11/15/14 - "BE STRONG IN THE LORD"

Eph. 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

A very important truth to walking in victory as a child of God has to do with whose strength we are trying to operate in. Believers don’t realize that when they are trying to be strong in dealing with the storms of life they are relying on their own strength and don’t usually realize it. They are trying to stand in their own power and ability instead of God’s. But clearly as the Holy Spirit points out here through the apostle Paul, we are to be strong in the Lord. This is a total dependence on Him.

2 Cor. 12:9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2 Cor. 12:10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

In this life no matter what you face if you will do so in the strength of God you will win! Here in 2 Corinthians the Lord revealed to Paul that His grace was sufficient for His strength is made perfect in weakness. Grace is heaven’s help. How is it that His strength is made perfect in our weakness? When we learn to not lean on our ability but truly lean on His, then we see this fulfilled in our life. When we are weak simply means when we are not relying on our ability but God’s. When we do we walk in His strength and that makes us strong. I want to share with you some things that will help you to be strong in the Lord.

1. Surround yourself with God’s Word.

In Hebrews 4:12 the Amplified says the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]. God’s Word is filled with power, but that is only true when it becomes revelation in our hearts. Jesus said in Mark 9:23 that all things are possible to him who believes. What is your faith actually based on? If you are basing your faith on what you see, feel, or hear, etc, then you are not going to be strong in the Lord. You must base you faith solely on God’s Word. When you do then what you see or feel won’t change what you believe, speak, or act. Check up on what you faith is based on. If it is based on things in the natural then you need to surround yourself with God’s Word.

2. Know who you are in Christ.

It has never dawned on most believers who Christ has made them to be. You are a new creation in Christ and yet even though many Christians can quote that, mental agreement to God’s Word does not change lives. Even the demons believe and tremble, but when you know by faith who you are in Christ and you walk in the light of this new man on the inside, things are going to be different for you as a believer. You begin to walk in the light of who you are. You are a spirit, you have a soul, and you live in a body. When you begin to know who you are in Christ then your flesh does not dominate you. Think about how different things would be for believers if they were no longer being dominated by the old fleshly nature, but the new nature within. That is power, because it is no longer you who live but Christ who lives in you.

3. Know you have peace with God.

Romans 5:1 tells us that because we have been justified by faith we now have peace with God. One definition of this word “peace” means to be one with again. Because of sin man was separated from God and therefore no longer had God’s presence within. He lost the greatest strength he had, his relationship with God. When you put your faith in Christ and made Him the Lord of your life, the war between you and God ended. You accepted the peace He offers. You become one spirit with the Lord because you are one with Him again. Tell me that does not bring great strength to the believer.

One of the ways the devil makes Christians feel so weak is to convince them that God is far from them, but the Word of God says He will never leave us nor forsake us. If that is true, and of course it is, then you should never think God is far from you. The devil wants to isolate you and get you to feel like your alone, but God is always there to help you in any circumstance of life if you will put your faith in Him to do so. Knowing you are one with God means you know you are one with the most powerful person in the universe, God almighty who has never nor will He ever lose a battle. Child of God know you have peace with God, you are one with Him.

4. Walk in Bible faith.

As I mentioned earlier we need to examine what our faith is in. Faith is based on what God has said. Faith takes God at His Word. Faith therefore is obedient to the Word of God. When you read Hebrews 11 the hall of faith, you will find that all those people mentioned there were people who obeyed God. God tells Noah to build an ark and Noah built an ark even though he had never seen rain before. Abraham was told to get out away from his family and go to the desert to follow God and he obeyed. If Christians can’t obey the simple truths of the Bible, which is where we begin to learn to walk by faith, then we are going to struggle with having faith in His promises.

To walk by faith one must believe in their heart what God has said, period. If you do then you speak in line with what you believe. Finally you act upon what you believe. When we walk by faith we tap into the unlimited power of God. Faith will move mountains, calm the raging seas, and call things that be not as though they were. But you only confuse your heart when you are trying to believe in God’s promises for you, but again you don’t even obey the simplest truths of scripture. This is a major key to walking by faith.

5. Think saved through a continual renewal of the mind.

Our thoughts are powerful. Fear, worry, and the stress that so many face today are actually not primarily a problem because of what we face, but how we deal with what we face. When we fill our minds with the way the world sees things we are going to be defeated. As Kenneth Hagin used to say if the devil can keep you in the realm of reason he will defeat you every time. This is why the continual renewal of our mind is so vital. Romans 12:2 tells us that if we are not going to be conformed to the world we must renew our minds to the Word of God. Those in the world are not strong in the Lord.

What many don’t realize is what we are actually doing in renewing our minds. The renewal of the mind is not for us to try and figure out how God can part the red sea, cause a jar of oil to never run out, nor how to cause the blind to see. You will never be able to figure out with your mind how God does what He does, because He is God. Renewing the mind is simply getting to the place where you believe what God has said, no matter what you see. To think saved is to have a mind that is not trying to figure God out, but instead simply allowing your heart to fully trust God beyond what you mind tries to tell you. So keep renewing that mind to what God has said.

6. Speak the Word of God consistently.

The Word is the sword of the Spirit that when spoken in faith will whip ever devil in hell, and cause you to triumph in every realm of life. My mom used to say if you don’t have anything good to say then don’t say anything at all. That is good but we do have something good to say. God’s Word when spoken in faith will never return to Him void, but will accomplish the very purpose for which He sent it. But the Word must be spoken for it to come to pass. Don’t just wait until you face a challenge to speak the Word, you should do so when any adversity comes your way, but you should be declaring His truth over your life and your family everyday. Faith also comes by hearing the Word spoken, and you hear your words more than anyone else’s.

7. Remain in continual fellowship with God.

Pray without ceasing scripture teaches us, and that means we should be staying in constant communication with God. We were created to fellowship with Him. When you spend time fellowshipping with God you are always going to be empowered through those times of fellowship. Pray much in the Holy Spirit, for when you do you build yourself up. That is supernatural strength coming from God by His Spirit through your spirit man.

So walk in these simple but powerful truths and you will be strong in the Lord. You like the apostle Paul will know what it means to declare that when you are weak, then you are strong for it won’t be your strength you will be walking in. It will be God’s and there is nothing He can’t do. The Lord is the strength of your life, so learn to draw from the strength He provides. You will always see things differently and you will never be defeated.

See You Again Soon For More “Weekly Wisdom”

May God’s Best Be Yours!

Pastor Darryl Baker