STAND FIRM

  "Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for 
   looking those things which are coming on 
   earth: "for the powers of heaven shall be 
   shaken.

 L U K E  21 : 26

    Luke 21: 26 tells that in the last days men's 
heart are going to be failing them for fear. Have 
you noticed how fear, stress and violence are 
increasing in our world? Men's heart are 
starting to fail with fear, and because of that we 
are to be men and women who stand apart from 
the world; we are to have a ministry of peace to 
people who are afraid. How can we minister to 
them if our own hearts are troubled and filled 
with fear? They will just look at us and wonder 
what we have to offer that is different. We must 
go into this world with a gospel message that
 brings peace and do it with the settled 
assurance that Jesus Christ is at home in our 
hearts, bringing peace to our souls. at my work 
i have a safety shoes that i am using but it is 
over size for me to wear and it unfit for me in 
mobility. I can't, You can't fight the spiritual
 battle without good shoes either. Shoes are 
absolutely essential to fighting. Can you 
imagine a soldier all dressed up in his armor 
with no shoes on? He might be well-equipped 
in every other area, but without shoes he is 
unfit for fighting. His feet simply could not 
hold uo the rigids of hand-to-hand combat.

   Roman soldiers, about whom Paul was 
writing, wore hobnailed sandals. They were 
specific designed to be surefooted in battle. 
They had a thick base, made of wood and 
leather, and often had short spikes imbedded 
in them to give the soldier extra traction on 
inclines it in bad  weather. Even on the 
slickest ground they could stand in hand-to-
hand combat and not slip. Paul used this 
concept of Roman warfare, being properly 
shod when going into battle, to remind us of 
the importance of having a firm foundation. 
Scriptures say that the shoes we wear are the 
gospel of peace. In other words, we are to be 
prepared with the good news of peace. So the 
relationship of the shoes to the rest of the 
armor is very logical. Remember, we are 
equipped with inner peace from God. Much 
of the spiritual battle  takes place in the realm 
of your outlook on life. It is not the situation 
in which you find yourself that is critical, but 
how you look on that situation in the power 
of Christ. We are to remember that in Jesus 
Christ we have peace.

    During the darkest days of world War II, 
Londoners would turn on their radios and 
listen to the voice of one man ringing out over 
the airwaves. Winston Churchill's voice was 
strong and inspirational, and he strenghtened 
the morale of the British time and time again. 
That is what Jesus does for us. He comes in the 
midst of the struggle, when the battle is almost 
unbearable, the circumstances look impossible, 
and He speak peace to us  and gives us the 
encouragement we need to boost our moral
and keep us fighting. One of the reason so many 
of us are going down in battle  is because they 
have nothing on which to rely when the fighting 
becomes difficult. They haven't filled their minds 
with the thoughts of God, so they have no 
thoughts with which to comfort and strengthen
 themselves. If you want to invest your time in 
something worthwhile, fill your heart and mind 
with the truth of God. Even as Christ went to His 
death there was a calmness and sense of direction 
about the events. His life was secure, and He 
wants you to be "Stand Firm,"