In Jesus Christ, We Are Strong

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

A male deer was drinking at a pool, admiring his stately antlers but feeling ashamed of his long, tall, and thin legs. Suddenly he sensed an approaching mountain lion. Those long, tall, and thin legs propelled him into the safety of the forest, but his antlers became caught in the underbrush and soon he was killed. In life, our weaknesses are our secret strengths while our pride is our downfall.

Paul admonished the Ephesian believers to be strong in Jesus Christ through the power of His might. Paul, at the present age, is preaching the same spiritual principle to the present-day believers.

Paul preached a series of spiritual principles and practical Christianity to the Ephesian believers (Ephesians 5:18-33; Ephesians 6:9).

1. Believers are not drunk with wine (Ephesians 5:18).

2. Believers speak in hymns and spiritual songs (Ephesians 5:19).

3. Believers give thanks always (Ephesians 5:20).

4. Believers submit themselves one to another (Ephesians 5:21).

5. Believers obey their parents in the Lord (Ephesians 6:1).

6. Believers honor their parents (Ephesians 6:2).

7. Believers nurture their children in the admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4).

8. Believers obey their earthly masters (Ephesians 6:5).

9. Believers respect those who serve them (Ephesians 6:9).

In this series of teachings, Paul capped these teachings with this reminder: “Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might”.

There are two important lessons that we can learn from this Scripture.

#1 There is power in the might of Jesus Christ.

The power in Jesus is enduring, indissoluble, imperishable, and lasting. It is unchanging, immutable, and eternal. Jesus Christ Himself rebuked the Pharisees about their question on resurrection when he told them that they err in their perception of spiritual truths because they do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. Scriptures describe Jesus Christ as the expressed image of God, by whom the worlds were made and who upheld all things by the word of His power (Hebrews 1:1-3; Romans 1:20). They all proclaim the power and might of God, through His Son Jesus Christ.

#2 Our circumstances, our successes, our human capabilities, even our failures and our mistakes, do not make Jesus Christ less of the God that He is. Jesus Christ is Almighty, whether we believe it or not. He is Almighty, whether we trust in Him or not. So as humans, frail and weak as we are, we are in a position of choice. We can remain weak in our own powerlessness, or we can be strong in the mighty power of Jesus Christ.

Choosing to be strong in the Lord may not be easy. Yet Paul teaches us through his letter to the Ephesian believers how to be strong in the Lord, how to live the victorious life amid challenges, and how to overcome the compelling trials of life. For there is a spiritual battle that believers are engaged in, whether they like it or not, whether they acknowledge it or not, or whether they experience it or not.

Ephesians 6:12-13 says, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand”.  

To be strong in the Lord, according to Paul, believers need to stand against the wiles of the Devil, of the Enemy, by putting on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:11).

The traditional armory of ancient times served the soldiers both in defense and offense. The armor served to defend the soldier while the weapon served the soldiers for attack. Notice that Paul described in Ephesians 6 both the believers’ armors and weapon for spiritual battle. God did the battle for His people at many different times and occasions. Although God is on the offense (2 Chronicles 20:15) and we have our defense (1 Corinthians 10:13), God wants us to be prepared for this spiritual battle. God, who does the spiritual battle for us, also gives us a way out, gives us the strength to fight, and gives us victory.

Ancient Greek and Roman armory basically consists of armors and weapons. The weaponry consists basically of the sword and the spear. The armory on the other hand, consists of two pieces, the body shield and the body armor.

The body shield is heavy and thick and protects the whole of the soldier. The soldier also uses this shield to lunge at the enemy and to knock the enemy over. The soldier also kneels behind the shield and fights from behind it. Interestingly, the size of the soldier’s shield is regulatory, as a soldier can be reprimanded when his shield is too big for him.

Body armors are provided to soldiers according to ranks or position in the line of battle. Some soldiers belong to heavy infantry and some belong to the cavalry; some are front-line soldiers, some are considered veteran soldiers, and some are lightly armed soldiers. Body armors consist of the square breastplate (heart guard) and the greave (shin guard), and in some soldiers, the helmet.

The heart guard protects the pectoral portion of the body where the heart and lungs are situated.

The shin guard protects the left leg that is always exposed during the battle.

The helmet that is worn by soldiers in the heavy infantry and the front-line protects the head.

Other variations of the body armors are for mobility and ease, as in riding a horse for cavalry men.

The basic weapons of warfare are the swords and spears. The sword is shorter yet more powerful than the longer spear in terms of control of the soldiers. The sword is indispensable in close combat while the spear is vital in long range battle.

Paul identifies the spiritual armors and weapons of the believers. Ephesians 6:14-18 describe these armors and weapons: “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.”

#1 The breastplate of believers is truth and righteousness (Ephesians 6:14).

The breastplate protects the heart and the lungs. The heart and lungs are vital organs as they provide the bloodline and the supply of air circulation. Truth and righteousness are the breastplate of believers. They protect the believers’ spiritual heritage, their spiritual position and their spiritual destiny. The believers’ spiritual life depends on the certainty of God’s plan and the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross (Romans 5:17).

#2 The shin guard of believers is the preparation of the gospel of peace (Ephesians 6:15). The shin guard covers the leg that is exposed during the battle. When the leg is exposed and severed, the mobility of the soldier is affected. Some parts of the believers’ spiritual lives may be exposed to the world and they may fall or falter. They may be exposed to criticisms or wrongdoing by their brothers or sisters in church, yet there is the gospel of peace that guards the heart. There is the gospel of peace that guides them to forgiveness. There is the gospel of peace that leads them to reconciliation. The gospel of peace is the believers’ shin guard so that they continue to walk in spiritual victory and provide the world with solid witness (1 Peter 3:15).

#3 The shield of the believers is faith (Ephesians 6:16). The shield is the main armor of warfare. Faith is the believers’ shield for spiritual warfare. Faith covers the whole body, the sentiments, the capacity, the training, the disciplines, the characters of believers. Faith covers the whole being. The wickedness of the world throws its darts and spears against the believers. The world even tells the believers that we are worthless, wicked, good for nothing, barren, insignificant, not important, and useless. This is where faith comes in as armor. Whenever the world throws its spears and darts of doubts and judgement, misconceptions, falsehood, deception, deceit at the believers, they can go back to the foundation of their spiritual being (Hebrews 12:2). Faith is the believer’s shield in spiritual battle.

#4 The helmet of believers is salvation (Ephesians 6:17a). The helmet is made of bronze and has a ring of feathers. The metal is a basic protection for the head, which holds the brain for decision making and wisdom. The ring of feathers is not for decorative purpose, but for the illusion that the soldier could look twice his height. The helmet therefore, does not only protect the head but also makes the soldier look taller.  In spiritual battle, salvation protects the believers’ decisions and perception of themselves. In spiritual battle, salvation lifts the believers’ status from a lowly and sorry state to a new glorified, redeemed and valued state as a child of God. So, whenever the enemy disturbs your mind with the thought that you do not belong, then you go back to God’s plan of salvation. Believers are redeemed from the curse of the law, freed from judgement, and saved by the blood of no other than the Son of God (2 Corinthians 5:17; John 1:12). Whenever the enemy tells you that you are lowly, caste down, inferior, condemned, and bound for condemnation, then fix your crown and stand up as sons and daughters of the King of kings and the Lord of lords (Galatians 3:26; Revelations 19:16)!

#5 The sword of the believer is the word of God (Ephesians 6:17b). As the sword is the main weapon of a soldier, the Word of God, the sword of the Holy Spirit, is the main weapon of believers. The Holy Spirit works with the believers during spiritual battles to remind them of the Word of God. When the Enemy sows doubts in the heart of the believers, they fight with the God’s Word in the Scripture (John 14:26; John 16:13). As a believer, you can remind yourself of the Word. You can pray to the Holy Spirit to send you the Word. The Word could come in remembrance of the specific scripture that you have studied and meditated upon in the past. Or the Word could be sent through a friend or a brother. It is therefore important that you study the Word and correctly apply the Word in your life and the lives of others, especially during a spiritual battle.

As believers, your strength and power come from Jesus Christ. His death and resurrection have provided you the armors and weapons to fight the battle in the spiritual realm (Ephesians 6:12-13). Whenever you are in spiritual battle, you have Jesus Christ as our living hope. He fights for you. He provides you with the armor and the weapons to fight the battle. He provides you the strength and the victory.

Are you in a spiritual battle right now?

Are you experiencing troubles, loss of family members, loss of job, loss of self-esteem, even trials right now? Remember that even Job, an upright and faithful man, experienced an onslaught of trials and losses in life (Job 1:8-12).

Are you experiencing attacks of physical danger, or illness, or life-threatening situations? Remember the enemy comes to steal, to kill, and to destroy (John 10:10).

Are you constantly being tempted and increasingly lured towards sin or wrong choices? Remember that even Jesus Christ was tempted and lured into the materials power and possessions of the world (Matthew 4:1-11).

Are you overwhelmingly bombarded with despair, darkness, or fear?  Remember David had his bouts of despair and fear (Psalm 7). Remember that Elijah wanted God to take his life out of darkness and despair. (1 Kings 19:4).

Are you suffering from confusion, or do you experience the feeling of condemnation and guilt, or your spiritual awareness is being shrouded, dulled, and numbed at the moment? Remember that our God is not the author of confusion but the source of peace (1 Corinthians 14:33). Remember God’s assurance that there is no more condemnation to those who belong to Jesus Christ (Romans 8:1).

Spiritual battles are real. But strength and the victory in Jesus Christ are the realities that believers experience while knowing and serving the Lord Jesus Christ. As believers, we all are strong in the Lord. We all are victorious in His mighty power.