Be Strong In The Lord

Be Strong In The Lord

Ephesians 6:10 -11

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."

When I consider the majesty of Almighty God, and the power of which He is, I am overwhelmed. He created the heavens and the earth and the majesty of the stars, mountains, valleys and all of nature. He is truly God. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, He leads us step by step on a narrow path. We learn to understand His love for us, and how He willingly teaches and protects us.

As we grow in faith and trust in Him we are often challenged to the depths of our spirit, and are called to stand firm in that faith and trust. We are told to "be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might."

But, what does that mean to be strong in the Lord? Many times we fall because we really haven't learned that to be strong means to be aware of how weak we are. That the battles that are fought are battles that we in ourselves cannot fight, but rather, by clinging to the Word of God, and resting in Him, we know that the battle is already won. His Word has so many promises, and we know God will never break a promise.

We must learn to trust Him completely, because He knows and understands all that will befall us. He has promised to be our refuge and we are not to be afraid, no matter the circumstances or those involved.

Nahum 1:7

"The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and He knoweth them that trust in Him."

Isaiah 41:10

"Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."

2 Timothy 4:18

"And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto His heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."

God deals with the spiritual battles that rage around us. Nothing that we say or do, in ourselves, will remedy what takes place. It must come from Him. Often the circumstances of the day can overwhelm us, because we may momentarily take our eyes and trust off Him. He is faithful, and will never abandon us. He allows us to struggle at times so that we may learn to lean on Him with complete trust and acceptance of what He is allowing in our lives.

Ephesians 3:16-21

" That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen."

Isaiah 40:31

"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint."

2 Corinthians 2:14

"Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of His knowledge by us in every place."

2 Corinthians 3:4,5

"And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;"

2 Corinthians 12:9

"And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

Psalm 138:3

"In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul."

Our dependence and trust in Him must be strengthened as we see the wickedness of the world around us. We must learn to Stand! and stand firm--not being swayed--but trusting Him and being obedient to Him, without hesitation or doubt. Our rest in Him will allow our witness to reflect through; we will not be confounded or confused, but will learn to rest in the shelter of the wing of the Almighty. What safer place is there?

Psalm 71:16

"I will go in the strength of the Lord God: I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only."

Psalm 71:1-5

"In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion. Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me. Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress. Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man. For thou art my hope, O Lord God: thou art my trust from my youth."

Psalm 31:1-3

"In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness. Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defense to save me. For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name's sake lead me, and guide me."

It doesn't matter how strong the adversary appears, or how many there may be, our God is so much more. There is nothing, nor any person, who can defeat us when our trust is in Him. He is truly all-powerful and our strength lies in our dependence in Him.

Psalm 46:1-3

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Se-lah."

Psalm 27:14

"Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord."

Psalm 61:2-4

"From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Se-lah."

We are called to be a witness for Him, and to that end He teaches and leads. So many things that are happening around us, the apostasy, the blasphemy, the continual rise of the occult in everyday events, may cause many to grow afraid. Many become fearful of what physical things may take place, and what could befall them. Many may fall if they do not grow in the knowledge and grace of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and truly trust in Him. We must be "strong in the Lord."

2 Timothy 1:7-9

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began."

Proverbs 14:25-27

"A true witness delivereth souls: but a deceitful witness speaketh lies. In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and His children shall have a place of refuge. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death."

Hebrews 12:1-4

"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily best us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin."

For God Himself has promised:

Hebrew 13:5b, 6

"...for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me."