Be Strong In The Lord

VERSE OF THE DAY: ~ Ephesians 6:10-18  “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— “

What an hour we are privileged to live in! There are so many things happening in the world right now. Events that give us as God’s church the opportunity to shine brighter, maybe than ever before. But, in order to remain effective as soldiers in God’s army, we must keep our heads straight and our hearts right. Paul’s letter to the Ephesian church blesses us with many valuable and relevant gems of truth that will surely bring God’s people to victory as we stand firm on these principles from God’s word. Let’s break it down, shall we?

       We must first and foremost remember our true source of strength and power. “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might!” (Verse 10) Psalms 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength a very present help in trouble.” Our government may or may not rise to the occasion, our emergency services may be too busy, but our God is always here!

            Next, we must recognize who our enemy is, and remember who our enemy is not! 1Jn 5:19 tells us “The whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.” Our enemy is not a worldly government or official, our enemy is not ISIS, China, Russia nor is it any special interest group, nor our spouse or in-laws. The enemy is the wicked one, the adversary of all that is good. Verse 12 tells us our enemy is the ruler of the darkness of this world, that we do not fight against flesh and blood but against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly realms.

            Our weaponry is not fleshly, or worldly either! 2 Cor 10:3-5 tells us “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God…” Today’s text declares that our armor is the armor of God. It is made of righteousness, faith, truth, God’s word, being prepared in the gospel (the good news of God’s kingdom), and of course, our salvation.

            Prayer, supplication and prayer in the Spirit, persevering with all watchfulness, and praying for the saints. Verse 18 is a description of where most of our battle is won! We win in prayer, not just casually tossing up a word or request to the Man upstairs but persevering prayer. This includes corporate and individual prayer that prevails over situations and circumstances. This, in tandem with witnessing and declaring God’s kingdom with love is where the battle is won!

PRAYER: Father I thank You for the awesomeness of being Your beloved son/daughter! I ask today for greater understanding, of how to be more effective in my role towards advancing Your kingdom. I agree together with the rest of Your saints and declare out loud that the enemy is defeated as Your majesty rules and reigns on the earth today. I thank you because I know that You are my refuge and my strength and that Your effectual power is working through me ever since the day I was born of Your Spirit. Thank You Jesus because You have overcome the world and put every principality and under Your feet. Be glorified through me Jesus! Amen.”

VERSE FOR FEARLESS LIVING!  ~ Joshua 8:1 “Now the Lord said to Joshua: “Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; take all the people of war with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land.”