Stand Up For Jesus!

The world throws at us a lot of troubles on a daily basis. Troubles that come to challenge our faith and at worst make us give up on it. There’s no one on earth who can boast of not ever going through difficulties at one point in their lives. While some soldiered on to the end to overcome these challenges, others gave up on themselves even before the challenges ended by themselves. However, as Christians there’s a clarion call on us to soldier on at all times regardless of the challenges or problems at hand. We must understand that we’ve been recruited as soldiers in the army of God. Soldiers are expected to keep awake to protect their communities from been attacked by the enemies. So it is with Christians. Christians are literally soldiers who must rise up to fight spiritual battles on behalf of their families, nations, churches, communities, etc. When everyone else is found asleep, the Christian is expected to stand up awake for the ultimate goal. And that ultimate goal here is Jesus. There should be absolutely nothing that must dissuade the Christian from attaining this goal. He or she must make it a point to stand up for Jesus.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO STAND UP FOR THE LORD?

To stand up for the Lord means being upright or being in a good position when it comes to your service to the Lord. It means to be convinced when it comes to the things or in the matters of the kingdom. It could also mean a state of showing your love for God. What this means is that for people to measure how strong you stand up for the Lord, your faith, action, and deeds must be to glorify God. Your values, manners all must show that you stand up for the Lord. In this life if you don’t stand up for something, you’ll easily fall for anything. A lot of things are on the rise that when care is not taken you can easily be swayed or carried away.

WAYS YOU CAN STAND UP FOR THE LORD.

1. In times of tribulations. Mark 13:1-13

A tribulation is relatively short period of time when everyone will experience worldwide hardship, disasters, drought, etc. One of the most difficult phases you’ll go through as a Christian is to face tribulations. When they come, you must not allow them to sway you off your faith. You must stand up for Jesus.

2. In times of distress/suffering. 1 Samuel 1:8-28

A distress refers to extreme anxiety, sorrow or pain. The challenges of life make us anxious that if care is not taken we’ll be swayed off our faith. In times of distress you must learn to stand up for Jesus.

3. In times of persecution

Persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another individual or group. In your life as a Christian you shall be persecuted. Christians all over the world continue to risk imprisonment, loss of home and properties, etc. as a result of their faith. As this news get to you, don’t be frightened, and don’t lose your faith. You must continue to stand up for the Lord even in times of persecutions.

4. In times of famine.

A famine is a wide spread of scarcity of food caused by war, inflation, crop failure, population imbalance, etc. When times become hard such that you do not have what to eat, don’t give up on your faith, learn to stand up for Jesus.

5. In times of nakedness. Philippians 4:11, 1 Timothy 6:6

Nakedness is the state of being naked. A time when you feel ashamed because of your situation. You must understand that no matter the situation that makes you think you’re deprived of certain things in life, they won’t last forever. It is just a matter of time that everything will fall to their right places. So don’t cry but rather be strong and stand up for the Lord.

6. In times of peril.

A peril is a serious and immediate danger.  No matter the dangers that your faith in Jesus exposes you to, learn not to give up on Him.

7. When you’re faced with death.

Even at the point of death, stand up for the Lord. In Him is a promise of eternal life. Death on earth is not an end in itself; it is a means to an end. And those who die in Christ are assured of eternal life.

8. In times of temptations. James 1:13-15, 1 Corinthians 10:13

Temptation is an invitation and solicitation to sin, and it pays regular visits to the Christian. It comes unexpected but we must stay strong and not yield to it. We must remember that yielding to temptations only draws us from God and sometimes delays the blessings He has in store for us.

WHY SHOULD YOU STAND FOR JESUS?

1. You must stand for Jesus because the enemy is roaming and roaring like a lion seeking whom to devour. He wants you to lose your salvation in the Lord so he throws your way everything possible to dissuade us from God. Don’t fall to his antics, learn to stand up for Jesus.
2. You must stand for Jesus because there’s a prize at the end. Genesis 49:19, Matthew 24:13, Revelation 2:26. There’s a crown to be won at the end of our Christian journey. That crown or prize we must all aim at. We must not fall along the way but continue to fight to the end.

In conclusion, we must understand that standing up for Jesus is the most important thing to do as Christians. We must not allow neither tribulations, peril, famine, nor death take away our faith in Jesus. He rewards those who continue to fight to the end.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank You for this word. Indeed I find a reason to stand up for Jesus. I pray that You help me to continue to stand up for Jesus no matter what happens, in Jesus Christ name. Amen.