"Battle!" -2

"The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them." (Psalms 34:7) Oh, I forgot to mention this small little tidbit, verse six, which speaks of "this poor man", it just so happens to be a verse numbered six, which is the number of man; and I know this might not really have any significant meaning, but verse seven, which we have before us today, it just so happens to be the number of God, and it represents completeness. Ya, I know, just another flashback. Although, here is something that the Lord put upon my heart this morning, and it has to do with "Taking The Stand"; which, although we might have stood and fought what we thought was a good battle, unless we do "ALL" that we can to stand, we have not yet actually entered the war. You have no doubt heard the saying, You need to stand for something, or else you will fall for anything; well in the case of serving the Lord, You need to "stand" for the Lord, or else you will continue to fall! In Ephesians 6:10-19, which Paul speaks of the spiritual battle that we face, there is power that is given in the word "stand" which is based upon the principle of standing, such a Peter speaks of "sure", as he says in 2 Peter 1:10, "Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall". The word "sure" actually means firm, stable, fast, as in holding fast or unshaken; which means that it is valid and therefore inviolable; basically meaning that our faith is made to be steadfast by standing firm. Do you not know that you can actually be a casualty of the war without having actually ever entered the battle? Defeat is what you experience from trying to wage war from the sidelines of the battle; you are pretty much beating the air, or punching at shadows; never really directly hitting the enemy, because you have never really directly faced the enemy. The only way that we actually get to taste the victory that has been won in Christ, is by making the stand... "According as His divine power hath given us all things that pertain into life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue: whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; and to knowledge, temperance; and to temperance, patience; and to patience, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins." (2 Peter 1:3-9)