MAKE A STAND

Have you ever had a Christmas tree that would not stay standing? In the day before the store-bought tree stand, we used a homemade stand and yes, we had this very problem. What a frustration! The tree would lean and tilt and wobble. The stand was not sturdy enough to hold it in place. When we tried putting lights on it, the tree trembled and tipped almost crashing to the floor. We would prop it up, tie it up and shout it up. We had to be very careful not to put too heavy an ornament on the boughs or if we did we had to have a counter weight on the other side. Sometimes we would give up and put a screw in the wall and tie it to the wall!

A Christmas tree that doesn’t have a good stand will not stand up to the weight. It will not hold the glory. It will not shine for the world!

I can be much like this. When I first read about the terrorists killing Christians and even being in our own country shooting and killing, I wanted to stop writing verses and things about God on Face Book. Even stop “liking” other posts about God. Maybe stop writing my blog, maybe even get off of FB and the internet all together. After all liking posts and writing things about God is like raising a huge flag above my house proclaiming my faith in the One true God.

My first thought was, “Why bring trouble on our house? Shouldn’t we use our heads to preserve our lives, to protect our families, to avoid terror?” I mean these dudes are bad, evil, hell-bent, you might say, for causing trouble with a Big T. Spreading terror is their religion, causing mayhem, pain and violence is their game. I really don’t want to live in fear, needing to carry a gun and look over my shoulder all the time.

My tree was wobbling and tipping drastically. The lights were slipping to the floor.

This is what my God says over and over, “Strengthen weak hands and make firm feeble knees! Say to those who are fearful-hearted, ‘Be strong! Do not Fear! Behold your God will come with vengeance, with retribution of God, He will come and save you.” Isaiah 35:3-4

I’ve got this, My child, I have your back. You need to only make a stand.

“Do not fear! Let not your hands be weak! The Lord your God is in your midst! The Mighty One will save!” Zephaniah 3:16-17

Take those shaking hands and put them on the keyboard, Girl! I am the Mighty One I am with you! I will prop you up! I will save!

“Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down and the feeble knees and make straight the paths for your feet so that the lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.” Hebrews 12:12-13

Child of mine, there may be a time to hide or run, but this is not the time! Now is the time to straighten your back, turn your face to the Mighty One in your midst, your Commander in Chief, lock those knocking knees, pick up your dragging feet and teach, preach, write and lead the weak ones, the shaking ones, the lost ones to the Highway of Holiness. To the Way of Life eternal.

“For you have come to Mount Zion and to the City of the Living God! The Heavenly Jerusalem, to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn whose names are written in Heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator who brings redemption to all men.” From Heb. 12:22-24

We have come—wait a minute! We are not in God’s Kingdom yet! We are on earth.

Yes but didn’t Jesus say, “Thy Kingdome come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.”?

God’s Kingdom is on earth as well as in Heaven. We are a part of His Kingdom. We have come to Mount Zion! We are His Children, His warriors. We may not physically be in Heaven yet, but we are part of the Kingdom. The kingdom on earth as well as in Heaven. God’s Kingdom that reaches to the far corners of the universe and farther than we can know. Where His will, most assuredly will be done.

We are His army, His soldiers! We must march! We must carry His banner! We must shout His name to the nations! We must stand and we must not fall!

I am encouraged to see not less posts about Christ on Face Book, but MORE! I am blessed to see sisters and brothers standing up and declaring “I am a Christian!” “I believe and follow Jesus the Son of God!” Praise God!

It is time I join them. We need to use our heads, yes, but hide under a bush, no! It is time to stand and march and carry the banner of the Almighty God!

We are marching to Zion! The beautiful city of Zion!

“For He, Himself said, ‘I will never leave you or forsake you.’ So we may boldly say, ‘The Lord is my Helper, I will not fear!” Hebrews 13:5-6

“NO FEAR, my Child, No Retreat, No surrender!”

A tree with a firm foundation that does not blow over in the fierce wind