Ephesians 6:10-13

This is written by Sirine Hammami.

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armour 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 armour 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.

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 strengths. But the most important one is the strength you need in the Lord. True strength is not of the body, true Christian strength is of the Spirit. Our (true) struggle is against powers and principalities and the Lord wants you to be strong.

In John 10:10 'The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.'

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.

'Be strong.' The verb is passive, so a better translation is 'be strengthened.'

We are to invite the Lord to strengthen us. The difference is huge. When we say, 'Be strong,' the emphasis is on what we can do—a humanistic effort doomed to fail. When we say, 'Be strengthened,' the emphasis is on what the Lord can do. That points to the heart of our faith. Paul calls it the armour of God. It belongs to God, was made by God, and comes from God. It is His, and He has given it to us. God has given us this wonderful gift to protect us from the enemy in this battle, and we must take it up and put it on but, as Paul says in verses 11 and 13, the whole armour.

Rest in the power of the Lord. Be strong in the Lord. Be strong in His mighty power. It is already yours. Christ is in you. Christ is with you with all His fullness and all His power and all His might. All that we need to fight the opposition (devil) is ours in Jesus Christ. The same power that raised Christ from the dead is in you. It is the same power that exalted Him at the right hand of God. And, it is the same power by which He rules all things today. 1 John 4:4 said 'the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.'

Prayer - Be still and know that He is God.

If you need more encouragement read Psalms 23, 27, 91,121.