We most definitely CAN – God says through the Apostle Paul:
“God is my refuge and strength,
an ever present help
in times of trouble.”
– Psalm 46:1
I can
I can stand strong, strong enough to “[successfully] stand up against all the schemes and the strategies and the deceits of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:10-18…verse 11).
The Spirit enables us. So I say… bring it on!
And He promises that nothing will come our way which is too big for us to handle. We can stand up against it — or else He will provide a way of escape. Do not fear, I will help you (Isaiah 41:13). Also see: 1 Corinthians 10:13.
What is needed, Paul says (verse 10 of Ephesians 6:10-18), is to: personally unite yourself with God, and “draw your strength from Him“. Well, but, of course, first you do need to get saved: confess-repent-give your all to Jesus. That is the most important part. Have you been changed into new life by Christ?
Listen and Sing: I’ve been changed,
I won’t go back – YouTube
New Life.
Christians have been given new life in Christ. The world sings “I’m only human after all”. Not so for us. We are no longer the same, no longer “just human“, after all.
“Since I am born again into a new life in Christ, I’m not only human, after all. Never again.
Through Christ I am now a new creation of God, and He, by the Holy Spirit, has a special place inside my soul. Like no other “god” could have done, He made my spirit alive so that now I am free from His condemnation and I am no longer a slave to sin. (Romans 6:6; John 8:34)”
– Source: The well-guarded soul
Indwelt by God Himself
We are indwelt by God Himself – by His Holy Spirit. He is in us. Therefore we are powerful. Really, really powerful. Not we, in our own strenth. But in Him. I am truly “enough” to meet the challenges, because I have been made a new creation, a powerful new creation with the Spirit of God residing in me.
“In Christ I am enough. I’ve got it all, nothing needed, nothing missing. I am ready, steady and able because God Himself made me more than human, after all.
I have everything needed, in me, to live a godly life — because of the power of God in me… since that moment in time that God Himself made me a brand new creature inside. Same outside, new inside, for now, in my inner soul, the Holy Spirit resides in me in power. That is what happens to those who truly accept Jesus as their Savior.”
– Source: I am enough
Spiritual battle
In spiritual battle: No one can stand against us. We stand. They don’t. I’m convinced. Are you? Are you giving Him your all?
35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 Just as it is written,
“For Your sake we are being put to death all day long;
We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
– Romans 8: v35-39
In addition to human “flesh and blood”, in this universe there is a whole lot of evil power waging war against our soul:
“…the rulers, the powers, the world forces of this [present] darkness, the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) places… angels, principalities, things present and threatening, things to come, powers, height, depth, other created thing.
– Extracted from Ephesians 6:12 and Romans 8:38-39.
They all concurr with the Devil – against God Almighty.” – Source: Concurring with the Devil
That’s wicked power! A lot of power. [See Enemies of our soul.] I feel like I need to go work-out! Get stronger. As I’ve said before: “I’m a workin’ more on getting more and more ready, steady and able. How ’bout you?” 1
– Source: An unguarded life
Armor-up
Christians are not to be spiritual wimps. That will never work well for us. With the analogy Paul makes: we are to be “a heavily-armed soldier“.
To be strong and successful in our battle we must “put on the full armor of God“. Put it all on: truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation, the Word of God. And pray often.
14 So stand firm and hold your ground, having tightened the wide band of truth (personal integrity, moral courage) around your waist and having put on the breastplate of righteousness (an upright heart),
15 and having strapped on your feet the gospel of peace in preparation [to face the enemy with firm-footed stability and the readiness produced by the good news].
16 Above all, lift up the [protective] shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
– Ephesians 6: v14-17
Prayer
With all your armor on, there is another item in your war gear to take with you everywhere, all the time: prayer.
16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Pray for yourself, for others, and pray praise to God.
18 With all prayer and petition pray [with specific requests] at all times [on every occasion and in every season] in the Spirit, and with this in view, stay alert with all perseverance and petition [interceding in prayer] for all God’s people.
– Ephesians 6: verse 18
Be strong
To be strong, armor-up. To be strong, we do prayer…
“with specific requests”,
“at all times”,
“in the Spirit”,
staying alert,
persevering,
interceding with specific petitions “for all God’s people”.
Even the Holy Spirit is interceding on our behalf:
26 In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; 27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
– Romans 8: v26-27
Huge power
We have huge powers working against us, so don’t go anywhere without a huge full armor. Armor-up!
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this [present] darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) places.
– Ephesians 6:10-13…verse 11
“I’m a workin’ more on
getting more and more
ready, steady and able.
How ’bout you?”
The question is: Do you wanna be happy, conquering spiritually? Or do want to be disappointed with your life, doing it all on your own? You’ve got to want it.
Wanna Be Happy
– YouTube video by Kirk Franklin
“Draw near to God
and
He will draw near to you.”
– James 4:8
FOR MORE:
Ephesians 6:10-18. The Armor of God
Are You Ready, Steady and Able?
Praying for the world to get better?
Ephesians 6:10-13 Amplified Bible (AMP)
10 In conclusion, be strong in the Lord
[draw your strength from Him and
be empowered
through
your union with Him]
and in the power of His [boundless] might.
11 Put on the full armor of God
[for His precepts
are like the splendid armor
of a heavily-armed soldier],
so that you may be able to
[successfully] stand up against
all the schemes
and the strategies
and the deceits
of the devil.
12 For our struggle
is not against flesh and blood
[contending only with
physical opponents],
but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this [present] darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) places.
13 Therefore, put on the complete armor of God….”
Leave a Reply