Don't Be Shaken

Philippians 4:1

Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.

Life is not a friend to the Christian life, but through Christ, we can face anything life throws at us victoriously. God knew that life would be unfriendly toward our walk with Him, so He commands us to stand fast in the Lord. The phrase stand fast means to be unshaken, firm, or unwavering. You must be firm and unshaken with the Lord when life tries to shake you. Let me share some areas where you need to stand fast.

First, stand fast in your faith. Just because life has attempted to shake you does not mean you must be shaken. Settle your faith in the Lord and never revisit it again. Look at those in the Scriptures whom God used; they had every reason to let their faith be shaken in the Lord, but they settled their faith and never revisited if it was worth holding onto. Paul had every reason to revisit his faith as he was beaten and thrown into prison, but he stood fast in his faith in the Lord and was willing to die for it. If your faith is unwilling to die for, then your faith is not really a great faith. I know we can easily say to stand fast when our faith is not being tested, but if you don't settle that your faith is not up for discussion in the easy times, you certainly won't stand fast in the faith when you face life-changing difficulties. The next time something tries to shake your faith, look at those who never wavered. Look at Stephen who was stoned to death for the faith, and all the disciples who faced violent deaths for the faith. If you can't stand for the faith when the world puts a little pressure on you to change, you certainly won't stand fast in the faith when your life or livelihood is at stake.

Second, stand fast in your trust in the Lord. Don't put God on trial; take Him off the witness stand and trust Him despite anything that life wants to throw at you. Too many “trust” the Lord in the good times, but when difficulties come, they quit on the Lord. It takes no trust to serve the Lord in the good times; trust in the Lord is revealed by what you do in challenging times. Too many trust the Lord with their finances when they are doing well financially, but true trust in the Lord is discovered if you keep tithing and giving your offering when financially it seems you can't afford it. Whether it is finances, health, or life in general, you must determine to stand fast and trust the Lord even if life causes you to lose all of these things.

Third, stand fast in your commitment to the Lord. Commitment is only revealed by whether you continue to serve the Lord when the world turns against you. I am reminded of Charles Weigle who stayed committed to the Lord despite his wife leaving him. She tested that commitment when she told him he either had to quit evangelism or lose her. He chose to keep God first, and his wife walked out on him. Thinking that his ministry was over, he sat down and wrote down some words about how God cared for him. Those words turned into the song: No One Ever Cared For Me Like Jesus. That song thrust Bro. Weigle into a national ministry, but not before his commitment to the Lord was tested. How committed are you to the Lord? Will you stay faithful to what the Lord has called you to do even if it causes you to lose friends, family, and all the comforts of life? Standing fast in the Lord may not seem to be worth the sacrifice, but when you realize you gain a close relationship with Christ because of it, you will see the sacrifice you made was worth the blessing of God’s presence.