This is the Year to Stand

Over the last 30 years, Ephesians chapter 6 has marked my life with great significance. It has been a chapter that has caused me to remain mindful that God has made me a soldier on the front lines of a spiritual battle. I know in one sense that I’ve always faced an enemy within my physical body known as sickle cell anemia, which the enemy of my soul would love to use to take me out. However, over these last thirty years, I’ve found that my enemy’s greater desire is to keep me from accomplishing everything that God has created me for.

I’ve taken courage and strength from Ephesians 6, which reminds me that I must put on the whole armor of God so that I might be equipped for the battle. What has continued to be a source of encouragement is the number of times that I’ve had people prophesy that chapter over my life. One such time came during my first semester in the School of Divinity. At the conclusion of our first class in Spiritual Formation, our professor took the time to prophesy over each and every student in the class. As she got to me, the scripture that she quoted came directly from Ephesians chapter 6.

Since then, I’ve had that same passage come up again and again. As I am looking at this new year, I’m finding great strength and encouragement for what is yet to come in this new year. I pray that what I share today will be something that will give you strength for the year we will face.

First, let me note what insights that I appreciate about what Paul shares with the Church at Ephesus. In the chapters leading up to chapter six, you will find that he emphasizes that we need to do four things. The four things he speaks of are the need to walk in unity, love, light, and wisdom. As a body of believers in Christ Jesus, it is imperative that no matter the things that make us different, we are to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3). More than ever, now is the time that the body of Christ needs to be united. We’ve seen just how divided the church has been over race, politics, and surprisingly, even the validity and interpretation of scripture.

The year we have entered requires that the church find unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. It’s interesting that the Greek word for “bond” paints the picture of a tie, like a ligament that is the connective tissue between bones and muscles. Our unity is necessary so that we might stand in the midst of the battles before us. That unity is rooted in peace that comes from the Holy Spirit. Peace is not the absence of conflict but an awareness that we are complete and whole, lacking nothing when we remain in the Spirit.

Secondly, we must imitate Christ by walking in love even as Christ has loved us and made himself a sacrifice for us (Ephesians 5:2). I believe that within the body of Christ, walking in love is going to require great sacrifice by many, dying to many preconceived ideologies, traditions, and practices that have divided the church and have made the church weak and unable to have the impact on culture that we’re meant to have.

Thirdly, we are to walk in light. Paul says that we are light and should walk as children of light (Ephesians 5:8). He continues by saying that the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth. As light bearers, we are to possess the fruit of the Spirit, which is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth. Our capacity to be and do good, do justly, and offer truth will not only be essential among those in the body but also to those we are called to reach.

Finally, we are to walk in wisdom (Ephesians 5:15-17). It will be necessary to walk in wisdom because the days in which we are in are evil and we must not be as fools but redeem the time. The wisdom is necessary because we are approaching a time that greater deception is being presented to take us off the path that we’ve been called to walk. This all brings us to the sixth chapter and Paul’s admonition to therefore put on the whole armor of God.

The armor of God is essential not just for our protection but also for our equipment to fight the fight that is before us. As soldiers, we are called to “occupy until.” The call to occupy is not just meant for us to hold the ground we currently possess. Occupation is a positioning place of readiness to take territory that we’ve yet to gain a foothold.

It’s my sincere belief that this is a year in which we’re required to take ground through a resistance of the enemy. The stand we’re to take is not one of merely saying that we won’t allow the enemy to push us around anymore. It is a declaration that we’re engaging and pushing back. Our armor is designed for forward progression. Some might say that our backs are unprotected, but we must always be facing our enemy and remember that God Himself is our rear guard. I don’t know what personal fight you have in front of you this year but I believe that as a body of believers, our call is to stand and to stand fast.