Having Them All Stand: Faith, Covenant & Perseverance

0:10 Welcome to the Diary of a Black Woman podcast. I'm your host, Connie Morris, and this is Faith on the Go, where you take the word with you on your drive to work, while you're getting ready in the morning, or even in those quiet moments before prayer. Real life, real word, and real growth, all while you are on the go. Before we get into today's word, let's take a moment to center ourselves with a familiar prayer. The prayer of Jabez. Oh, that you would bless me indeed and enlarge my territory. Let your hand be with me and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.

0:55 Father God, we come before you this day asking that you would indeed bless us, not just with what we have, but in who we are becoming. Enlarge our territory, Lord. Expand our capacity, our mindset, our ability to receive what you have for us. Let your hand be upon us, guiding us, covering us, and leading us in every decision we make. And Father, keep us from harm, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, that we may walk in peace and not in pain. And Lord, just as you heard Jabez when he cried out to you, hear us now.

1:35 Your word says that you granted his request, and we believe that you are the same God today. So we come boldly before you, knowing that you hear us, knowing that you see us, and knowing that you respond to the prayers of your people. Have your way in this moment as we sit, listen, and receive your word. In Jesus' name, amen. Hello, welcome back to Diary of a Black Woman podcast. I'm your host Connie Morris and we are in our final episode of the Armor of God, learning how to stand.

2:23 Today is episode 8, Having Them All Stand. And so we're going to start out in our scripture, foundational scripture, which is found in Ephesians 6 verses 10 through, We'll start at 14, and let's begin. It says, Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God that ye may be able to stand against the walls of the devil, where we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against. Principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore, take unto you the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand in the evil day, and having done all to stand, stand therefore, having your learns girt about with gospel, and having on the breastplate of righteousness.

3:18 Verse 15, And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye should be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked, and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit and washing whereunto with all perseverance and supplication for the saints. Hello, I want to welcome you back to the Diary of a Black Woman podcast. I'm your host Connie Morris. And like I said, we're in our final episode. And I don't know about you, my life has changed since I've been studying this armor. I've been speaking it, getting it lined up properly, putting my eyes on the Bible.

4:01 So this pause, this water break has been actually powerful for me and I want it to be powerful for you. That's why we have these moments, these moments of pause, reset, to take on a spiritual water break and to receive a little encouragement to help you keep going and finishing strong. Our next series is going to. There's two different ones I want to go with. It's probably going to be back to the Black History Unmasked. We're going to cover the story of Abraham. We're going to understand why his story is so powerful and how does that relate to us. And so that's our next plan. Also notice we're going to only be a Diary of Black Women will only be played on Tuesdays. It's going to be once a week.

4:46 I'm going to give you time to read the digest the word of God. I did analysis on my podcast. Podcast. And they said only the serious people listen because I give so much information so fast and back to back. And I think I want to just slow it down a bit. My life is changing and I'll pick it back up at a later date. But right now we're going to meet on Tuesdays and we're going to have an expanded topic. It'll give you time to just re-review it, to take more notes and just slow were down a pace. My life has changed a lot just by doing the podcast. And I got shared with you in the beginning for those who are new, it just started out as a podcast.

5:29 All I had was what was in my hand and I had a laptop and bought some cheap speakers. If you go way, way back, you'll see how it sound very muffled. It was very muffled and I wouldn't listen to it because I knew it was bad, but God showed, God just, people still showed up and were listening to the podcast, even though it was, the recording was like very, very bad. And so that is why I stay in with you guys. I'm not going anywhere. Just got to cut back a little bit because my life, God is promoting me and I need to get ready for that promotion. And like I said, I'll share it with you later. My name in a big hat and those names, those people are calling me now.

6:11 And that's because of being faithful with the least. I don't want to waste a lot of time just talking about my life, but I always want to keep my listeners informed that I have a regular life like everybody else. And I just do what I have. Bible tells us, what do you have in your hand? And that's what your God will bless what is in our hand. So we're going to continue on our last episode of, of the armor of God, having done all to stand. And that's where we're going to go. And I want you to listen carefully. I got some new scriptures in here for you, and I'm going to slow it down a lot. This one's probably going to be about an hour because there's just a lot of sections in how to stand. And so when we walk through the armor of God, we know we walk first with our, belt of truth, and we have our breastplate of righteousness, our shoes of peace.

6:59 We have our shield of faith, our helmet of salvation. We have our sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. And we have prayer. But before we close this series, I want to go back to one word Paul kept repeating. We started out this series about standing and I want to end it on standing. Because when you stand on the word of God, when you believe that God's word is true, that he will bring it to pass, he will bring it to pass. You can't grow weary in well-doing. You have to stand on the word. And we see in Ephesians 6.10, it tells us this. It says 6.10, Finally, my brother, be strong in the Lord, in the power of his might.

7:42 And how do you do that? You put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Wherefore, take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against. It says, wherefore, take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand. And then in verse 14, it says, and stand therefore. So Paul keeps saying, stand, stand, stand. So before we leave this series, we need to understand what does it mean to stand? You know, and so let's just take it in little bite-sized chunks.

8:22 You know, if you like meatballs or chicken wings, you know, those kind of bite-sized chunks. And, you know, they taste so good because the meatballs, if you season it right, it tastes good. Just have three or four. You don't want a slice of it. You just want a couple of meatballs. Make a meatball sandwich, right? So I want to just start off with what does it mean to stand? To stand does not simply mean to be on your feet. It's spiritual standing means to hold your position, to remain firm. Do not surrender. do not retreat. Do not allow past failures or pressures or fear or temptation, not even disappointment or accusation or delay to move you away from what God has already spoken to you.

9:05 Paul is using the language of battle and the soldier may be attacked, a soldier may be tired, a soldier may be experiencing pressure, but the objective is to remain standing. So when you think about the soldier standing, when I talk about the shoes, I didn't give you all the details about the shoes. The shoes have like. Like spikes in it. So when you say stand, he will dig his feet into the dirt with those spike shoes on so that nothing can move him. So he's standing strong because he has spikes under his feet. That's why I say stand. It says withstand. When you withstand something, I mean, something's coming at you that's trying to knock you down.

9:48 So you have to withstand that pressure. And the pressure comes, we know, in lies. It comes in voices in our head. Not saying voices in our head happen, but our thoughts start to get the best of us, right? So when we think about Ephesians 6, 13, it says, having done all, you just stand. Sometimes victory doesn't look like a run, right? Sometimes it doesn't look like a fight. Sometimes victory looks like you refuse to move. And many times, you know, people laugh at you. They go, what? You still believe in that? Until that happens for you. It could be years until that happens for you. Next is stand and withstand.

10:30 These are two different ideas. In Ephesians 6.13, Paul says that ye may be able to withstand the. In the eve of day. And then having done all to withstand means to resist what is coming against you. To stand means that after you have resisted it, you are still in your position. The attack came, but you're still standing. The lie came, but you're still standing. The disappointment came, but you are still standing. The temptation came, but you are still standing. The answer was delayed, but you are still standing.

11:11 The battle did not move you away from God. That is what we call spiritual victory. Now think about that. Everything is coming at you, but you're still standing. You're crying, but you're still standing. People laughing at you, but you are still standing. And then when that victory comes, everybody wants you to pray for them because now they want what you have. But you have to tell them what you learned. You need to not give up on God. Amen. So how do you stand? Standing is throughout scripture. We see that it's not just God telling us. He gives us the word of God so that we can follow what happened with people who were standing.

11:54 All right, so Exodus 14, 13. Let's go there. Exodus 14 is our children. Our children are Israelites. We know a lot about them, but let's go to Exodus 14, verse 13. And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will show you today. For the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye should see them again, no ever. More. It says, fear not, but stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. When Israel was trapped between Pharaoh army and the Red Sea, Moses told them to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.

12:39 So think about that. There were an army hidden, an army behind them. There was water in front of them, they could not see a way out. But the instructions for them was to stand. And it says stand. Sometimes you cannot see what God is going to do next, but you can still stand. God is working behind the scenes. I was sharing with you that the Lord woke me up. As I was waking up, he was talking to me about what if, and I share that whole journey with you in one of our watershed shared moments. And so what if, what if, what if? And that means it required me to believe that this wasn't my final destination. How many of you guys out there know that sometimes we'll get in positions and we will settle?

13:27 Why will we settle? We will settle because we don't know what's next. We're too afraid to even ask God what's next. We'll just settle. We're settling. And God didn't want me to settle. He said, what if this job is temporary? I was like, Lord, I like this job. But I didn't stay there. I started to seek some other places because God says this may be temporary. What if, this is temporary, you know, what if there's more to you than what you think? What if, what if? And we went through that whole series and I'm not going to preach it again. I want you to go now to 2 Chronicles chapter 20. This is a powerful story. We saw that first we see Moses telling the people to stand still.

14:12 Now we're at the story of Jehoshaphat, 2 Chronicles 20. This is a beautiful story. 2 Chronicles gives us another picture. We see here that King Jehoshaphat and Judah was facing. An army that could not defeat on their own. And God told them in 2 Chronicles 20, verse 17, it says here, Ye should not need to fight in this battle. Set yourself, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Fear not, nor be dismayed. tomorrow, go out against them for the Lord will be with you.

14:53 So when God says, what if? He said, what if you ain't got to fight this war? What if you just follow these simple instructions that I'm going to get you out of here? And so we know through that story, they did follow God's instruction and they ended up defeating the military that they couldn't. They said, I cannot fight them without God. And God said, you don't have to. I want you to stand ye still and see the salvation. Of the Lord. We have our helmet of salvation. That means we need to get out of our way. We need to set our mind on things above, set our mind on Christ when we put our helmet of salvation on. Yes, you have a sound mind, but what are you thinking on?

15:33 Think on these things, right? There are battles where God tells you to move, and there are battles when God tells you to fight, and there are battles when God tells you to take your position, stand, watch me. That is not weakness, that is trust. Throughout the time he says, I want you to know, he was talking to me about what if, what if. And then one morning he woke me up, he says, it was kind of like he was prophesying to me. I wrote it all down and I didn't share it with you guys. Some things I share, some things I don't, but I'm going to share a little bit now. And he was talking to me about, don't look at the things that you see. I am working things out behind the scenes. I am a way maker. And I'm like, wow.

16:15 And so instead of me trying to figure it out, I just sat back. And I put in like five different applications. Some were low, some were high, like three of them were nice, high supervisory, big position, put you right in the rank of an executive. And the fifth one that I put in. I put it in recently and they were the first to call. And I was like, this one? And so, I mean, this one is pretty big. And I'm like, they called, they were talking. I just got off the phone about a few hours ago, talking with the recruiter. And that's powerful. But it came at a time where I was standing. I'm waiting for a callback.

16:56 I don't want to send any messages to anybody. I'm waiting for a callback. And the least one that I thought would call me back was the one that called me back, which is going to change my whole life again, which is powerful, right? So remember, take your position, stand, and watch me. It says, watch God. That is not weakness, that is trust. Another one, I think it's point three, stand on what God has spoken. I just shared a couple of examples, and this brings us to something very important. What are you standing on? Because everybody is standing on something. Some people are standing on money, standing on a job, a relationship, people's approval, a title, a plan.

17:38 Some are standing on what they can see. But scripture teaches us to stand on something stronger. He says, Stand on the Word of God And so let's go to Matthew. Excuse me, 24 verse 35. And it tells us here, it says, 24 verse 30, heaven and earth should pass away, but my word should not pass away. Wow. Everything, everything around you may change, but God does not change. His word does not change. His character does not change. And what, and that is why standing is not just about standing still. It's about knowing what are you standing on? Are you standing on the Word of God? Are you standing on your faith in Jesus?

18:23 Are you standing on the power and might of the Father? Amen. What are you standing on? Just standing there don't mean anything. What are you thinking on? What are you saying with your mouth? And one thing that my pastor is covering, when he even mentioned the standing part, I was like, What? He was mentioning that and he went into great detail regarding what standing means. And so he said that standing means standing on God's covenant. We're going to cover a lot of that in the Abraham on Abraham about this covenant that God has with Abraham. That is part of our covenant. But when you think about a covenant, what does a covenant mean?

19:04 You know, we hear this in the church, but we kind of, the people assume that we know, but I'll never want you to assume. I'm going to tell you what a covenant is. A covenant is a serious promise and agreement that God establishes. When God makes a covenant, he binds himself to what he has spoken. God made a covenant with Abraham. And it says in Genesis 12, 2 to 3, it says, And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and I will make thy name great. And it should be, and it goes on and on. Let me find it, Genesis 12. Because whatever he says to Abraham, we get the same thing. And so there's a preacher at a conference who said, let's say my thing.

19:46 And I said, yeah, I want the same thing that Abraham has. And so say that with me. I want the same thing. Let's read Genesis 12, 2 to 3. Now the Lord has said unto Abraham, Get thee out of thy country and from thy kindred and from thy father's house into a land where I will show thee. And I will make of thee a great nation. I will bless thee. I make thy name great, and thou should be a blessing. And I will bless him that bless thee and curse him that curses thee. And in thee should all families of the earth be blessed. So Abraham departed as the Lord had spoken unto him. And Lot was with him. And Abraham was seventy and five years old when he departed. out of Haran. Abraham took Sarai, his wife, and Lot, his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the soul that they had gotten in Haram.

20:35 And they went forth to go into the land of Canaan, and it was the land of Canaan they came. And Abraham passed through the land onto a place of Sycam, onto the plain of, Moreh, and then Canaanites, when was them in the land. So we know the Canaanites were not white. We know that Abraham did not go to a white land. He went to a land with the Canaanites. And we know a lot about them. We've covered that. In the Black History series. And verse seven, and the Lord appeared unto Abraham and said unto them, I see what I give this land and they build it an altar unto the Lord who appeared unto them. So we see here that God said, I'm going to bless those that bless you.

21:18 And God told him to go, but he didn't tell take Lot. So we'll talk a lot about Lot's story later too. So we see here also in Genesis 17, let's look at Genesis 17, seven, still the same story about covenant. 17.7, it says, And I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and thy seed after thee, and their generation for an everlasting covenant. To be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for everlasting possession, and I will be their God. Abraham had to learn how to stand on what God had spoken, even when he didn't even see it.

22:03 God promised Abraham descendants, but Abraham got older. Remember, Sarah got older and then there was no kids, but God promised him some youth, some children, right? Yet, we find out in Romans 4.20, let's go to Romans 4.20. We know Sarah, we carry a little ball. Sarah had a baby, But think about that. God spoke to them at 75 years old where, how am I going to have a baby when I'm 75 years old? Based on nature, that's impossible. But we have a God where all things are possible. Or verse 20 to 21. And it says, and I'm going to start at 19. It says, and being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body, now dead when he was about 100 years old.

22:49 Neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb. He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God and being fully persuaded that that what he has promised, he was also able to perform. There it is. That is standing. Abraham's still on the promises of God. Circumstances said impossible. Age said impossible. Natural situations said impossible. But Abraham came to this conclusion. If God's promised it, then God can perform it. So when God says, what if this job is temporary? Then I had to figure he has something new for me. What that new is, I don't know.

23:32 So faith is not always knowing, but faith is stepping out on God's word. Because once God said it, it's just consider it done, I like to say. So now we're going to stand on the covenant. So what does it mean when you stand on your covenant? Stand on what God has spoken to you. Stand on his word. Stand on his promises. Stand in the relationship with him. Stand in what Christ has accomplished for you. Do not let circumstances make you abandon what God has said. Hebrews 6.13 reminds us, For when God made a promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no other, he swore by himself. Hebrews 6.18 tells us that it's impossible for God to lie.

24:14 So your confidence is not about your ability to make anything happen. Your confidence is in the character of the one who has made the promise. And I know if I ask you to raise your hand, how many believe God will answer your prayer? You raise your hand. But how many people will wait until he answers that prayer instead of trying to make it happen for yourself? You know, the next part is about having done all. So let's go back to Ephesians. Paul says, having done all. So you done done everything. You done confessed, you done prayed, you done fasted. You know, you done believed, you done believed, you done believed. And you have done it all. What did he tell you to do next? Sometimes when we think about that works. That phrase hits you differently, right? Because when you really have done everything you know to do, you have prayed, you obeyed, you forgave, you prepared, you showed up, you sought counsel, you read the word, you did what God asked you to do, and the situation still has not changed.

25:09 So what do you do now? Paul says, stand. Standing does not mean doing nothing. Standing means I have done what God required of me. I refuse to become anxious trying to do what only God can do. Now that's standing. How many try to get in God's way and make it happen? Does it work for you? No, it doesn't. It creates more debt, more stress, more disappointment. Because God said, if you're going to do it, then I'm not going to do it, right? So get out of God's way. Another thing on how to stand is this one. I love this one. It's Hebrews 10.35. And it tells us, do not throw away your confidence. Your confidence in what? It says in verse 10.35, cast not away, therefore, your confidence, which has great recompense of reward.

25:55 Recompense mean money, reward mean money or whatever you need. Recompense of reward. Don't throw that away. Verse 36 says, for you have need of patience. That's a bad word. That after you have done the will of God, you might receive the promise. Did you hear that? After you have done the will of God, there may be a period between obedience and fulfillment. We know that. And in that space, you stand. Do not throw away your confidence because the answer has not arrived yet. Do not abandon what God said because the timeline has become uncomfortable. And do not mistake delay for denial. You need to just stand.

26:35 I like this one. Stand fast in your faith. Let's go to 1 Corinthians 16, 13. I'm giving a lot of scriptures because I want to build your faith up so you can stand and watch God show up and show out on your behalf. 1 Corinthians 16, 13. And it tells us here, watch ye stand fast in the faith. Quit you like men and be strong. It says stand fast in the faith, quit you like men and be strong. That phrase, stand fast in the faith, that means faith has a position. Faith does not change in confession. Every time circumstances change, faith says, I still believe God.

27:19 I still trust his character. I still believe in his word. I still believe he is faithful. Habit 2, 4 says, the just should live by faith. 2 Corinthians 5, 7 says, for we walk by faith and not by sight. Sometimes what you see will challenge what God said. That is when you stand. You know, so when God said, told Abraham, you're going to have children, but yeah, he's getting older and older and not one child popped out. Abraham had an opportunity to quit or continue to stand because God said he was going to have children. He needed to continue standing. We can look at our bank account. God says, I'm going to make you rich.

28:02 I'm going to increase you more and more what God told me. And at the time I'm thinking like, okay, increases, let's look at time for increases. Does that mean we'll take that little raise you got? Oh, that's the increase. When God speaks of increase, it's not small, it's big. When God tells us all you can ask or imagine, that's big. So we have to get out of that little bitty idea of. We want to believe God. And little is good. Don't despise small beginnings. Don't despise the small raise. But when God says, I'm going to increase you more and more, I think there's a little bit more to it than that. But he wants us to walk by faith, not be moved by what you see, not be moved what people are said, you know.

28:43 And sometimes what we see will challenge what God said. But we are faith people. We know in Corinthians, it tells us, you know, the things you see are subject to change. So when you see it and it's not matching what God has told you, you can say, oh, no, that is subject to change. No, that is subject to change. You know, and then your faith will begin to, you won't accept it. You won't say, oh, man, still look the same. No, that's subject to change. And when it changes, I'm telling you, it melts your heart. Another one is stand fast in liberty. Let's go to Galatians 5.1. We got to stand fast in liberty. We can't be quitters.

29:25 We have to be able to stand fast in liberty. 5.1 tells us, Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled against with the yoke of bondage. Wow, he says, stand fast, therefore, in the liberty. So you're free. One scripture, what it tells, I think it's in one translation, it says, get free and stay free. Do not return to something God already delivered you from. If God has brought you out, stand. If God broke the chain, stand. If God has given you freedom, stand. Do not allow an old voice, an old habit, an old fear, or an old relationship to put you back into bondage.

30:05 So it says stand in your liberty, but also stand in your freedom. Next one, stand fast in one spirit. What? Stand fast in one spirit. Go to me in Philippians. Verse chapter one, verse 27. And it says, only let your conversation. It said, only let your conversation be as it become, become of the gospel of Christ. That whether I come and see you or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs. Is this right? Philippians 1, 27. Here it goes. Yep. It sounded different. I come and see you or else absent. I may hear of your affairs that you stand fast in one spirit with one mind together for the faith and the gospel.

30:47 Standing doesn't always have to be by yourself. Standing could be people standing with you. Moses had Aaron and her. Paul had fellow believers. Jesus sent his disciples out together. Sometimes strength looks like saying, I need somebody to pray for me. There is no weakness in that. Sometimes God keeps us standing through the people he places beside us. Remember, you're not in this by yourself. Ask somebody to pray for you. Stand in agreement with that person. Let's go to Colossians 4.12. And Colossians tells us here, stand perfect and complete. We're talking about standing. Colossians 4.12 tells us to stand. And so, after us, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluted to you always, laboring fervently for you in prayer, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.

31:43 So that gives us another dimension of standing. Standing is not stubbornness. Standing doesn't mean I'm never changing. I'm never moving. I am doing whatever I want. No. Biblical standing allows us to remain submitted to God's will. We stand where God tells us to stand. And when God tells us to move, we move. Objective is not to stand in our own will, but to stand in the will of God. So there's a different type of standing. You ever had maybe a two-year-old, three-year-old, even they get a little older, they get stubborn and they don't want to move. That's a stand, but it's a rebellious stand. Another thing God tells us here, stand against the enemy.

32:25 I want to fill your ear with some good things so you can stand against the enemy. That's what it's all about. We're going to go to James 4, verse 7. And it says, Submit yourself, therefore, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Remember, submit yourself, therefore, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Notice the order. There's order to everything. First submit to God, then resist the devil. And you cannot properly stand against the enemy while resisting God. Our authority comes from our alignment with God. I like 1 Peter 5.8. 1 Peter 5.8 tells us, Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, as a royal lion, walks about seeking whom he may devour.

33:17 Verse 9 says, Whom resist steadfast in faith, knowing that the same affliction are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. Again, resist, remain steadfast. Stand. The devil wants movement. He wants fear to move you. He wants offense to move you. He wants disappointment to move you. He wants temptation to move you. He wants accusation to move you. He wants exhaustion to move you. But God says stand. I love this one. The house that stood. Go with me to Matthew 7. Because God wants us to stand. That's why you put that, you know, your side, your feet. You've got those stakes in the bottom so that you can stand firm in what God said. He can move you, but your feet is still there. No yardage is taken.

34:08 Let's go to Matthew 7, 24 to 25. Therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them, I will liken them unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat that house. And it fell nigh, for it was founded on a rock. And everyone that heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them should be likened unto a foolish man, who has built his house upon the sand. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon the house. And it fell, and a great fall was fall of it.

34:50 Think about that. Jesus shows us a picture. He says, a person who hears his word and does them is like a wise man who builds his house on a rock. Then the rain descended, the floods came, the winds blew and beat up that house. But Jesus said, it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock. Notice something, the rock did not keep the storm from coming. The rock kept the house standing when the storm came. And that is what the word of God does. That is what truth does. That is what covenant does. And that is what knowing God does. It gives you something solid beneath your feet. In the floods in Nepal, China, there were a house that was standing.

35:34 The floods came and it was going around them and they were still on the porch calling out for help. That's powerful. That's standing. That house was built on a rock and that's how we should be. Everything is going around us, floods, tornadoes, storms, but yet we stand on God's word. And yet they live to tell the story. Not many lived to tell the story, but they had an opportunity to tell the story. So what are you standing on? Once again, what brings us to a serious question is what are you standing on? Because the storm reveals foundation. If you are standing on people's approval, you will shake when the people reject you.

36:14 If you are standing on money, it will shake when the finances change. If you're standing on your title, it will shake when the position change or if they close it down, right? If you are standing on a relationship, you may shake when the relationship changes you. Paul 6, Paul, Psalm 62, 6 says, he only is my rock and my salvation. He is my defense and I will not be moved. Not, nothing around me will ever be moved. But because God is my rock, I do not have to move with everything around me. Come on now. Things are shaking. You don't got to move. They say the economy is bad, but then God calls you to a different place to go.

36:55 And you're like, oh my gosh. And paying you more money. You're like, oh my gosh. They said the economy was bad. Not in God's economy. Let's understand this one. God will establish you. Psalms 42. God will establish you. Remember, we're holding on to God. Remember the armor is God's, you know, everything belongs to God. We know that belongs to him. Then it's his responsibility to keep us safe. Let's go to Psalms 40 verse 2. God will establish you. And it says, he brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay and set my feet upon a rock and establish my goings. God does not just pull you out.

37:37 He establishes your feet. 1 Peter 5.10 says, But the God of all grace, after you have suffered a while, makes you perfect, establish, and strengthens you. I want to put that in your eyes. Let's go to 1 Peter 5.10. I want to get you there. Because this is a powerful scripture. All of it's powerful, but I want to get to this one. I'll get to all of them. 1 Peter 5.10. 1 Peter 5.10. Let's read it. It says, But the God of all grace, who hath called us into his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. I love that. Establish, strengthen, and settle. God wants you spiritually settled.

38:21 Not tossed about by every opinion, not moved by every rumor, not panicked by every change, not shaken by every attack established. Do not be moved. Psalm 16.8 says, I have set the Lord always before me because he is at my right hand. I should not be moved. Do not be moved. Psalms 125 tells us, They that trust in the Lord should be as Mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth forever. And in 1 Corinthians 15, I want to look that one up. 1 Corinthians 15 says. Therefore, 1558, therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.

39:08 For as much as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. He said, be steadfast and unmovable, standing. The biblical message is consistent. Sometimes standing just means waiting, right? Let's go to Isaiah 40, verse 31. Isaiah 40, verse 31. It says, but they that wait on the Lord should renew their strength. They should model. With wings as eagles. They should run and not be weary, and they should walk and not faint. Waiting doesn't mean God forgot you. Waiting doesn't mean God changed his mind. Waiting does not always mean you missed him. Sometimes waiting is where God's strength strengthens your ability to stand.

39:53 That's happened many times for me. It's like, okay, you get encouragement. That's why you have to go to church. You have to read your Bible because trying to stand without your word, your sword, try to stand without your righteousness, trying to stand without your truth, you're not going to make it. But let's continue. Psalms 27, 14 says, Wait on the Lord, be of good courage, and he should strengthen thy heart. You may need another strategy. You may need strength. Let's go to Galilee. I love this scripture. You can be weary and still be standing. Come on. It's like, if you've ever been, I've been to Police Academy and I went through another academy just recently. And sometimes you're thinking like, this doesn't take all that. You know, it doesn't take all that.

40:39 But God says it does take all that. It takes all that. Let's go to Galatians 6.9. 6.9, it tells us, and let us not be weary in well-doing for in due season, we should reap if we faint not. So we see that there's some fainting that can happen. Scripture says that you can't become tired while doing the right thing. You can't get weary while obeying. You can't become discouraged while walking in purpose. You can love God and still get tired, but tired does not mean you're defeated. Isaiah 40, 29 tells us, we just read Isaiah 49, 20, we read Isaiah 40, 30. But right here it says, he giveth power to the faint and to them that have no might, he increases strength. Even the point of standing, God is still there.

41:28 You see, that's the whole point of this extra scriptures is to help you understand that. Yeah, you all suited up in your armor. And then in the scripture throughout, as we did telling you to stand, and we're thinking like we're standing on our own. No, we're standing with God. God has to move people in places and things to get things in order so that you can get where you need to go. How long would you wait for him? He can do it in a minute. He can do it in a flash. Or he can do it over time. And over time, he is giving you, building you up, strengthening your inner man. You know, and sometimes you've said, I can't even, I can't stand no more. Then you quit. And then the next day, your promise ride right by the house because you gave up too soon.

42:12 Barely standing is still standing. And the God who told you to stand is also the God who has promised to strengthen you. So he's going to make you wait. He's going to make you stand. But he's going to be the God that's going to strengthen you in your standing and in your waiting. Come on now. Next one. When you fall, get back up. Oh my gosh. Let's go to Proverbs 24. When you fall, get back. 24, 16. It says, for a just man falleth seven times and rises up again, but the wicked shall fall into mischief. Maybe you stumbled. Get up. Maybe you became discouraged. Get up.

42:54 Up. Maybe fear got the best of you for a moment. Get up. Maybe you questioned God. Get up. Standing is not pretending you never struggle. Standing is refusing to remain down. Micah 7, 8 says, rejoice not against me, O my enemy. When I fall, I shall arise. Think about this. You having this attitude, all these scriptures should encourage you. You got all the equipment. You're standing therefore you stand, stand, withstand. But as you're standing, things are happening. And my question is, are you still standing? If you're barely standing, you're standing. Let's continue. We're almost finished. The whole armor was built for this.

43:37 Now look back at the entire series. Truth kept alive from becoming your foundation. Righteousness guarded your heart and your character. Peace steadied your feet. Faith quenched your fiery darts. Salvation guarded your mind and reminded you who you belong to. The word of God gave you something to answer the enemy with and faith kept you connected to God. Every piece was prepared you for this to stand. The arm was never about looking powerful. It was about remaining established when the battle came. Powerful. The goal was never to look impressive. The goal was to still be standing when the dust settles. So what does standing look like?

44:20 Standing looks like praying when you don't feel like praying. Setting your alarm clock and getting up out that bed because you made a commitment to God. That's what it looks like. Standing looks like believing God's word when your emotions are saying something different. Standing looks like maintaining integrity when compromising would be easier. Standing looks like choosing peace when panic is knocking on your door. Standing looks like lifting your shield when fiery darts come. Standing looks like answering fear with scripture. Standing looks like refusing to go back to what God delivered you from. Standing looks like trusting God when you cannot see what he is doing. And standing looks like saying, I don't understand this season, but I know my God. Standing looks like saying, God promised it.

45:06 I believe that he is able to perform it. Standing looks like, this, I will not abandon what God has spoken because the promise has not manifest. Standing may look like different things for all of us, but long as you're breathing and long as you're standing in faith with God, you will see the breakthrough. You will see the answer. You will cross the finish line. Your watermark moment. So here's the final watermark moment for the Arm of God series. Take your spiritual water break and ask yourself, who am I standing on? Am I standing on what people said or what God said? Am I standing on what I see or what God promised? Am I standing on fear or faith? Am I standing on circumstances or covenant?

45:47 And then ask, what is trying to move me? Fear, disappointment, delay, rejection, weariness, unanswered prayer, the opinions of other. People, an attack on your mind, whatever it is, go back to the word, find what God said, plant your feet there and stand. Our final watermark. When the battle comes, remember truth. Know what God said. Remember righteousness. Keep your heart and your life aligned with him. Peace, plant your feet in the gospel. Faith, lift your shield. Salvation, guard your mind and remember who you belong to. The word, answer the lie with it is written. Prayer, keep talking to God. Watch, persevere, pray for others.

46:31 And we have done everything God has told you to do. Stand, stand on this word, stand in faith, stand in his promise, stand in your freedom, Stand in his will. Stand on the covenant. Stand knowing that God cannot lie. Stand knowing that he has promised he is able to perform. And when you cannot see what's next, stand. Let's pray. Father, thank you for bringing us through this journey in your word. Thank you for the whole armor of God. Thank you for truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation in your word. Thank you for prayer. And Father, thank you for teaching us how to stand. Teach us to stand when the evil day comes.

47:11 Teach us to stand when circumstances changes. Teach us to stand when fear comes against our mind. Teach us to stand when the promise seems delayed. Teach us to stand when we have done everything we know to do. Remind us that our foundation is not what we see. Our foundation is you. You are a rock. You are a salvation. You are a defense. Your word cannot fail. Your promises are sure. You cannot lie. And you have promised. And what you have promised, you will perform. Father, establish our feet. Strengthen the weary. Lift the discouraged. Restore those who have fallen. Give courage to those who are afraid. Give endurance to those who have been waiting. And give us faith like Abraham.

47:56 Faith that does not stagger at your promise through unbelief, but became strong, giving glory to God. Fully persuaded that what you have promised, you are able to perform. When the wind blows, keep us standing. When the darts fly, keep us standing. When the enemy whispers, keep us standing. When people walk away, keep us standing. When doors close, keep us standing. Come on, when answers are delayed, keep us standing. And when you cannot understand what you are doing, when we can't understand what you are doing, keep us standing. Father, when the season is over, let our destiny be stood on the word. I stood on the promise. I stood in faith. I stood in covenant. And God was faithful. He did not stand because we did not stand because we were strong enough.

48:40 We stood because the Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. Having done all, we will stand. In Jesus' name, amen. This is your host, Connie Morris. This has been the Diary of a Black Woman podcast. And this is our final episode on standing. Remember once a week, it'd be every Tuesday. This is enough information. You can look up those scriptures, pray on it. I would love to hear what God does for your life as you stand on his word, as you stand on his promises and you don't waver. And having done all to stand, you stand therefore. And we thank you, Lord. In Jesus' name, amen. And I'll see you on the next episode. Goodbye.

49:22 Before we close today, I don't want to take for granted that everyone listening knows Jesus personally. If you have listened to this episode or any other episodes and felt something stirring in your heart. Maybe you know about God, but you're not sure you truly know him. Maybe you grew up in church, walked away, got hurt, became tired, and never fully surrendered your life to Jesus. I want you to know this. God loves you. He has not forgotten you. He is not waiting to shame you. He is calling you home. The Bible says in Romans 10, 9, if you declare with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

50:06 Salvation is not about being perfect. It's about surrendering to the one who is perfect. Jesus died for your sins, rose again, and made a way for you to be forgiven, restored, and made new. So right where you are, you can pray this prayer with me. Lord Jesus, I come to you today with an open heart. I believe you are the Son of God. I believe you died on the cross for my sins. And I believe that God raised you from the dead. Today, I confess that I need you. I repent of my sins. I ask you to forgive me, cleanse me, and make me brand new. Jesus, come into my heart.

50:47 Be my Lord, my Savior, my Redeemer, and my King. I surrender my life to you. I give you my past, my present, and my future. Teach me how to walk with you. Fill me with your Holy Spirit. Lead me in truth, healing, obedience, and love. From this day forward, I belong to you. In Jesus' name, amen. If you pray that prayer from your heart, I want you to know that heaven has heard you. This is not the end. This is only the beginning of your walk with Jesus. Find a Bible-believing church. Begin reading the Word of God. Pray daily and ask the Holy Spirit to help you grow.

51:27 God is not looking for perfection from you. He is inviting you into relationship, transformation, and eternal life through Jesus Christ. And remember, you are loved. You are not forgotten. And God still has a purpose for your life. Thank you for listening to the Diary of a Black Woman podcast. Until next time, keep walking in truth, faith, and freedom. Family, thank you for spending time with me today. To every woman listening who has ever felt hidden, overlooked, or pushed aside, hear me clearly.

52:11 God has not forgotten you, and neither have I. Now let's go before the Lord and close this out with a word from God. Because someone out there needs this reminder today. Jeremiah 29, 11, verses 11 through 14. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then when you call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you, you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and bring you back from captivity.

52:56 Father God, we thank you for your word, that it is true, that it is living, that it is for us. You said you know the plans you have for us, plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us hope and a future. So today we receive that, not just in our minds, but in our hearts. When we feel overlooked, remind us you still see us. When we feel forgotten, remind us you still have a plan. And when we feel hidden, remind us you are still working. Your word says that when we call on you, you will listen. So we call on you now. Hear us. Strengthen us. Guide us. Help us to seek you with our whole heart, not halfway, not sometimes, but fully.

53:40 And as we seek you, let us find you in every season, in every place. Even the hidden one. Restore what was lost, renew what feels broken, and remind us that nothing in our lives is wasted in your hand. Lord, we trust you, we believe you, and we stand on your word. In Jesus' name, amen. This is Diary of a Black Woman podcast, and I'm your host, Connie Morris, and I'll see you on the next episode.