Be Strong in the Lord
Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might (Eph 6:10).
Strength comes from being in the Lord
Being in the Lord means having faith in Him that our sins are forgiven, we are in fellowship with God, our lives are purposeful, God is with us, we are dwelling in His presence, He is guiding us, we are in His will doing what pleases Him.
The joy of the Lord is your strength (Neh 8:10).
We are thankful to Him. We praise and worship Him. We pray without ceasing. We rejoice in Him.
He is the source of our strength. God’s plan for man is that we live by faith in Him and that we depend upon Him to help us with everything we need.
When we distance ourselves from Him, we grow weak. When we function independent of Him, we are out of the will of God.
We have love, grace, faith, hope, and above all, we have the Holy Spirit living in us.
We look at Jesus, not at circumstances or people. We hear what He says, not what people say, not criticisms, not negative thoughts.
So being in right fellowship with God gives us strength.
There will be opposition, temptations, trials, persecutions, sickness, sorrow, sufferings.
But when we exercise faith in Him, we will overcome discouragement, worry, fear, envy, pride, sin.
We need to conquer our inward old nature before we can overcome outward circumstances.
We have assurance of salvation (helmet), righteousness of Christ (breastplate), grounded in the truth and wisdom of God (loins), faith in God (shield), witness for Jesus (shoes), and the Word of God (sword).
With the Lord beside us, dressed in the armor of God, we are fully equipped to meet all the battles of life.
The Lord will give us strength. We are victorious. Be strong in the Lord.
(MT)