Having Done All, Stand
"Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." — Ephesians 6:13
The Hardest Assignment
Standing still in one spot — going neither forward nor backward — is the hardest task of all.
We are people who believe we must always be moving, always progressing, always able to point to advance. It is extraordinarily difficult for us to grasp God's way of thinking here.
But many times, simply standing still and holding the ground you have already won is the most important thing you can do.
"Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." (Ephesians 6:13)
Read the end of that verse carefully. Having done all — after every action has been taken, after every weapon has been used, after everything you know to do has been done — stand.
That is the assignment. Not advance. Stand.
A Year With No Visible Victory
Consider what that looked like for one household.
Bombs wired into a stereo, a telephone, and the starter of a car. Repeated attempts at poisoning. Break-ins. A friend critically ill in hospital for six months, nearly killed several times over. Not one uninterrupted night of sleep in a year. Exhaustion and discouragement on every side.
And the only answer God gave, over and over, was Ephesians 6:12–13. Nothing more. No relief, no explanation, no resolution.
She was continually frustrated because she felt she was not gaining any victory.
What she had to learn was that in God's eyes, simply standing still and holding her ground was a victory in itself.
Who Was Watching
Here is the part she could not see at the time.
A number of people came out of hard occult involvement simply because they saw her standing. Everything that had been tried against her and her friend had failed. Some came and openly asked what power she had that they did not — and those people gave their lives to Christ.
She had no visible victory. She had a standing testimony, and it was converting people.
You are almost never the best judge of what your endurance is accomplishing. The people watching you are.
Why the Enemy Attacks Your Sense of Progress
Satan used every tactic available to discourage them, and the sharpest attacks were aimed precisely at the question why are we not getting anywhere?
That is not an accident. Our adversary and his forces have had thousands of years of practice on human beings. They know our natures well by now, and they most certainly know how quickly we get discouraged when we do not appear to be moving forward.
An enemy who cannot make you fall will settle for making you quit.
Point to Ponder
In God's eyes, holding the ground you have already won is itself a victory. He said so in the verse.
Verse to Remember
"And having done all, to stand." — Ephesians 6:13
Question to Consider
Am I measuring my Christian life by advance, when God has asked me for endurance?
Today's Practice
Take an honest look at the season you are in.
Write down: what ground have I already won that I am currently holding? A habit broken. A marriage still intact. A child still speaking to you. A faith you have not abandoned. A job you are doing honestly. A silence you have kept. A temptation you have refused for the hundredth time.
Most people in a long, hard season have a longer list here than they expect, because they have never counted holding as winning.
Now write down: where have I been discouraged specifically because I am not advancing?
Then pray this over that second list, out loud:
"Father, I have called this failure. You call it standing. I receive Your assessment instead of mine. Give me the strength to hold this ground for as long as You require it."
And then look around and consider who might be watching.
Prayer
Father, I have been measuring my life by progress and finding it wanting.
I have done everything I know to do. I have prayed, confessed, obeyed, forgiven, and endured. And nothing has visibly changed, and I have concluded I must be failing.
Teach me that standing is the assignment. Not advancing. Standing.
Give me strength to hold the ground I have already won and not to give back one foot of it. Where I am tired, sustain me. Where I am discouraged, remind me that discouragement is a strategy being used against me and not a verdict on my life.
And let my standing be seen. If there is anyone watching who needs to see that You keep Your people, let them see it.
Having done all, I will stand. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
An enemy who cannot make you fall will settle for making you quit.