Standing Firm ~ Isaiah 7

“If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.” Isaiah 7:9b NIV

              What is a life more than just a collection of days?  With the average life span on this planet in 2026 estimated to be 73.5 years, that allows each person 26,845 of those days.  And each of those days defines the life.  For truly what is done consistently within the days of a life, defines that life.  What is said, what is done, how others are treated, how you conduct your affairs, how you raise your family, how you spend your money, and how you recreate.  And, most importantly, who and what you believe in.  In fact, the latter defines a life more than all of the previous combined.  For what you truly believe in drives each one of the other factors to their eventual destination.  But beyond just what you believe in, have you ever really thought about a belief so deep and relentless that you grow to have faith in it?

              Everybody believes in something.  And what you believe in, you rely on.  You can believe in human love, the idea that what drives the plot of a Hallmark Christmas is sufficient to support the needs of a life.  You can believe in yourself, the concept that you are capable, sufficient, and reliable in all areas of life and you alone provide the power to get through life.  You can believe in others, the idea that you can choose wisely enough to select an individual that will never lie, cheat, or disappoint you.  You can believe in money, the notion that with enough of it you can purchase what you need in this life to satisfy those insatiable human itches.  You can believe in knowledge and intellect, recklessly chasing the notion that enough higher education and mental enlightenment will allow you to outthink others that are forced to succumb to the normal problems of life.  Yes, us humans are capable of believing in anything that promises us what we hope to glean from the many days that create a life.

              Isaiah chapter 7 finds a king in a pinch.  A pinch that is a direct result of what he believes in.  King Ahaz, one of the most evil kings that existed in the history of all Israelite kings, has been scheming.  Yes, he believes that he is crafty and clever enough to not simply outwit the words of the prophet Isaiah, but the very One that gave those Words to Isaiah, Almighty God.  You see, the neighboring giant of Assyria was bearing down upon Judah, the kingdom of Ahaz, and instead of faithfully believing in God, he instead chose to scheme and connivingly align himself with would-be allies.  Yet God will not be mocked, (Galatians 6:7) and king Ahaz is called out by God to make a declaration of whom he truly believes in.  For you see Ahaz, just as us many times, was waffling in truly being honest with the world about what he believed in.  He was internally believing in self, but speaking out loud that he believed in God.  But folks, the proof is in the pudding…even if your mouth tells the world you faithfully believe in God, the work of your hands will quickly and easily tell of your true source of belief.

              So as the prophet Isaiah calls upon king Ahaz to declare the true source of his faith, God issues these Words: (please note the difference in translations)

“If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.’” Isaiah 7:9b NIV

“Unless your faith is firm, I cannot make you stand firm.” Isaiah 7:9b NLT

“If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all.’” Isaiah 7:9b ESV

“If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established.” Isaiah 7:9b KJV

              What a powerful yet amazingly clear declaration from the Lord.  What Ahaz believed in would determine his future.  Where Ahaz placed his faith would dictate where his path led him.  And folks, this Godly declaration is not just for stubborn ol’ kings in the Old Testament book of Isaiah, it rings just as true for each and every heart that beats upon this planet today.

              Can you be truly honest with the man or woman in the mirror today about what and who you truly believe in?  For that vital bit of info will indeed determine your destination. When you encounter a situation that you do not understand, in whom or what will you have faith to guide you successfully through it?  When you face the trials and tribulations of this life that are guaranteed to come, the pain and confusion driving you to your knees, in whom will you have faith to comfort you and guide you into a better day?  When you suffer death taking a dear loved one, seeing you walking through the valley of the shadow of death, for whose hand will you reach to guide you out of that dark valley to a brighter tomorrow?  And by far the grandest of all, when you ponder the eternal destination of your soul, in whom or what will you have faith to guide you?  King Ahaz had to honestly address each of these questions as God called him to a point of decision about what he truly had placed his faith in.  God had made him a promise, would he place his faith in the promise of God?

              Today the single biggest promise of God exists in the person of Jesus Christ.  God sent His only Son here to this planet to be born of a virgin, live a life free of sin, die on a cross as a perfect sacrifice, be resurrected three days later, and finally ascend back into heaven to reign forever at the right hand of God the Father.  Every step of Christ’s journey was necessary and exists as a promise to all sinners today.  Anyone that calls upon the name of Jesus, admitting they are a sinner in need of a Savior, can and will be saved from the eternal damnation of their sin.  A promise has been made by Jesus.  A promise of eternal salvation.  A promise of a home in heaven with no more pain, no more tears, and no more death and sorrow.  A promise of perfect bliss existing eternally in the pure light of God in heaven.  But the same question exists for you today that existed for King Ahaz some 2,700 years ago.  God has made you a promise in Jesus Christ, will you have faith in that promise…or faith in something else?

If you are not firm in your faith in Christ, you will not be firm at all.  If you will not stand in your faith in Jesus, you will not stand at all.  The promises have been made…now you must decide where your faith truly lies.

Blessings ~ Dan

“He who has believed in Me and has been baptized, will be saved from the penalty of God’s wrath and judgment; but he who has not believed, will be condemned.” Mark 16:16 AMP

“And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6 ESV

“because everyone who has been (re)born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith” 1 John 5:4 CSB

dia de muertos 2025, Oaxaca, Mexico