BE STRONG

Sometimes we find it difficult to face the reality of our enemy head-on. We read of the battle that we are called to and it can cause even the most stout-hearted, battle worn warrior to grow faint. Periodically we are reminded by good preaching or teaching that we must ever be on our guard. The enemy’s fiery darts, subtle attacks, and ingenious counterfeits seemingly come at us from every quarter.

We sometimes begin to think who is strong enough for this? As we weaken we begin to think that maybe, just maybe the enemy is stronger than we could ever hope to be. Unfortunately, when we begin to think like this the enemy works fear in our soul and we become so distressed that we forget a number of valuable truths.

We are not to let our fears overwhelm us. We can march onward, to borrow a phrase from Stephen Ambrose, with undaunted courage. Why? The outcome of the battle rests on God’s performance and not on ours. It is not our skill or strength that determines the victory!

Listen to the Apostle Paul as he wrote to encourage the believers at Ephesus – "…be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might.” (Ephesians 6:10 ESV)

The word for “strong” is the word ενδυναμοω. It is used eight times in the New Testament and it means “ to be strong, endue with strength, strengthen or to receive strength, be strengthened, or increase in strength. It can be summed up with the idea of “be bold.” Take courage and be bold in the Lord.

God is not restrained by anything, as a result, there is no reason to be frightened of anything. Trust Him implicitly! He will never leave us nor forsake. He will never let us down.