It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

–Parallel verses:
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6‬:‭13‬-‭18‬
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

There are so many causes these days which people take stands either for or against: employees go on strike when they want better pay and benefits, parents take a stand against children’s books that are in libraries which teach deviant sexual activity, citizens take stands all over the world against oppressive governments, and the list goes on.

When I think about stands, some of the most famous ones have happened on the battleground. Soldiers put their lives on the line to defend their country and that of their allies and freedom. They typically prepare for these confrontations and have armor too. They go to basic training, then advanced training to be ready to fight with all of the most advanced weapons and machinery.

Over the years, guns and armored tanks have replaced swords and shields, but the concepts are still the same. Any good soldier has to train to stay at the top of their game and hold their ground, standing firm in an attack.

Paul also calls for the Galatians to stand firm and not give up hard fought spiritual ground they have taken. He wants them to keep hold of their freedom in Christ.

And so he tells them to stand firm. How do we do this? The Ephesians passage tells us, we put on the spiritual armor of God, and we pray. Prayer is critical, it is like the satellite phone that allows the commanding general to give real-time instructions for the battle to his forces in the field. Prayer allows God to communicate with us and direct our thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors according to his will.

And then there is the equipment: The Truth holds us up like a belt, the Word of God fights our battles for us, our Faith is like a shield protecting us, and our Righteousness, sourced from Jesus and following him, protects our hearts. Finally, as we are saved when we decide to follow Jesus and we are being saved, this Salvation process, like a helmet, protects our minds and our thoughts to conform them to Jesus Christ.

Oh Lord, how truly blessed I am to have access to your spiritual armor, which gives me confidence to stand my ground in the toughest of battles. May I keep my equipment in good repair and my skills highly practiced, so I will be ready at a moment’s notice to STAND MY GROUND!