STAND FIRM!!!!

God is teaching me about prayer and praying against Spiritual Warfare. A group of us have been praying for awhile on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I consider it a privilege to pray for this ministry, the kids we work with, the workers and directors, our country, staff and groups. I have been reading about the armor of God. In the passage in Esphesians 6, it says stand firm three times. stand firm. Stand Firm. STAND FIRM.
"Put on the full armor of God so that you can take Your Standagainst the devil's schemes. ........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....." (emphasis and captials are mine)
This hits me that it is not just enough to have the things God's given us
-truth
-faith
-salvation
-good news of the gospel
-righteousness
-sword of Spirit- Word of God

We need to know what we have in Jesus and Stand Firm. This past week our group of prayer warriors have been walking around the block in our neighborhood praying for our country, our neighborhood, and our ministry. On our mile walk around we past many dogs. Some cute, some not so cute. One in particular caught my attention. He standing at a gated part of the wall of his property. He was hidden and it wasn't until we reached his very spot that he barked ferociously showing his teeth and gnarling at us. I have to admit I jumped as he not only caught me by surprise but I immediately looked to see how securely he was inside his gate ( I had been bit by a different dog a couple of weeks ago and the memory was still with me). As we past I realized, this dog is so much like Satan. Jesus has the victory. Already He has won the spiritual battle over Satan. However Satan still stands at the gate hoping to catch us all guard to keep us from walking on with the Lord. He hopes to put fear in our hearts and keep us from STANDING FIRM in Jesus the one who has saved us and equips us with the power to keep walking.
As I walk in life ,Lord will you help me to STAND FIRM in who you made me and the power you have given me to live for you. Amen.