Stand Firm or Else - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) September 10 2024

Isaiah 7:9 - The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah’s son. If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all. The last part of that verse is often repeated by Christians but do we really understand what God meant?

The Lord gave that word to Ahaz, a one-time king of the Kingdom of Judah who also happened to be the father of King Hezekiah. This prophetic word was part of a larger message from God when the people of Judah were gathered behind the wall of Jerusalem because their nation was under attack. Two armies lay in wait beyond the city's gates - the Aramites and Judah's brother nation, the Kingdom of Israel.

Isaiah was sent to King Ahaz to tell him that the enemies at the gate would not overcome the city. He called their kings "smoldering firewood" and assured Ahaz there was no reason to fear them (Isaiah 7:4). And then, He had His prophet utter Isaiah 7:9. That verse was the condition on which God's promise hinged - if Ahaz didn't fear those kings and their armies, then the threatened destruction of Jerusalem and its people would not occur.

Often when people speak of Isaiah 7:9 they ignore the fact that it was a clause in a larger message to God's people. And because of this, many Christians are unaware that God's promises hinge on them not fearing the Goliath standing in their path. They are ignorant of Joshua and Caleb's announcement at Kadesh Barnea, the pronouncement that so pleased God that they were the only two men who survived God's culling of everyone in the wilderness who'd doubted Him. They were the only two of their generation to enter the Promised Land. Numbers 14:8-9 - If the LORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them."

Christians are called to only fear God and nothing else. When we allow a spirit of fear to get the best of us, we signal to God that we might need more time to become familiar with His faithfulness before He can release the land of milk and honey to us. If not, we'll enter and the devil will use tactics to scare us into relinquishing what we received. And in such an instance, the blessings meant for God's people could end up under the control of God's enemy.

If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.

Look at that sentence. It is just a bunch of words until you realize the weight each carries for your journey into the promises of God. That verse is just a catchy Christian saying until you realize it is God's order to you and I to fix our faces like flint despite the attacks and oppression we face. Those words won't mean anything to us until we see that our faith is a platform we must prayerfully climb onto and not descend from until we have complete victory. If not, we will not stand at all.

And that is what happened in the time of King Ahaz. He feared the enemy and they eventually defeated him, killing 120000 warriors in one day and carting women, children and the aged as captives. That shall not be your portion IJMN, Amen. The Lord will help us take a Jairus stance as our Savior walks us to the miracle that is already on the way.

See you at Noon EST for fellowship.