LEARN to stand firm in the face of adverse situations. Stand firm in the consciousness of the power of God within you. Stand firm in the knowledge that you are mightier than any of the vexing situations of the world. Stand firm in the realization that Christ within you is mightier than adverse appearances.
What is the secret of standing firm? It is gaining the consciousness that the power of God within us cannot be affected by outer appearances; knowing the truth that in Spirit there is nothing to oppose us, since God is all in all; finding within us the substance of Spirit, which exists like a tower of strength in the face of opposing forces.
Turning to the concordance in the Bible we are directed to so many passages that are helpful in our standing firm that the Scriptures become a veritable textbook on the subject. Prominent in the Bible are these passages:
"Fear ye not, stand still." "Stand still and see." "The house of the righteous shall stand." "The word of our God shall stand forever." "By faith into this grace wherein we stand." "He shall be made to stand; for the Lord hath power to make him stand." "He that standeth stedfast in his heart... shall do well." "For in faith ye stand fast." "Having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth." "That ye stand fast in one spirit." "That ye may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God."
The conflict that one experiences in learning to stand firm is entirely upon the mental and spiritual plane; it is not a physical battle. The belief in the power of persons, things, and external circumstances must meet defeat by the truth that nothing of the external world can withstand the power of Christ within man.
Many persons do not stand firm in time of necessity because they think of the situation as too difficult for them to solve through prayer. How often we hear someone say, "Truth is all right in your case, but in my own there are so many conflicting situations that they cannot be transformed or corrected by meditation and prayer!" As if the nature of any situation gave it a power exceeding the power of God! As if one person's problem were more weighty than another's! The fact is that one person's problem is handled by the same means as is another's. Those who know how to stand firm in Truth do not waver because of the nature of their demonstration. God is never less powerful in times of emergency and stress than in times of peace and easy sailing.
Stand firm! Rise to the consciousness that there is something within you that is unmoved by things of the world. Find the power within you that is like a strong tower of defense, an immovable pillar. Enter into the high consciousness from which you cannot be swerved by things of the outer world. Know the truth that no person or thing can take from you the all-conquering Spirit of God within you.
Stand firm! When you are faced with a belief in danger, contagion, or distress of any kind, stand firm in the realization that only the Truth of God is eternally true, the Truth of your own eternal being. When adverse beliefs seem to be stronger than absolute Truth, stand firm. You will be well compensated. You will be rewarded for your stand.
When your environment seems to be one of inharmony, when you are almost ready to despair because things of the world seem to crowd upon you, stand firm in your faith in the power of God, the good. Every thought that you give to believing in the power of evil but detracts from your ability to stand firm. Every belief that you entertain that harm can come to you is but a point in favor of the so-called adversity. On the other hand every belief in the power of God calls you away from beholding adverse appearances and brings you to a realization of the truth about the situation at hand.
Stand firm! When it would seem that you are about to be engulfed in failure and lack, stand firm in the consciousness of God's abundance. When money would seem to be lacking, stand firm in the truth that God's bounty is appearing. When you are deluged by urgent needs, keep standing firm. Every deluge must give way to the sun. Every need will be met. Every desire will be fulfilled.
Stand firm! If falsehoods seem more powerful than Truth, if the evil word seems stronger than the word of Truth, keep standing firm. Every false note attests to the truth of harmony. Every discord serves but to magnify the beauty and concord of harmonious tones. Every evidence of falsehood, gossip, and malice becomes a guidepost to Truth.
Standing firm is but loyalty to Truth. Refusing to believe in the power of evil is simply loyalty to God, the good. Those who stand with God never stand alone, while those who take the stand for evil have nothing to stand with them and nothing in Truth to support them.
Even the thought of standing firm causes us to rise to the grandeur of our divine sonship. We feel something within us that is never touched by the winds of chance and caprice. There is something within us that is never changed by outer conditions, something upon which we can always rely, something telling us that it is Spirit, eternal, immovable. Those who stand with God, those who are loyal to Truth, those who stand firm when Truth is on trial, have nothing to lose. They shall see the power of so-called adversity rendered powerless; they shall see the haughty head of the Adversary bow before the might of God; they shall see the nothingness of that which has called itself something.
Why does this message of standing firm appeal to us? Because the Spirit of truth within us is witness to its truth. Standing firm is but taking a stand for God, keeping faithful and loyal to Him, bearing witness to His omnipotence, attesting to the appearing of Christ.
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