Guard your Ground - Part 2

Before I get into the heart of my subject about guarding your ground, I wanted to share this brief story from the Old Testament regarding one of King David's "mighty men" from 2 Samuel 23:11-12.

Next to him was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. When the Philistines banded together at a place where there was a field full of lentils, Israel's troops fled from them. But Shammah took his stand in the middle of the field. He defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the LORD brought about a great victory.

I love that. Here you have Shammah who, rather than fleeing like everyone else in his army, stood his ground alone and through the power of God single-handedly defeated an army of Philistines...in order to defend a bean field. I heard a preacher once jokingly say that if you let the devil take your pintos and cheese, next thing you know he'll get into your guacamole. And if you let him take your guacamole, then next he'll eat your tortilla chips. In other words, if you give Satan an inch, he will take a mile. Paul in Ephesians admonishes us to not give any place to the devil.

I left off talking about how one of the enemies strategies to steal the word out of your life is persecutions and afflictions. Let's look at Mark 4 again.

Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.

I think we've seen people like this, or have experienced this ourselves. The minister comes along and tells us we're redeemed from sin, sickness or poverty and teaches how to appropriate what Christ has done in our lives. Naturally, we get excited about it. But then we get a bad report from the doctor or more unexpected bills come in, and rather than maintaining our stance we simply just quit. Or maybe some well meaning family member or coworker begins to speak negatively about us for the stance of faith we have taken, rather than staying on fire for God, we back down because we don't want to be perceived as a nut. The Bible describes this type of person in Proverbs 24:10-

If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.

A body builder isn't using his muscles when he's standing around, it is when he is resisting large amounts of weight. We're not proved by how you act when times are good, it's in the time of test and trials is when you really see what you are made of! And it is in those times you need to being even more vigilant. The Apostle James gives us a what muscle we should be flexing in the face of tribulations and tests:

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

We are to use our "joy muscle" when trials come. Notice that the "rocky ground" are people who have received the word of God with joy, but when troubles came, they quickly lost that joy they had. Now if troubles were joy, you wouldn't have to count it joy. I am no talking about counting the trouble itself as joy, but rather the opportunity to prove God's word still works! The reward after the trial is what you need to be focused in on, not on the current discomfort circumstances are causing you. This is what Christ did, leaving us an example to follow:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.

Jesus endured because of the joy set before him. He knew if he endured, he would have finished his course: That God would not leave his soul in hell. That he would be crowned the King of kings and Lord of lords by the Father. And there are rewards set before us, if we like Jesus, refuse to quit regardless of the circumstances. Jesus himself promised us several amazing rewards for overcoming:

• "To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God." (Rev 2:7)
• "He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death." (Rev 2:11)
• "To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it." (Rev. 2:17)
• "To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations
  'He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery'— just as I have received authority from my Father. I will also give him the morning star." (Rev 2:27-28)
• "He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels." (Rev. 3:5)
• "Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name." (Rev. 3:12)
  
• "To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne." (Rev. 3:21)
  

Those are some awesome rewards! People who cave in and get displeased with God when things get hard are not eternally focused. They are too busy being focused on the here and now and on their own problems to realize there is a huge benefit to being an overcomer. 1 Timothy 4:8 says:

For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

So we also so that there is also a reward in this life, praise God. If we continue to seek first the kingdom of God, God will take care all that concerns us in this life. So what do we do in the midst of trials and tribulations?

1. Remember that Paul told us it's only a momentary and light affliction and doesn't deserve to be compared to the glory to be revealed in us (Romans 8:18, 2 Corinthians. 4:17)
2. Pray and continue to trust God. (Philippians 4:6-7, James 5:13, Hebrews 10:35-36) If it's an area that he has promised freedom in (e.g. sickness or financial lack), then don't be moved away from it.
   
3. Praise God in the midst of it.
   

When Paul and Silas were imprisoned, they prayed and sang praises to God. They were right in the middle of the will of God, yet they were thrown in prison for the testimony of Christ. Rather than getting down and complaining, they worshiped God and God shook that prison and set Paul and Silas free! They counted it all joy, and God delivered them!

Finally, let's check out Colossians 2:6-7

As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:

Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

It appears to me that those who are rooted and built up in him are the ones abounding in thanksgiving. Paul in the Book of Ephesians also tells us to be continually filled with the Spirit by ..."Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" I think if anyone stayed rooted and grounded, it was Paul. Despite all the tests and trials he went through, he was able to say he finished his course. If you want to Paul's results, you'll have to do what he did. And one of those things is to praise God in the midst of trials and tribulations. That is a huge way to not lose the joy, and to stay rooted and grounded.

You may not feel like you have much to praise him about considering your natural circumstances, but we all can praise God for redemption, from now and forever. And as you fill your mouth with thanksgiving and praise, you'll find the Holy Spirit will strengthen you with might in your inner man. Rather than trials knocking you down, you'll be knocking them down!