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Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” Philippians 3:10
Our word today is quite encouraging because it focuses on being strong in situations where we may otherwise be weak.
When we rest in God and rely on his word, we can be strong. This strength is some of God’s power made available to us so that we can call upon it for help in time of need. Paul speaks about the evil day in the next couple verses, thus being strong will help us to thrive against Satan and his schemes.
But why is it then that we as Christians may lack power in times of need? Here are a couple of reasons:
Firstly, you are as strong as the demand you place on God.
That’s quite correct. Our strength is as limited as our request for power from God. Imagine a light bulb in your room that is rated only 30 watts, while the bulb holder in your lamp is actually able to handle 75 watts. This means that you will receive less than 50% of the power that could have been made available to you. However if you changed the bulb to the specified rating then all of a sudden the light is stronger in your room.
See, God has unimaginably limitless power. Paul describes this as the power of his might. Might is all of the power that God possesses – the storehouse of his power. Imagine the billions of volts that are harnessed in the Hoover dam. God’s might is magnitudes greater. God’s power is released from his store of might to whoever calls upon his name.
Can I encourage you to make a demand today? This begins with asking God for strength. When you are weak, He is strong, so remember it really has nothing to do with you, but all him. But be persevering in your request, holding on to him, for in his faithfulness he will see you through and you will receive the power you need for the moment.
A second reason we may lack power is because we are ignorant of Satan’s deception.
He wants us to believe that God is not enough so he schemes and connives (see Ephesians 6:12)
If God is so powerful, why do we stop at so little? I believe part of the reason is because we are unaware of spiritual warfare. Paul makes this explicit in verse 12 of chapter 6, where he speaks about the devil’s cunning trickery. Satan is a master deceiver who stops at nothing to discourage us. But Paul, in writing Ephesians, wants us to know the enemy is busy trying to distract us so we won’t perceive his workings.
Paul wants us to know there is more, so much more, if only we would open our eyes to see, and then put on the armor of God, so we can fight.
Today, may you be strong in the Lord as you see the truth – that we are in a spiritual battle for our souls, our loved ones and our entire nation. As the world becomes spiritually darker, only God’s light shining through Christians who know they are spiritually strong, can make the difference.
– Pastor Olu Jegede