Ephesians 6:10-20
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11. 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, 15. and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. 19. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20. for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. (NIV)
Maybe you are emotionally strong. Maybe you can handle a lot of pressure, work for long hours, day after day after day. Maybe you are the one who is the emotional anchor in your family and everyone leans on you for support.
There are many kinds of strength. But the most important one is the strength you need in the Lord. True Christian strength is not of the body. True Christian strength is of the spirit, measured in faithfulness, trust, and perseverance. By Grace, we live by Faith.
Our (true) struggle is against powers and principalities and the Lord wants you to be strong.
There are many things to fight in this world. For instance, you can fight sickness, fatigue, death of loved ones, failure of your plans and hopes, questions without answers, and pain without reason. Yes, we fight in this world. But we also fight in the spiritual world.
It is Satan who opposes you. It is he who seeks to sift you and destroy your bodies and souls in the eternal blackness that will be his unending grave of torment.
In order for you to be strong, in order for you to fight the good fight of the faith, you must put on faith, righteousness, and salvation. You must use the gospel which is the Word of God, and last, but not least, you must pray.
Will you? Will you pray, will you be faithful, will you trust in the Lord and rest in His provision for victory in Christ? You must decide. You must act.
