction while your fears tug you in another direction? Lay your fears at the foot of the cross, and allow the peace of God which transcends all understanding to guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Bring your hopes and dreams to the Lord, rejoicing that he chose you to fulfill these dreams and believes you are worthy to fulfill these dreams. 

May your hearts be filled with joy as you boldly, in obedience take the first or next faithful step towards fulfilling your dreams.

Prayer

Father, we thank you that you have searched us and know us. We thank you that you know our anxious thoughts. Help us to focus our thoughts and energies on what is true, what is noble, what is right, what is pure, what is lovely, what is admirable, what is excellent and praiseworthy.Father, we crave your peace and joy. Help us to live our lives unruffled by the storms swirling around us. Amen

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HABAKKUK 3:17–18 (NIV)

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.  

PHILIPPIANS 4:4–9 (NIV)

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Why Are You Afraid?

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.In God, whose word I praise—

in God I trust and am not afraid.

What can mere mortals do to me? (Ps 56:3-4)

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At those moments when you’re afraid, is God trustworthy?

We were sitting on the eleventh floor, in the middle of a lunchtime Bible study. Suddenly the fire alarm went off. It was a loud,annoying, persistent beeping. After a few minutes, a voice came over the speaker.“An alarm condition exists elsewhere in the complex that is being investigated.”The beeps continued. Were we in danger? Could we trust the person investigating to warn us in time if we had to evacuate?

Fear is something like a fire alarm. We hear a rumor and we wonder if we are in danger. Or maybe we work for somebody who believes fear is the best way to motivate people to conform to the corporate expectations and we constantly are looking over our shoulder wondering if our performance is acceptable.

The Bible teaches us that we don’t have to fear man—for they cannot harm us. The Lord is your refuge. No matter what happens to you or your circumstances, nothing can separate you from God’s love. God’s love and acceptance is not dependent on your successes or failures. God’s love for you has not changed and will not change in the future. When you rest in the knowledge that your faith is secure you will find the peace, the strength and the courage to live out your convictions. Resting on the truth that our God keeps his covenant of loyal love with those who love him and observe his commandments (Deut 7:9) you can go about your work with a smile on your face, and peace in your heart.

God chose you because he loves you, and he loves you because he loves you and that’s that!

What courageous decision do you need to make,who do you need to speak to, what do you need to stop doing, or what next step do you need to take in your life to stand firm in Christ’s love in your place of work?

Prayer

Lord, you see the trouble, the hardship, the persecution, the famine, the nakedness, and the dangers we fear. Yet we thank you that through the death and resurrection of your son we are more than conquerors. Fill us with your peace and joy at work. Amen

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Romans 8:35–39 (NIV)

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.