10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.

11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.

We have not been given a faith of weakness. No, we have been given strength in the Lord to stand firm. The enemy will throw everything at us while we are in this world. But Christ overcame this world so that we have hope.

But do not mistake the many schemes and tactics of our enemy. He will seek to diminish our faith through breaking us down. Even in great adversity, we must stand firm against all of these things and more.

Our scripture goes on to discuss the Armor of God and how we are to use each piece to protect ourselves. How each aides us in standing firm.

At times we may feel beaten down and that is ok. Know that when we do, we must call upon God even more to uphold us. The key here is that being beaten down does not have to mean giving up ground. Standing firm may, at times, just mean staying put. It is a stubborn determination to not back-slide or turn away from the Rock of our Salvation.

Standing firm may not mean surging ahead, but simply keeping ones place.