Stand Firm

Fortifying the conscience is daily work.

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

   – Ephesians 6.13

When faced with innumerable battles against many vices, against the devil, or against the body, it is essential that you be resolute.

   – The Rule of Comghall, Irish, 6th century

I like that word, resolute.

The OED defines it as “Determinate, decided, positive, absolute, final.” Becoming resolute is thus a function of the conscience, the valuing center of the soul. This is not a state that we can arrive at on our own power. Spiritual powers oppose us, and a spiritual law within us tends us toward weakness and irresolution in matters of faith and obedience.

We must cry out to the Lord to guard our minds, bolster our hearts, and own our bodily members so that we may resist the devil and hold fast to the path of righteousness. And we must continually fortify our consciences that they may be resolute in the face of every trial.

Fortifying the conscience is daily work. We attend to it by the study of God’s Law, meditation in His Word, reflection on the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, and prayer at the precise moment where resolution is needed.

We will never be strong enough in ourselves for the resolution we require. Let us always look to the Lord, believe and trust in Him, cry out to Him, and take up the armor of the Spirit so that we may, indeed, stand firm in the evil day.

Today more than ever, when the faith has become so diluted and personalized, we need resolute men and women who will embody in their decisions and actions the righteousness that comes from Jesus Christ alone. When the world begins to see such resolution in the Church, it will believe that something more than merely human is at work within us, willing and doing of His good pleasure.

Brethren, will you be resolute today?

Psalm 55.16-19 (Bread of Life: “Break Thou the Bread of Life”)
Lord, I will call on You, answer and save!
Morning and evening, too, my voice I raise.
Grant me Your peace, O Lord; answer my foes!
All who reject God’s Word He overthrows.

O God, grant me resolution and perseverance, that I may give faithful testimony of You until my death, for Your glory and honor, O Lord. Adapted from Patrick, Confession