Stand Firm in the Faith
Onward Christian soldier
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Stay alert, stand firm in the faith, show courage, be strong. Everything you do should be done in love.
1 Corinthians 16:13-14 (NET)
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These feel like very soldier-heavy verses.
What I mean is that they feel like the motivations that an elite soldier would have for fulfilling their duty. The Christian soldier is an image we see in the Bible quite a few times (think putting on the full armor of God).
Let’s look at the duty of a Christian soldier from these verses:
• Stay alert
Like a good guard, we must always be on the alert for the attacks of the Enemy. Many attacks come at fairly predictable times, but sometimes they come out of nowhere. We cannot grow lazy and let down our guard.
• Stand firm in the faith
In ancient war times, soldiers fought in units. Side by side, using the strength of their shield-brothers to fend off the attacks of their enemies. Likewise, we should stand together and fend off the attacks of our Enemy.
• Show courage & Be strong
I’ve talked at other times about God’s instructions to Joshua (and to us) about being strong & courageous. Fear paralyzes us more than attacks themselves do. We mustn’t let fear stop us. We must move forward, bringing the Gospel to a lost & broken world.
• Do everything in love
This one is the foundation, the main motivation for all the hard duty of the Christian soldier. They love their King. They love their fellow soldiers. And they have compassion for those lost & captured by the Enemy.
Even Paul was once an agent of the Enemy. Yet God rescued him and brought him into the Heavenly Army.
— Ricky Ketchum
Copyright © 2025 by Ricky Ketchum. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication prohibited.
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