Author Darlene J Conard

Are we willing to plant our feet and stand unshaken against the voices that claw at our resolve—voices that plead, pressure, and manipulate, urging us to shrink back, to surrender what we know in the deepest part of our being to be true?

Friday, I saw something on Instagram that pierced me so deeply I wept. It was a young man in Iran, sitting alone in the middle of a street—no armor, no shield, no weapon—just the raw courage of a human soul pushed to its limit. His posture spoke louder than any speech: Enough is enough. His body was still, but his spirit was roaring. Surrounded by officers on motorcycles, men armed with authority and intimidation, he did not flinch. He sat there as if to say, If I die, I will die standing—standing for my dignity, my rights, my God-given worth.

And as I watched him, something stirred in me. I thought, That is exactly how I want to be when the enemy whispers from the shadows. When those dark, slithering voices try to make me doubt who I am in Christ, when they attempt to erode my authenticity, my calling, my identity—I want to sit in the middle of that spiritual street with the same holy defiance. I want my posture to declare, I will not surrender. I will not bow. I will not trade truth for comfort or silence.

Because courage isn’t always loud. Sometimes it looks like a single soul refusing to move. Sometimes it looks like tears streaming down your face while your spirit stands tall. And sometimes it looks like remembering who you are in Christ when every lie tries to convince you otherwise.

We have to be unshakable, looking Satan right in the eyes saying, “You are a liar, there is no truth in you and no matter how it looks, God’s promises are as silver refined in the fire” something has happened to me in the last past few months. It began in at the beginning of 2025. I’m not the same Darlene. I’m like that brave young man in the street. Esther made a bold declaration defying Haman’s evil strategy to wipe out an entire nation. She declared, Esther said, If I perish, I perish.

And in those words, she wasn’t courting death—she was declaring that truth was worth more than fear.

She was stepping into her God-given identity with a courage that didn’t come from certainty of outcome, but from certainty of purpose.”

Sometimes that’s exactly what faith looks like: a holy resolve that says, I will not bow to intimidation, confusion, or the enemy’s whispers. I will stand in the place God has positioned me, even if the cost feels high.

Your heart is echoing Esther’s posture.

It’s that same spiritual defiance demonstrated by the young man on the street in Iran—an unmovable stance that says:

“I will not surrender my truth.

I will not shrink back from who God says I am or my purpose.

If I perish, I perish—but I will perish standing.”

It’s not about seeking danger.

It’s about refusing to abandon your calling and purpose.

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”

1 Corinthians 15:58 (KJV)

Feel free to forward it to anyone you wish.  My mission is to encourage everyone to follow our Lord Jesus Christ with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. ©Darlene J. Conard Vision Ministries 2024.   This may not be republished or used without the author’s written consent. The photograph is AI-generated. Darlene J. Conard is also affiliated with Glory Carrier Ministries. If you have a prayer request, please email it to darlene.conard@hotmail.com, and my intercessors and I will pray.

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