[0:00]There is a day coming, and for many, it has already arrived, when everything you thought you knew about faith will be tested. Not tested in a classroom, not tested in a comfortable church service. Tested in the fire of real opposition, real pressure, real spiritual warfare. Paul called it "the evil day." And most Christians, when that day comes, have no idea how to stand. They crumble. They retreat. They compromise. Not because they lack sincerity, but because they were never taught how to stand in the first place. What you're about to discover is not motivational fluff. It's not positive thinking dressed up in religious language. This is the biblical blueprint for standing unshaken, unmoved, and victorious when hell itself launches its attack against you. And the reason most believers don't know this is because it's been buried under centuries of passive Christianity, comfortable doctrine, and a complete misunderstanding of what spiritual warfare actually is. But once you see what Paul revealed in Ephesians chapter 6, once you understand what it means to stand and how to do it, you will never be the same. The enemy will no longer intimidate you. Circumstances will no longer control you. And you will walk in the authority that Jesus purchased for you at Calvary. This is not theory. This is the difference between victory and defeat. Between standing and falling. Between living in power and living in fear. And by the end of this message, you will know exactly what it takes to stand in the evil day and remain standing when the smoke clears. Let's begin with the passage that most Christians have heard but few have truly understood. Ephesians 6:13 says, "Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." Notice the phrase "the evil day." Not evil days, plural. The evil day. Paul is not talking about a general season of difficulty. He's talking about a specific, concentrated attack from the enemy. It's the day when everything seems to go wrong at once. It's the day when your faith is tested to its breaking point. It's the day when the enemy throws everything he has at you to see if you'll fall. Every believer will face the evil day. Jesus warned us in John 16:33, "In the world ye shall have tribulation." Peter wrote in 1 Peter 5:8, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." The enemy is looking for believers he can take down. He's looking for those who don't know how to stand. And if you don't understand what standing means and how to do it, you will be one of his casualties. But that doesn't have to be your story. Because God has given you everything you need to stand, to withstand, and to remain standing when the battle is over. Now, here's the first critical truth most Christians miss: Standing is not passive. When Paul says "stand," he's not saying, "Just hold on and hope you survive." He's using a military term. In the Roman army, when a soldier was told to stand, it meant to hold your position against the enemy's advance. It meant to resist. It meant to fight. It meant to refuse to give ground. Standing is an active, aggressive, faith-filled posture. It's not waiting for God to fight your battles while you do nothing. It's enforcing the victory that Jesus already won by taking your position in Him and refusing to be moved. E.W. Kenyon understood this better than most. He wrote, "The Christian is not on the defensive. He is on the offensive. Jesus utterly defeated Satan. We are not fighting for victory; we are fighting from victory." That statement changes everything. Most Christians think they're fighting to win. But the truth is, the victory has already been won. Jesus defeated Satan at the cross. Colossians 2:15 declares, "And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it." The battle is over. The enemy is defeated. Your job is not to win the battle. Your job is to stand in the victory that Jesus already secured and enforce it in your life. But here's where the problem comes in. Most believers don't know how to enforce that victory. They don't know how to stand. And so when the evil day comes, they panic. They beg God to help them. They wonder why God isn't doing something. And all the while, God is saying, "I've already done everything. Now you need to stand." This is not about God's willingness to help you. This is about your understanding of what He's already done and your responsibility to take your position in Christ and hold it. Let's break down what Paul teaches in Ephesians chapter 6 about how to stand. He says in verse 14, "Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness." Notice the first two pieces of armor: Truth and righteousness. These are not just religious concepts. These are your foundation. Truth is the Word of God. Righteousness is your identity in Christ. If you don't know the truth, you can't stand. If you don't know who you are in Christ, you can't stand. The enemy's primary weapon is deception. He lies about who God is. He lies about who you are. He lies about your circumstances. And if you believe his lies, you'll fall. This is why Kenyon emphasized the importance of knowing your rights in Christ. He said, "Until you know what you are in Christ, what you have in Christ, and what Christ is in you, you will never be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." You have to know the truth. You have to know that you are "the righteousness of God in Christ," as 2 Corinthians 5:21 declares. You have to know that you are "seated with Christ in heavenly places, far above all principality and power," as Ephesians 2:6 states. You have to know that "greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world," as 1 John 4:4 promises. If you don't know these truths, you'll be moved by every wind of circumstance, every attack of the enemy, every accusation and lie that comes your way. The next piece of armor is found in verse 15: "And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace." Your feet represent your walk, your daily life, your actions. The gospel of peace is the good news that you are at peace with God through Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1 says, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." You're not trying to earn God's favor. You're not trying to prove yourself. You're not living in fear that God is mad at you. You're standing in peace, knowing that you are accepted, loved, and approved by the Father. And that peace becomes the foundation for your walk. But notice the word "preparation." The Greek word there means readiness, a firm foundation. Your feet must be firmly planted in the gospel. You can't be wishy-washy. You can't be double-minded. You can't be tossed back and forth between faith and doubt. James 1:6-8 warns against being double-minded, saying that such a person is "unstable in all his ways." You have to be rooted, grounded, and settled in the truth of the gospel. And when you are, you can stand unmoved no matter what the enemy throws at you. Now we come to verse 16, one of the most powerful pieces of armor: "Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked." Faith is your shield. Faith is what stops the enemy's attacks. Faith is what protects you from his lies, his accusations, his threats, his fear tactics. But notice Paul says "all the fiery darts." Not some. Not most. All. Faith, when properly used, stops every attack of the enemy. Every single one. But here's the question: What is faith? Most Christians have a vague, undefined idea of faith.
[9:17]They think faith is hoping really hard. They think faith is trying to believe. But that's not biblical faith. Biblical faith is acting on the Word of God as though it were true, because it is true. Faith is taking God at His Word and standing on it regardless of what you see, feel, or experience. Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Faith gives substance to the promises of God. Faith makes the invisible real. And faith stops the enemy in his tracks. E.W. Kenyon taught, "Faith is acting on God's Word. It is taking the Word and daring to act as though God told the truth." That's what standing in the evil day looks like. It's not passively waiting for God to do something. It's actively taking the Word of God, declaring it, standing on it, and refusing to be moved by what the enemy is saying or what your circumstances are screaming. The fiery darts are the lies, the doubts, the fears, the accusations. And faith quenches every single one of them because faith says, "I don't care what it looks like. I don't care what I feel. I don't care what the enemy says. God's Word is true, and I'm standing on it." Verse 17 gives us the next piece of armor: "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." The helmet protects your mind. Salvation is not just your ticket to heaven. Salvation includes healing, deliverance, prosperity, peace, and victory. The helmet of salvation protects your mind from the enemy's attacks on your thinking. He wants you to think defeat. He wants you to think sickness. He wants you to think poverty. He wants you to think fear. But when your mind is protected by the knowledge of your salvation, by the understanding of everything Jesus provided for you at the cross, those thoughts can't get in. And then there's the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. This is your offensive weapon. The other pieces of armor are defensive. But the sword is for attack. And notice, it's the Word of God. Not just any word. Not your opinion. Not your feelings. The Word of God. The spoken Word. When Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, He didn't argue. He didn't reason. He didn't explain. He simply said, "It is written," and quoted the Word. And the devil fled. That's the power of the sword of the Spirit. When you speak the Word of God, you are wielding the most powerful weapon in the universe. And the enemy cannot stand against it. But here's where most Christians fail. They know the Word intellectually, but they don't speak it. They don't wield the sword. They're like a soldier standing on the battlefield with a sword strapped to his side, never drawing it, never swinging it, never using it. And so the enemy runs right over them. James 4:7 says, "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." Resist. That's an active word. It means to stand against, to oppose, to fight back. You resist the devil by speaking the Word of God. You resist by declaring your authority in Christ. You resist by refusing to accept what he's trying to bring into your life. E.W. Kenyon said, "Our lips are the sword of the Spirit. The Word in our hearts becomes the sword of the Spirit when it is on our lips." You have to speak. You have to declare. You have to confess the Word. Faith is not silent. Faith speaks. Romans 10:10 says, "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." Belief is in the heart, but confession is with the mouth. And it's the confession that brings the manifestation. When you speak the Word in faith, you release the power of God into your situation. You activate your authority. You enforce the victory that Jesus won. Now, let's talk about why most Christians don't know how to stand. The first reason is ignorance. They simply don't know the Word. Hosea 4:6 says, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." You can't stand on a truth you don't know. You can't wield a sword you've never picked up. This is why it's absolutely critical that you immerse yourself in the Word of God. Not just read it casually. Not just listen to sermons occasionally. But study it. Meditate on it. Let it become so deeply rooted in your spirit that it's the first thing that comes to your mind when trouble comes. The second reason is unbelief. Many Christians know the Word intellectually, but they don't believe it in their hearts. They quote it, but they don't stand on it. They hope it's true, but they don't act like it's true. And that double-mindedness makes them unstable in all their ways, as James warned. You have to settle it in your heart: God's Word is true. It's more real than what you see. It's more reliable than what you feel. And you're going to stand on it no matter what. The third reason is passivity. Most Christians have been taught a passive, defeated form of Christianity. They've been taught to just endure, just suffer, just wait for heaven. But that's not what the Bible teaches. The Bible teaches that you are "more than a conqueror through Christ." Romans 8:37 declares it. You are not barely surviving. You are "reigning in life through Jesus Christ," as Romans 5:17 promises. But reigning requires action. It requires taking your authority. It requires standing. Let me paint a picture for you. Imagine a castle under siege. The enemy is at the gates, trying to break through. Inside the castle, the soldiers have two choices. They can cower in the corner, hoping the walls hold, praying someone else will save them. Or they can take their position on the walls, draw their swords, and actively defend the castle. Standing is the second option. It's not passive. It's not hoping. It's actively taking your position, wielding your weapons, and refusing to let the enemy break through. When the evil day comes, and it will come, you have to know who you are. You have to know your authority. You have to know the Word. And you have to speak it. You have to declare it. You have to stand on it. Because the enemy is not going to stop just because you're a Christian. He's going to keep pushing, keep attacking, keep lying, keep accusing. But if you know how to stand, if you know how to wield the sword of the Spirit, if you know how to resist him in faith, "he will flee." That's not my promise. That's God's promise in James 4:7. E.W. Kenyon wrote, "The Word of God in your lips is as powerful as it was in Jesus' lips." Think about that. When Jesus spoke, demons fled. Storms stopped. Diseases left. Death reversed. And the same Word that was in His mouth is available to you. The same authority He operated in has been given to you. Matthew 28:18-19 records Jesus saying, "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore." He has all authority, and He gave it to you. Luke 10:19 says, "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you." That's your authority. That's your position. That's what it means to stand. But standing also requires endurance. Paul says in Ephesians 6:13, "having done all, to stand." There's a point where you've prayed, you've declared the Word, you've taken your position, and now you just stand. You don't quit. You don't give up. You don't change your confession. You don't waver. You stand. This is where many believers fall. They start strong, but they don't finish. They declare the Word for a day or two, and when they don't see immediate results, they give up. But standing means you hold your position until the manifestation comes. You keep speaking the Word. You keep resisting the enemy. You keep walking in faith. And you do not move. Galatians 6:9 says, "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." There's a due season. There's a harvest. But it only comes to those who don't faint, who don't give up, who keep standing. The evil day is not the time to quit. It's the time to dig in. It's the time to draw your sword and refuse to be moved. Because on the other side of that stand is victory. On the other side of that stand is breakthrough. On the other side of that stand is the manifestation of everything God has promised you. So what does it look like practically to stand in the evil day? It starts with knowing the Word. You cannot stand on a promise you don't know. You cannot wield a sword you've never picked up. 2 Timothy 2:15 tells us to "study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." Study. Learn. Meditate. Let the Word get so deep in your spirit that it becomes your automatic response to every attack. Second, it requires speaking the Word. Your confession is your sword. When the enemy whispers fear, you speak faith. When he brings symptoms of sickness, you declare healing. When he threatens lack, you proclaim provision. You don't argue with the enemy. You don't reason with him. You just speak the Word. And the Word does the work. Third, it requires refusing to be moved by what you see or feel. 2 Corinthians 5:7 says, "For we walk by faith, not by sight." The circumstances may not change immediately. The symptoms may still be there. The bills may still be stacked on the table. But you don't make decisions based on what you see. You make decisions based on what God has said. And you stand on that Word regardless of what your natural senses are telling you. Fourth, it requires persistence. You stand and keep standing. You don't quit. You don't give up. You don't change your confession. Hebrews 10:35-36 says, "Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise." Patience. Endurance. Persistence. These are not optional. They're required if you're going to stand in the evil day and come out victorious. The evil day is not something to fear. It's something to prepare for. And once you understand how to stand, once you know your authority, once you're rooted in the Word, you'll actually welcome the opportunity to prove God's faithfulness. You'll see the enemy's attacks for what they are: Desperate attempts to stop someone who has already won. Because you're not fighting for victory. You're standing in victory. You're enforcing what Jesus already accomplished. And nothing the enemy does can change that. So here's the question: Are you ready to stand? Do you know the Word well enough to wield it? Do you understand your authority in Christ? Do you know how to resist the devil and watch him flee? Because the evil day is coming. It may be here already. But you don't have to be a casualty. You don't have to fall. You can stand. You can withstand. And having done all, you can remain standing, victorious, unshaken, and unmoved. That's the life Jesus purchased for you. That's the authority He gave you. And it's time you walked in it. But there's one more piece to this puzzle. One more weapon that most Christians have never fully understood. It's the weapon that activates everything else. It's the key that unlocks the power of the Word. It's the force that releases your authority and causes the enemy to tremble. In the next video, we're going to uncover this weapon. We're going to show you how it works, why it's so powerful, and how you can use it every single day to live in victory. You don't want to miss this. Because once you understand this truth, your life will never be the same.
