Hold the Line

It was whilst I was worshiping in church one Sunday morning; the band was thumping, the congregation were singing, hands in the air with the Holy Spirit moving across the room. Then I heard the words… “Hold The Line”. The voice wasn’t audible, it spoke clear from within me, it was a voice I had heard many times before, it was the voice of the Holy Spirit. I knew instantly what He was saying to me, but He didn’t cease or even seem to pause for breath, over and over again He said “Hold The LIne”.

It was like a rally cry, a mantra, a line from a Hollywood movie. ‘Hold The Line’! The words penetrated my heart and although my spirit was roused and my heart was racing, I also felt weak, fearful and to some extent a little bit inadequate. It was like I was responding on two entirely different levels – I wanted to ‘Hold The Line’. I could see myself stepping up to the mark, taking my position and holding it with my face as flint, standing strong like a stone wall ready for enemy attack, but at the same time I was acutely aware of my vulnerability. Could I ‘Hold the Line’ undeterred without losing ground? Tears began to flow down my face and as I continue to worship God in song, I can hear my voice breaking into a quivering mess unable to belt out the notes of the song. All the time the Holy Spirit continued to speak the same words over and over. ‘Hold The Line”.

I realised I had let so many things slip; in my home, church and personal life. I wasn’t holding the line like I knew I should. Jesus paid the price for my sin and sickness, yet I knew I had allowed sickness to gain space in my home and in the lives of my children. I knew that I had allowed myself to wain in my expectation of God’s supernatural provision, despite God clearly proclaiming in His word and demonstrating in my experience that He is my provider. I realised that I had lost ground in my expectation of God and His ability to save, even though I know that our Lord is Saviour and the ‘Gospel is the power of God unto salvation’. I have seen thousands come to know Christ throughout my ministry, yet I had lost my abundant expectation for God continually to save new converts. I was not holding the line. Tears continued to flow down my face and the Holy Spirit continued to say… “Hold The Line”. If I was going to spend my life holding the line, It was important that I didn’t try to do it in my own strength. I had to do it in the strength supplied by the Holy Spirit. I had clearly failed to ‘hold the line’, but I knew that the Holy Spirit would provide me with the strength I needed to carry on, stand my ground, hold the line and be a light to the world.

As the mantra continued, “Hold the Line” I realised that I was not alone. One man cannot “Hold The Line”. Instead, we stand shoulder to shoulder, each occupying our section of the line. We draw strength when we look to our right and to our left, as people – our brothers and sisters in Christ – stand with us, unmoved with steely determination as they do their part and “Hold the Line”.

Tears continued to flow down my face but I could feel the fear melt from my heart. I was not alone – I had the power of the Holy Spirit living in me and a sea of people standing with me side by side. I could “Hold the Line” and although there may be times when I might lose a step or two, I would always have those around me, and the Holy Spirit in me, to help me maintain my position and “Hold the Line”. I was left with a new and stronger resolve, I will re-establish my position, take my stance and “Hold the Line”.

The Sprit Lifts the Standard

Isaiah 59:19 (NKJV) So shall they fear The name of the LORD from the west, And His glory from the rising of the sun; When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him.

There are many verses of scripture that encourage us to ‘stand’ or “Hold the Line”, but for me it was this verse in Isaiah 59 that the Holy Spirit used to set His fire in my heart. At first glance it would appear that this verse does not involve any man or the wider body of Christ, but on further reflection we will see that the church has a huge role to play as the Holy Spirit does His work to “lift up the standard” against the enemy. In these New Testament days the Holy Spirit has come to live in us, the Church. It is in and through the people of God, that the Spirit of God will “lift up the standard”.

Acts 1:8 (NKJV) “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

John 16:13 (NKJV) “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own [authority], but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

The Holy Spirt comes to take up His residence in us, we are the temple in which He lives, and as we continue to yield our lives to Him, He will lead us into all truth. He gives us power to live as witnesses in the earth. Speaking forth the truth of the Kingdom of God, living and demonstrating the glorious life He has given us. As “the enemy comes in like a flood” the Spirit of the Lord will work through the church to “lift up a standard against Him”.

The Standard

I love the use of the word “standard” in this verse. In fact, the entire phrase “lift up a standard” is taken from the single Hebrew word, ‘Nus’ which can be translated as…

• to fly (to the attack) on horseback
• to put to flight
• to cause to disappear, hide

As the enemy rises, the Holy Spirit works through us to raise the “standard” so high that the flood becomes totally ineffective, it is ‘put to flight and caused ‘to disappear’. The ground is retained, the standard is maintained and we continue to stand in the fulness of all God has provided.

I recall seeing a car advert that boasted “airbags as standard”. The company had raised the bar of even their lowest priced model. They had taken a stand and established a standard for their cars. You wont find any of their cars without airbags. If you went to the car showroom and asked, “does this model come with airbags?”, you’ll hear the reply “air bags are standard!” In the same way the Spirit of the Lord raised a standard in the church. Jesus has overcome sin, He has overcome sickness, there is a new standard! Submitting to the standard of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God in our lives will take us to new levels of blessings, health and supernatural provision because these things are “standard” in the church of Jesus Christ and cause sickness, poverty, bondage to be ‘put to flight’ and disappear. It shouldn’t be a surprise when somebody is saved, healed, delivered, restored, blessed or never even gets sick, because it’s the standard in the Kingdom of God. King Jesus presides enthroned over His kingdom, He is in victory, He is Lord and He HAS conquered.

It is not our standard the Holy Spirit is going to lift up, it’s His standard. He is seeking to work in us, to transform us to His image and glory – so that we embody His nature and character; making us become the standard of God in the earth. Upholding truth, righteousness and the power of God.

Hold the Standard

When the Holy Spirit spoke to me, “Hold the Line”, I knew he was talking about the standard of blessings, health, hope and truth He has established in His word. I must hold to that line, that standard He has provided for me. It’s not a standard I have to attain, it is a standard I have been given by God’s divine grace, mercy and love.

Colossians 1:12-14 (NIV) giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. [13] For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, [14] in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

When we were saved, we did not receive salvation by works, we received salvation by grace through faith. We believe and so we have received all the inheritance of the Kingdom of God. God has positioned us in His domain, literally rescuing us from the ‘dominion of darkness’ and bringing ‘us into the Kingdom of the Son He Loves (Jesus)’. We do not need to gain any ground in the Kingdom of God. We have the ground, we are no longer entering enemy territory because every place where the soul of our foot shall tread belongs to us. We are simply to  occupy the position we have been gifted by our precious Saviour. It doesn’t say that we walk into the territories of flood waters and the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against the flood. It says: ‘when the enemy comes in’ – he comes looking for us. The devil prowls around seeking whom he may devour (1Peter 5:8). We have the standard, our biggest challenge is to get the “standard” of our divine inheritance; our divine victory and His supremacy embedded in our hearts and minds. So that our expectations, standards and beliefs are one with God Himself.

Ephesians 6:11-14 (NIV) Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. [12] For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. [13] Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. [14] Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,

Having been brought into this glorious new Kingdom where Jesus reigns supreme, we have no more advancing to do. Rather we simply grow-up in the knowledge of all we have received, including the power that’s working within us. Having been positioned, we stand. There is no longer ground to gain, will simply stand our ground against the devil’s schemes because it is our divine inheritance.

The Line of Truth

The first “line” that we are required to hold is the line of truth. We have already looked at John 16:13 (NKJV) which says, “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth…” one of the primary roles of the Holy Spirit is to guide us into “all truth”. God wants us to know the truth about Himself, His Kingdom and the fullness of the salvation we have received. We will only ever find authoritative or trustworthy truth in the Word of God because there is no other source that originates from God. The truth we find in the Word of God will set us free from all that would seek to ensnare us.

John 8:31-32 (NIV) To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. [32] Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

It is only as we chose to hold (or continue) in His word that we will truly become disciples in our actions. The New King James version of the Bible says, “if you abide in my word, you are my disciples indeed”; highlighting that our deeds will reflect those of true disciples. So, understand and holding on to the truth of God’s word will literally help us to live as genuine disciples. That is why it is import for us continually to read the Word of God. It helps us, in these days of Godlessness, to maintain a fix on the truth, rather than be drawn away by the messages of the age in which we live. The Bible was not written just to give us something to do when there is nothing good on the television. The Bible presents us with divine and eternal truth that helps us to live holy and godly lives.

The Truth Sets Us Free

The very same truth that helps us to live as truth disciples in word and deed, is the same truth that sets us free. Before we were saved, we lived under a dominion of dark and godless thinking. We were bound by its cultures, attitudes and sinful, selfish behaviour. We had no freedom to enjoy the goodness of God or the greatness of His provision and salvation. When we were saved, God set us free from the dominion of darkness, giving us residence in His glorious Kingdom – which has no resemblance to the kingdom of darkness. It operates by a different culture entirely, a different heart and a different spirit. So, having changed our position from one dominion to another, we must learn how this new kingdom works. We must discover the benefits, operations and processes of this glorious kingdom because it is only when we discover these wonderful truths that we will be free to enjoy them. We must ‘hold’ to Jesus teaching and the Word of God. There is no other way to find freedom from all the negatives of darkness and experience the glorious freedom of the Light. It is impossible to enjoy a benefit you do not know you have. We are never likely to have faith for God’s provision if we do not know He is prepared to provide for us. We must “Hold the Line” of truth.

The Enemy Flood – Lies

Understanding the truth is clearly an important part of living a full and free Christian life. As we seek to ‘hold to’ Jesus’ teaching we much realise that we have a common enemy who is continually seeking to steal the truth from us. As soon as we gain new knowledge of God in His Word, the devil will attempt to snatch it away, just as is described in the parable of the sower (Mark 4).

Ephesians 6:11-14 (NIV) Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

The devil comes with ‘schemes’ – that is all he has – schemes! He no longer has power, he has been stripped of his power. The word translated schemes is the greek word ‘Methodeia’ which means…

• cunning arts
• deceit
• trickery

The devil’s main weapon against the church is deceit.  He has no power of his own, he only has lies and he will use his lies to cloak our minds from seeing the truth of God’s word. When he comes in like a flood, he comes with ‘deceit’, ‘trickery’ and ‘cunning artistry’, seeking to effect our stance in the ground we have inherited through God’s divine grace. The devil knows he cannot remove you from from your position in the Kingdom. So he will use all the trickery and deception he can to convince you that you have no benefits in the Kingdom of God. He can’t stop you living there, so he’ll try and stop you from benefiting from all God has supplied.

In our collective quest to “Hold the Line” of God’s blessing and the benefits of our sweet salvation, let’s remember that it is the Holy Spirit who lifts up the standard within us. We are not alone but we stand together, shoulder to shoulder as God’s people. When it comes to our inheritance we are no longer advancing, but standing in all we have received. Be blessed as you enjoy all the benefits of our salvation, take your stand and “Hold the Line”.