Stand at the Ready

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQmmS7HbhkE

Stand ~ Newsboys

 

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. ~ Ephesians 6:13 NIV

 

This morning, the Lord woke me, first to pray for my own children, then for all children. The theme throughout the prayer was that they would stand:

Stand for the Truth.

Stand on the Truth.

Stand up for each other.

Stand up for righteousness.

Stand up in prayer, humbling themselves only unto the Lord.

Stand firm.

The Lord closed out the prayer by saying, “Let them put on their Armor and Stand at the Ready.” As I pondered, “stand at the ready,” Ephesians 6:13 immediately came to mind. The final word, “stand” means, “to stand ready or prepared,” as well as to be “one who in the midst of the fight hold his position,” (G2476 - Histēmi - Strong’s Greek Lexicon (KJV), n.d.).

 

It’s no coincidence that today is the National Day of Prayer. Today, as you’re praying for our nation and leaders, please also pray for our children. Pray for their protection and the covering of Holy Spirit. Pray that they’d be given a Spirit of wisdom and of revelation. Pray that they’d not be swayed by their peers or by evildoers, but that they’d cling to what is good in God, alone. Pray they’d be godly leaders, following only after Christ. But above all, pray that they’d stand.

 

Father, we lift up all children to You, today. Anoint them with Your Spirit. Help them to stand strong, stand firm, and to stand their ground. Help them to draw a line in the sand and put the devil “on notice,” not allowing him to take any more ground. Then, Lord, sound the charge! Call them to fight for others until they are freed to stand in Your victory! Father, I pray that today would be a game-changer, and that we’d recall this day as the day You called us to Stand at the Ready!

I pray all these things in the mighty Name of Jesus! Amen.

~Heather Potts

*It’s not copyrighted. Please share! Please pray!

It's Not Over

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVHrkYBEgFM

God’s Not Done With You ~ Tauren Wells

 

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this [present] darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) places. ~ Ephesians 6:12 AMP

 

Have you ever been so focused on all the chaos right in front of you that you forgot about the bigger picture? That was what was going on with me this morning. I was so caught up in the craziness of things going on with some friends, that I was crying—truly grieving for them. But God, in His graciousness, spoke to me. Amid tears, Holy Spirit reminded me that God’s not done writing their story. Holy Spirit took it a step further and reminded me that this is a battle for souls and lives, and the devil is out for blood!

 

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy… ~ John 10:10 NKJV

 

The devil is out to destroy my friends’ lives and their walk with God. And he’ll gladly steal my joy and peace if I’ll let him. If I’ll let him. If I let the devil… If I choose to hand over my peace and joy, trading for his despair and hopelessness, then I will certainly be too weak for battle. That’s the devil’s goal: to make God’s warriors too weak for battle. His plan is to distract us from our true purpose. He’ll use whatever he can: money, fame, pleasure, pain, grief, anger, whatever it takes to turn your head. Like a scary movie, he’s hoping you’ll turn your eyes away from the scene, so he can take control, leaving you powerless to stop him.

 

But God’s got a battle plan, and He’s including you!

 

In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [be empowered through your union with Him]; draw your strength from Him [that strength which His boundless might provides]. ~ Ephesians 6:10 AMPC

 

Your part is to (1) Put on your spiritual armor. (2) Remember who you’re fighting against. (3) Stand firm. It sounds simple until the fierce winds blow, the enemy roars, and his weapons are drawn. That’s about the time most people turn tail and run. In general, people don’t like messy. We don’t like things that take great effort for long periods of time. We like short and sweet, preferably with a bow.

 

But you are not a coward. You are God’s warrior who has been given strength from God to stand firm. God’s charge to us is to stand firm in His strength and power. It might be a long battle. It might get uglier before it gets better. It will likely cost you time and effort. But you’re not alone, and you’re not expected to fight in your own strength. Today, don’t give up hope! Lean in to God, draw your strength from Him, and stand firm against the devil!

©Heather Potts 2022

Send Him Running!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=US1-R-R9lYQ&list=RDUS1-R-R9lYQ&start_radio=1

Run Devil Run ~ Crowder

 

So submit to [the authority of] God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him] and he will flee from you. ~ James 4:7 AMP

 

I love the scene in War Room where Elizabeth, Priscilla Shirer's character, finally "gets it" and starts telling the devil she's not going to allow him to run all over her or her family, anymore. We laugh and cheer at that scene, but do we make a point to put the devil in his place in our own lives?

 

David Crowder sings "Run Devil Run". One of the lines says, "I got something make the devil gonna run. I got something make the devil be gone." James 4:7 gives us a three-step recipe to make that happen.

 

1. Get an adjustment. The chiropractor adjusts my spine, correctly aligning it, so messages can accurately travel from my brain to the rest of my body. When we're out of alignment with God, His messages get skewed, or missed entirely. But when we adjust ourselves into correct alignment under God, through submission, we’re able to correctly receive His messages.

2. Stand up to the devil. 1 John 4:4 says, “Greater is He [God] who is in us than he [Satan] who is in the world.” When we believe this, we’ll never need to cower, remembering we have the victory.

3. Send him running! 1 Peter 5:8 says the devil is looking for someone to devour. On Animal Planet, the lions go after the young or weaker animals in the herd, because they’re easier prey. The same is true with us. While the devil is patient and smart, he's also limited in his resources and would rather overcome easier prey than continue to battle those who are strong in their position in the Lord, (Colossians 1:16; Ephesians 6:10-13).

 

For each of our lives, the devil has the same plan: steal, kill, and destroy. But God has given us the victory and tools to overcome when we (1) submit to God's authority and (2) resist the devil. With Palm Sunday and Easter approaching, take time to thank God for giving you the victory, and then be determined to stand strong in it!

©Heather Potts 2021

Defend the Goal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJB64RmJEDE

Rise Up ~ Skillet

Be sober [well balanced and self-disciplined], be alert and cautious at all times. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry], seeking someone to devour. ~ 1 Peter 5:8 AMP

For fall sports, Savannah played soccer. Though she didn't steal the ball or score any goals, she absolutely loved it! As defender of the goal, however, she excelled! Her mantra as goalie: "Nothing's gonna get past me!" And it didn't!

That should be more than a mantra for us, when it comes to standing firm against the enemy. But if we're honest, we can get distracted and that's when the enemy sends his attacks firing at us. Fortunately, Holy Spirit reminds us to be the defender of our lives and families.

The devil, because he studies us, knows our weaknesses. When he strikes with fear, he goes straight for the jugular. Thankfully, Holy Spirit is always watching out for us and brings stories, friends, and scripture to increase our faith, enabling us to stand up to and stare down the enemy, till he flees.

During the holidays, our routines can change, and we can be off our guard, perhaps complacent with our prayer and Bible study time. We need to remember that the devil doesn't take a holiday, but relishes the fact that we might. For him, that's the perfect opportunity to pounce, creating all sorts of mischief, doubt, fear, and panic in our lives. Matthew 6:33 and James 4:7 say to first seek God's Kingdom and His righteousness, and to submit ourselves to God's authority, because doing so gives us the ability to stand firm against the devil's attacks.

As Christmas draws nearer and you're enjoying many fun activities, be sure to not get distracted. Through prayer and Bible study, keep up the defense and tell the devil, "Nothing's gonna to get past me!"

©Heather Potts 2019

Yet Stand

Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. ~ 1 Corinthians 16:13 NLT

Has this ever happened to you: you’re exhausted from lack of sleep over many nights, you have more month left than you have money, and your kids chose today to throw themselves on the floor in tantrums because they kept you up all night and then decided not to nap. And just when you thought the worst was behind you, someone says something that you’d normally blow off but happened to hit you the wrong way at the wrong time…  That was me the other day. God bless my husband! He knows me so well and when he saw the storm brewing in me, he gently helped me to see the situation without the emotional interference.

The enemy knows that if he can wound us the right way at the right time—after several lashings—he’ll win because we’ll quit. I didn’t quit, but exhaustion was really making it a challenge to think clearly. The enemy was taking full advantage of it, plaguing my mind, “Don’t they know what you’ve been through?! How dare they treat you like that!” But as soon as I entered my Father’s presence, He said, “You are not the victim anymore.” And He’s right! I am not the victim! I am the victor and I have the victory!

The enemy does not want to give up territory and he will keep coming after us until we show him time and time again that we will not relent. But as the scripture says, we must be on guard, watchful, awake, aware. The enemy is always looking for an opening. When we let our guard down, be certain he’ll use that opportunity to his full advantage. Therefore, cast aside the victim mentality, remembering always that you have the victory. Declare to the enemy, “I will yet stand!”

©Heather Potts 2016

Kill Shot

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. ~ 1 Peter 5:8 NIV

Romans 8:35-39 describe the many things that cannot separate us from the love of God. But if the enemy can get us to believe otherwise, then he can own us. If, for example, he can get you to constantly compare yourself to others by asking, “What’s wrong with me?” or “Why do I always have to be the one to ____ (fill in the blank)?” or “When is it my turn to be taken care of?” Devour means “Destroy; be consumed with grief.” When we listen to and begin to ask questions like these, that’s when we’re in danger of being devoured.

I used to wonder how anyone could find themselves in the position to be devoured. But then after walking through a season in which I was asking one or more of those questions, I realized standing or falling is all about focus. Because I was focusing on those lies, those questions, and then the false answers the enemy was spinning my way, it caused me to question the Truth. When we focus on God’s unconditional love for us, we begin to see ourselves as He sees us and can’t help but fall madly in love with Him, needing Him more than life and breath. But when we entertain the enemy’s questions, we begin to question God’s love and faithfulness and we begin to fall.

In 1 Peter 5:6-9, God gives us specific steps to keep us from harm, keeping our focus on Him:

·         Humble yourself under God (v 6)

·         Cast your anxiety on God (v 7)

·         Be alert and of sober mind (v 8)

·         Resist the enemy and stand firm (v 9)

I encourage and challenge you: if you’ve been entertaining those questions, it’s time to change your mind! You were not called to anyone else’s life or race—quit comparing yourself to others! Father God loves you unconditionally and He has given you the mind of Christ so that you’ll be able to focus on the truth and not the liar. Now stand firm and defeat the devourer!

©Heather Potts 2016 

Stand, part 2

Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. ~ Ephesians 6:14 NLT

After God told me to stand, I had to remember What, Where, and How to stand.

What: We stand on God’s Word.

There are well over 3,000 promises in God’s Word.  When problems arise and the enemy attacks, we must find the promises upon which to stand. But the LORD’s plans stand firm forever; his intentions can never be shaken. ~ Psalm 33:11 NLT

Where: We stand on the Rock

God is our rock, protection, fortress, refuge, stronghold against trouble.  Where else would we turn or stand? He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved. ~ Psalm 62:6 NKJV

How: We stand in our Full Armor

The armor of God enables us to not only stand, but to defeat our enemy, disabling his attacks and enabling our advance. So stand firm and hold your ground, having tightened the wide band of truth (personal integrity, moral courage) around your waist and having put on the breastplate of righteousness (an upright heart), and having strapped on your feet the gospel of peace in preparation [to face the enemy with firm-footed stability and the readiness produced by the good news].  Above all, lift up the [protective] shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. ~ Ephesians 6:14-17 AMP

Whether you’re facing unemployment, pain or sickness in your body, struggles with your children or other family members, an overwhelming mountain of debt, or any number of issues, find your promises from God and remember to STAND!

©Heather Potts 2016

Stand

Therefore, put on the complete armor of God, so that you will be able to [successfully] resist and stand your ground in the evil day [of danger], and having done everything [that the crisis demands], to stand firm [in your place, fully prepared, immovable, victorious]. So stand firm and hold your ground… ~ Ephesians 6:13-14 AMP (emphasis added)

For a long time, I was lackadaisical in taking my thoughts captive. Though I heard God speaking to me regularly, I wasn’t standing firm against the enemy. In my laziness, I began to listen to the enemy’s voice, too. The more I listened, the more the enemy’s lies became my thoughts and before too long, I found myself too weak to stand. But God wasn’t giving up on me. At the October Worship Wednesday, Pastor Bryan Meadows challenged us to get real, really real, with ourselves and with God. It wasn’t easy, but when I did, my Father told me I was ready and He challenged me to STAND!

The armor of God is for standing. We are able to stand because Christ holds the victory. Because He is in us, we hold the position—the proper and appropriate place—of victory. If you’ve been lackadaisical in taking your thoughts captive, if you’ve been entertaining the lies of the enemy—as true as they may sound—I challenge you to get really real with God and then stand your ground. When you do, the enemy will flee from you.

And the Master, God, stays right there and helps me, so I’m not disgraced. Therefore I set my face like flint, confident that I’ll never regret this. ~ Isaiah 50:7 MSG

©Heather Potts 2016