By Shawn Blackmon
Most people watching a football game follow the ball. We watch the quarterback throw it, the receiver catch it and the running back fight for another yard. But there is another group on the field that rarely gets attention unless something goes wrong: the offensive line.
Their job isn’t glamorous. They may never touch the football or make the highlight reel. Sometimes their entire assignment is simply to get in position, plant their feet and refuse to let what is coming at them get through.
Sometimes, that’s exactly what faith looks like. We often measure progress by how far we’ve moved forward. We want the breakthrough, the promotion, the answered prayer, the open door and the visible victory. But what happens when you’ve prayed, cried, remained faithful and nothing seems to be moving? Sometimes God isn’t asking you to move forward. Sometimes He’s asking you to just hold the line.
Paul writes in Ephesians 6:10, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.” Notice Paul doesn’t simply say, “Be strong.” He tells us where our strength comes from: the Lord. That’s important because some of us are exhausted from trying to hold everything together ourselves. We’re trying to hold our families together, hold our marriages together, hold our emotions together, hold our faith together and still smile like everything is fine.
But you cannot hold the line in your own strength. God doesn’t just tell you to stand; He supplies the strength you need to stand.
Maybe you don’t need God to immediately change the situation. Maybe today you simply need Him to give you enough strength not to let the situation change you. Paul then reminds us, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood.”
Pressure has a dangerous way of making us fight the wrong people. Your spouse isn’t your enemy. Your children aren’t your enemy. Your family isn’t your enemy. Even the person who disappointed you isn’t ultimately the enemy. If the enemy can convince us to fight each other, we’ll create the very opening he’s looking for.
That’s why Paul keeps returning to one instruction throughout this passage: Stand. Not run. Not retreat. Not surrender. Stand.
What do you do when you’ve prayed and nothing has changed? Stand. What do you do when you’ve done right and still get hit? Stand. What do you do when you’re tired, frustrated, disappointed and don’t know what else to do? Stand.
Sometimes victory doesn’t look like gaining another 10 yards. Sometimes victory is refusing to give up the ground God has already given you. Standing still isn’t the same thing as doing nothing. Sometimes standing is the fight.
And there is another reason you can’t give up: There may be something behind you worth protecting. Your family is behind you. Your children are behind you. Your integrity is behind you. Your testimony is behind you. Your faith is behind you. And there is another generation coming behind you, watching how you handle the pressure.
There comes a moment when somebody has to plant their feet and declare, “It may have gotten through before, but it stops right here.” Somebody has to hold the line in the marriage. Somebody has to hold the line for the family. Somebody has to hold the line when compromise would be easier. Somebody has to say, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
So, here’s the question I want you to wrestle with this week:
Where is the pressure in my life trying to make me give up ground God called me to stand on? Identify it. Maybe it’s pressure to compromise your values. Maybe you’re exhausted from praying for your family. Maybe you’ve been fighting to keep your faith while life keeps hitting you. Maybe you’re tempted to walk away because standing has become painful.
Don’t surrender ground just because you’re tired. You may not feel like you’re winning because you haven’t moved forward. But if the enemy pushed and you’re still standing, that’s a victory too.
Paul says, “Having done all, to stand firm.” When you’ve prayed, stand. When you’ve cried, stand. When you’ve done everything you know to do, stand.
Plant your feet. Trust God’s strength. Know what you’re fighting. Remember what’s behind you. And when the pressure comes — and it will come — don’t give up the ground God called you to occupy. Hold the line.
Let’s pray.
Father, when pressure comes, give me the strength to stand. When I’m tired, hold me up. When I’m tempted to retreat, remind me of what You have called me to protect. Help me recognize the real enemy so I don’t waste my strength fighting the wrong battles. Strengthen my faith, protect my family, guard my integrity, and help me stand on Your Word. And after I’ve done everything I know to do, give me the courage to keep standing. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Walk in grace. Stand in truth. Live blessed.
