By Pastor Lazarus Muoka

Text: Ephesians 6:13-14 (KJV) “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. Stand therefore…”

There comes a time in every person’s life when a decision must be made. There are moments when you can no longer remain neutral, silent, undecided, or indifferent. There comes a time when you must take a stand. The world is full of voices, pressures, temptations, opinions, and influences competing for the heart of man. But in the midst of all these voices, God is calling His people to stand.

The Bible says in Ephesians 6:13, “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.” Notice that the Scripture does not say, “having done all, run away.” It says, “having done all, to stand.”

To stand means to remain firm. It means to refuse to be moved from what is right, even when it is difficult. It means to remain faithful to God when others are turning away. It means to choose truth when falsehood is popular, holiness when sin is celebrated, righteousness when unrighteousness is accepted, and Christ when the world is rejecting Him.

We are living in a generation where many people are afraid to take a stand. Some are afraid of what people will say. Some are afraid of losing friends. Some are afraid of being rejected. Some want to please everybody, and in trying to please everybody, they end up displeasing God.

But the child of God must understand that there are times when pleasing God requires standing against the crowd.

Joshua stood before Israel and said in Joshua 24:15, “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve… but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Joshua had made his decision. He did not say, “Let me watch what everybody else will do.” He did not say, “Let me follow the majority.” He said, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

That is the language of a person who has taken a stand.

There is power in knowing where you stand. A person who does not know where he stands can easily be moved by circumstances. When people praise him, he moves in one direction. When they criticise him, he moves in another. When temptation comes, he compromises. When persecution comes, he retreats. But when your heart is settled in God, you can stand even when everything around you is shaking.

The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.”

God wants believers who are steadfast and unmoveable.

You cannot afford to be a Christian only when it is convenient. You cannot serve God only when there is no opposition. You cannot follow Christ only when following Him brings comfort. Jesus said in Luke 9:23, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

Following Christ requires a stand.There was a time when Daniel and his friends found themselves in a strange land surrounded by ungodliness. Babylon had its own culture, its own values, its own system, and its own pressure. But Daniel refused to allow Babylon to change his commitment to God.

Daniel 1:8 says, “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself…”

Daniel made up his mind before the temptation became stronger.

This is an important lesson for us. If you wait until temptation comes before deciding what you will do, you may fall. But when you settle your heart beforehand that you will obey God, you will be stronger when the test arrives.

There are decisions that must be settled in your heart: “I will serve God. I will remain faithful. I will not return to the world. I will not compromise my salvation. I will not exchange eternity for temporary pleasure. I will not allow the opinions of men to separate me from God.”

You must take a stand for holiness.The Bible says in Hebrews 12:14, “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.”

Holiness is not outdated. Righteousness is not old-fashioned. God has not changed His standard because the world has changed its values. The world may redefine sin, but God’s Word remains true.

Psalm 119:105 says, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”

If God’s Word says something is wrong, it is wrong regardless of how many people approve of it. If God’s Word says something is right, it remains right even when nobody supports it.

Take a stand for the truth.

Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:2, “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.”

The truth must not be abandoned because people do not want to hear it. The responsibility of the believer is not to make everybody comfortable but to remain faithful to God.

Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Take a stand for Christ.

There is no salvation outside Christ. There is no substitute for Jesus. Religion cannot replace Him.

Good works cannot replace Him. Money cannot replace Him. Education cannot replace Him. Position cannot replace Him.

Acts 4:12 declares, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

Therefore, do not be ashamed of Jesus.Romans 1:16 says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.”

Perhaps you have been hiding your faith because of your friends. Perhaps you are afraid that people will laugh at you because you attend church, pray, read your Bible, or refuse certain sinful practices. Remember that the approval of men cannot take you to heaven.

Jesus said in Matthew 10:32-33, “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.”

Take a stand even when you are alone.

Sometimes the greatest test of your faith is not when everybody is watching, but when nobody is watching. Joseph was in Egypt when he faced temptation. His family was not there. His father was not there. His brothers were not there. But Joseph knew that God was watching.

When temptation came, he said in Genesis 39:9, “How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”

That is a man who had taken a stand.Joseph understood that sin was not merely breaking somebody’s rule. Sin was offending God.

May God give us men and women who will say, “I would rather lose an opportunity than lose my fellowship with God. I would rather be rejected by men than rejected by God. I would rather suffer for righteousness than enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.”

The Bible says in Hebrews 11:25, speaking of Moses, that he choose “rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.”

Taking a stand may cost you something. It may cost you a friendship. It may cost you an opportunity. It may make you unpopular. It may bring persecution. But whatever it costs to remain faithful to God is worth it.

Jesus said in Matthew 16:26, “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”

What will it profit you to gain the world and lose your soul? What will it profit you to become successful but lose your relationship with God? What will it profit you to be celebrated on earth but rejected in eternity?

One day, every person will stand before God. Romans 14:12 says, “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.”

Testimony Of The Lord’s Doing

‘We Thank God For Ending Barrenness Of Seven Years, Six Months’

MY name is Sister Goodness Ezekiel, my baby’s name is Emmanuel Chiemerie Ezekiel and my husband’s name is Ezekiel Nweke.

The couple said they came to appreciate God for ending barrenness of seven years, and six months in their marriage.

Recounting how God visited their marriage, Brother Ezekiel Nweke said theygot married in 2015, and after that, they were expecting to have children, but nothing happened.

He said: “Then, we went to the hospital and doctor said it was infection. We treated infection severally but all to no avail. In October 2021, l had a dream, in that dream, God told me that I was going to have a son and his name will be called “Chiemerie.”When l woke up, we prayed and claimed God’spromise.

Exactly October 2022, God fulfilled His promise to me, my wife took in, and in June, my wife was delivered of a bouncing baby boy safe and sound in Chosen hospital. Praise the Lord!”

They prayed for the G.O and all the Chosen members Worldwide, heaven at last in Jesus name. Amen.