“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.”
Eph. 6:10-13
The power to do and become all that we are to be in Christ, must first begin with us believing in all that Christ has already done for us. This strength will be tested the most during situations where it looks like nothing is changing. It is then that we feel the pressure the most, because the devil understands that first, he must destroy us from within. This will affect our thinking, it will affect the decisions that we make, saying yes to things, when we should be saying no.
I believe that Jesus wants us to have the inner strength, so that we can have a victorious life in him.
The question for all of us is, are we really walking in that strength that God has already prepared for us, or are we praying to just merely survive what has and is happening to us? You can’t carry the problems and pains of your past and expect to have power in the future to where God is taking you. It is not how strong you are on the outside, that determines your power, it’s how strong you are on the inside. It’s your inner strength, that will help you to overcome the battles, the disappointment and the spiritual warfare the devil will bring into your life.
I would like to show you how God has already prepared that inner strength for us, how it is placed it is placed in us and how it will change our lives forever.
When Paul says, "Finally" he says that based upon all that he has said, that led up to him encouraging us to be strong in the Lord. Let us first review what Paul has said, let us go back at the beginning of the letter, Ephesians 1.
FIRST GOD PREPARES
Paul gives us a heads up on how the inner strength is given, he writes, “Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God.” I am who I am, not because of my will, but by the will of God!!
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
This is a spiritual battle that we are fighting, our enemy Satan is a spirit, evil, very wise, patient and he has studied man and he knows, that God our Father, knows, that man is no match for him. Yet, these spiritual blessing, that God has supplied to us, will cause us to win, but first the battle must be won from within in order that we will win without.
Because the devil understands to really destroy us, it must first be from within, he begins to first affect our thinking. This will affect how we see ourselves; how we see God. It will create insecurities, self-doubts, low self-esteems, fears within, voices in our heads of self-destruction. He brings about situations, that pressures you and causes you to live in fear, question and doubts about God. This causes you to stay away from Church, stop praying, and not reading the Word of God at all, staying out of the presence of God, because the devil knows, that it is there you are healed, delivered and set free.
Your victory was in placed before you were born.
God sets up these blessings described in verse 4-7. Verse 4, HE CHOSE US to be holy, meaning set apart to Himself, we were chosen by God, but chosen for God, so when we are chosen for God, anything that we do outside of God is out of order.
And to be without blame, because Jesus paid your penalty for your sins, bringing you back in relationship with God.
Verse 5, HE ADOPTED YOU AS HIS OWN, WHEN YOU ARE ADOPTED, YOU TAKE THE FATHER’S NAME, John 17, “you have loved them as you have love me, not less than, but as you loved me.
Verse 7-8 He Redeemed Us And Forgive Us, according to the riches of His grace and supplied by his wisdom meaning, Him knowing how deep we would fall and how long we would linger in our sin. He has supplied all the grace we would need to meet the depth and time, “where sin abound, grace much more abound’
He did all for us according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace. He did it according to the riches of his grace, according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: in simple terms, because He loves us.
God Maps Out Your Place, There Is No Accident That You Are Where you are, He Directs Your Steps,
That Is Why We Seek His Direction Before We Plan, It May Be A Good Idea, But Not God’s Idea.
In verse 13, then we were Sealed With That Holy Spirit Of Promise, this means that what He has given to us, is to be kept in us by His Spirit sealing it.
Or as the older folks used to say, "we are all wrapped up, tied up and tangled up in Jesus" there is no getting out.
Knowing and believing that you are His before the foundation of the world, this will strengthen you inwardly to believe that your heavenly Father loves you and cares about what you are going through and He will deliver you, no matter what the situation looks like.
#2 Ephesians chapter 2 and 3/How He places the strength in us to be strong
You must first understand what you were, before you can appreciate what He has done for you and how strong you are now.
He hath quickened (made alive spiritually) you, you were dead in trespasses and sins
You walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
YOU WERE NOT BUILT TO BREAK, every time you want to give up, He in you says, NO!!! You were not built to break.
Review of how you are supplied:
#1 He in you. In Eph. 3:16, it is His Spirit, that strengthens your spirit.
"That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man."
#2 He created you in Christ. In Eph. 2:10, like an artwork or poem written, to be design for what He has called you to do in Christ.
"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
#3 God hath given ALL we need to live a life of godliness. 2 Peter 1:3
"According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue"
# 4 LIKE A STRONG ARMOUR OF PROTECTION, SO IS THE WORD OF GOD TO EVERY BELIEVER:
DRAW YOUR STRENGTH FROM HIM AND BE EMPOWERED
THROUGH YOUR UNION WITH HIM AND IN THE POWER OF HIS MIGHT.
Our job is now to accept these gifts, begin yielding our bodies to what the Holy Spirit is doing in us. In other words, he has given us a farm with all its supplies.
But we must "farm the farm" to bring forth a harvest that is in the seed, that is supplied to us, that will bring forth the fruit in our lives.
The forgiveness and grace that we need as we "farm or modify" ourselves, to what God has done, is given to us according to God's wisdom and prudence for us.
Eph. 1:7-8
Turn all that you have into a place of worship, begin with your time alone with God in your house. Also, begin guarding against the type of things you watch online and the kind of music you listen to in your car. Be careful of the types of conversations, jokes, foolish talking that you should not indulge in that would lead to unholy thoughts and conduct. Eph. 4-5
All that God has supplied is able to save, keep and sustain us.
"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might."
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Written by Jay Dor
6/30/22