Stand Your Ground

What is the secret so spiritual longevity? What practical steps can we take to assure that we will be walking with the Lord years from now? The answer is found in the Old Testament story of Caleb, a man who never lost his edge spiritually. At age 85, he said of himself, “I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in” (Joshua 14:11).

One important step to spiritual longevity is that we will not compromise, but instead stand our ground. That is what Joshua and Caleb did when they were sent by Moses to spy out the land of Canaan. It would have been easy to go along with the crowd. But they stood their ground at the risk of being personally ostracized and losing their friends, even their lives, because the people wanted to kill Joshua and Caleb.

In the same way, we need to stand our ground. We need to be more concerned with God’s approval than the approval of others. When you decide to wholly follow Jesus Christ, you had better expect and brace yourself for opposition. There are people who will ridicule, harass, and oppose you. But you cannot let anyone or anything keep you from the commitment you have made.

If you want to stand the test of time in your commitment to Christ, then you must develop a set of convictions that will help you steer through the rough waters of temptation and compromise. Be willing to stand up for what you believe.