Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus

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Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus

I was reminded today of this hymn of old. It’s one I remember singing in church as a child. I’m sure the lyrics didn’t resonate then quite the way they do now, but for some reason, the Lord has brought it to my mind, perhaps to simply remind me and to remind you too...

When we said yes to Jesus, we said yes to

serving in His army,

fighting His battle,

representing His Kingdom,

yielding to His authority, and

heeding His commands,

alongside one another, brothers and sisters in Christ.

And yet today, I don’t know what it’s like from your point of view, but from mine, it looks like we’re fighting different battles. We are allowing the enemy’s tactics to distract and divide us. We are fighting more with each other than we are fighting together to defeat the one true enemy.

If we are truly His, then He should be leading our efforts. Our marching orders come from Him and Him alone. His Word is our one true source. We are trained by it and should be taking a stand against everything that stands against it.

So, I’d love to charge you and challenge with the lyrics of this old hymn, too. George Duffield may have penned them in 1858, but they’re ringing loud and clear in my heart today — resonating in a much deeper way.

This is a battle cry that should always be our heart’s cry…

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Our Words to Him are More Powerful than our Words to Them.

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Our Words to Him are More Powerful than our Words to Them.

I hate even implying that there’s an “us” and “them,” but it seems to be true everywhere we turn — politically, socially, and even spiritually.

But lest you believe all hope is lost, let me assure you, it is not. The key is to recognize the real enemy and turn our fight against him, not them.

The Gospel of Jesus offers hope that frees us — frees us from being “us” and “them” as it reconciles us all to Him — all who believe and receive His free gift of salvation.

My broken heart longs for true reconciliation and restoration in this broken world, but I know the only way that mend will be sustainable is if we are first reconciled to God and restored back to a right relationship with Him. His unchangeability has the supernatural ability to change us sincerely, so our hearts can long for true unity.

Just because there’s a “them,” God continues to remind me “they” are not the enemy. “They” are merely the ones who just disagree with me. The enemy is the enemy, and fighting him through prayer is the only way to victory.

Victory over our real enemy is the key. We’re not going to achieve perfect unity as we try to mesh conflicting ideologies. A self-centered, worldly ideology will not enhance a Christ-centered Biblical theology.

Perfect unity is for Eternity and can only be achieved through embracing the grace in the victory that took place for you and me — the victory Jesus won by defeating death to give us life. The most effective way to fight from that position of victory is to continually fight this battle on our knees.

So when emotions are high, and the words wanna fly because they’ve been brewin’ and you‘re ‘bout ready to spew them...

Remember these wise words from His Word...

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