“Therefore, put on the whole 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”. (Eph. 6:13 NIV).

We love to hear from God. We love it when we see God moving. We love the signs and wonders, the euphoric feeling that comes with manifestations of God’s presence. We love it when Father gives us understanding, revelation, insight into his word and his character. We love seeing the kingdom built and God’s purposes become reality. But, what we are not so enamored with is the process by which we see these things come to pass.

I have, in the last week or so, been made aware of a truth I have probably always known, but not really grasped. I heard someone say that we love the results or the end product, but God loves the process. What does that mean? It means simply that we look toward the realization of the manifestations, the signs and wonders, the fulfillment of our prayers and request, while God focuses on the process by which we reach the fulfillment of these things.

Our problem is that we want these things to come to pass without going through the process necessary to see these things manifested in us, our families, our church and our world. I told someone the other day that the enemy does not care if you receive great revelation, what he does fear is seeing that revelation manifested in your life, and seeing that revelation passed on to others. The fact is that with great revelation comes great opposition. You won’t see the 4th man appear until you get tossed in the furnace; you don’t see the lions mouths shut until you get thrown in the den with them; you don’t hear “Peace be still” unless you are in the storm. Jesus says that persecution arises because of the word. If you are pressing forward, desiring to see God’s presence manifested in your life, in your family, in your church, you will face opposition, you can count on it.

So, what’s the secret to succeeding? How do we conquer? Ephesians 6:13 states it simply YOU STAND! The word stand here means to “plant your feet, overcome, effect or produce. Albert Barnes said this. “the idea seems to be that they were to overcome or vanquish all their foes and thus, to stand firm. The whole language here is taken from war, and the idea is, that every foe was to be subdued-no matter how numerous or formidable they might be. Safety and triumph could only be looked for when every enemy was slain.” WOW! So when we face opposition, when the enemy begins to battle us what is our response? WE TAKE NO PRISONERS! We stand firm on what God has revealed to us, what God has promised us. We must not give in to the lies and tricks, the devices of the enemy. We stand firm knowing that Jehovah Sabaoth, The Lord of hosts, has already won the battle. We stand by exercising our faith. THATS THE PROCESS THAT THE FATHER LOVES! He loves to see us stand in faith, to express our unwavering trust and confidence in him, his word and his promises.

Chuck Swindol told the story about his two Golden retrievers and a small bulldog. He said that one day a little bulldog squeezed through a space in their fence proceeded to start a fight with the two golden retrievers. The two bigger dogs came out on top of the fight and the little dog left. He said this went on everyday for about 2 weeks, with the results always the same. He said that finally, one day, after 2 weeks of the same result, the little bulldog showed up and instead of the ensuing battle, the two big dogs ran up un the deck, wanting no part of their smaller foe. After strutting around the yard for a few minutes, the little dog left and they never saw him again. What a great visual for us. We will be opposed, there will be battles, we will probably receive some wounds, lose a fight or two, but in the end if we stand, if we refused to run or give in, the enemy will retreat, tired from the continual, relentless, no quit attitude we possess, and the incessant fight that we bring to him.

I don’t know about you, but what I have found in Christ, what he has promised me, what he has invested in me is worth fighting for, Evil days are upon us. The enemy is not even trying to mask his intentions. He is out to destroy the kingdom of God. He is out to destroy his influence and effect on humanity. And because we follow Christ, he is out to destroy us, or at least render us ineffective and non-relevant. Our job is to stand our ground, to give no quarter, rest in the finished work of the cross and let the Power of Holy Spirit flows in us and through us.

This is how we fight our battles.