Stand Firm – 1 Peter 5:6–14

Stand firm.
The words rise like an ancient tree in the mind—
the kind that has seen centuries come and go,
its roots sunk deep into the earth,
holding fast while storms tear across the ridge
and whole generations pass like mist.
It remains steady
where everything else shifts.

To stand firm is first
to rest under God’s mighty hand.
Humility isn’t instinctive,
especially when suffering already stoops us low,
but humility lets us trust
that we are held.
Anxiety often comes from believing
everything depends on us,
every detail must follow our plans.
But we are invited to cast those anxieties
onto the One who cares.
The cross already proved
how deeply He loves
and how certainly He will lift you up
when Jesus returns.

Standing firm also means
waking up to reality.
There is a battle for the soul,
quiet but relentless.
C.S. Lewis was right—
we can pretend the enemy doesn’t exist
or give him too much credit,
but either way we forget
that temptation slips in quietly:
stop reading your Bible,
stop resisting,
just blend in,
let weariness decide for you.
Every hard moment becomes
either a place to trust God
or a place to slide away.
So be alert.
Resist him.
Stay close to the community
that reminds you of grace
when you cannot remember it for yourself.
No one resists alone.

And all of this,
every piece of it,
stands on grace.
Faith is not mainly about being good.
Grace is the astonishing truth
that God gives what we have not earned
and loves us beyond our failures.
Grace is not the beginning only;
it is the whole path.
The alphabet of the Christian life
from A to Z.

When the way feels long,
remember John Chapman’s question:
Has anything changed?
Did Jesus not live,
not die for you,
not rise from the grave,
stopped promising to return?
If not—
keep going.
It is still the best thing to do.

And beneath it all
is the steady work of God—
strengthening, restoring,
making you firm and steadfast.
Not your grip on Him,
but His grip on you.

So stand firm—
in His care,
in your faith,
in His grace.
He will see you through to the end.

Original message by Andrew West, The Bridge Church Macquarie Park NSW
7 December 2025