We are at War
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2 Commands in these verses
2 Commands in these verses
Be Strong in the Lord
Be Strong in the Lord
1. The Need for Strength (We are war)
There is an inevitable struggle as a Christian. If you want a pain free, difficulty free life, try something else because that’s not Christianity.
The Ephesian Church was born out of a fight. And such is the case with every Christian.
We are not promised that it is going to get any easier.
We must be strong.
2. Our Strength is not enough
In the Strength of His Might
I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
the prayer for strength
You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus,
victory
Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy,
So then how do we find the Lord’s strength?
We must put on God’s full armor.
We must put on God’s full armor.
1. God has provided all the resources we need.
Jesus death provided us with everything we need for life, and for warfare.
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
God has provided all the resources we need.
His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,
2. We must put on (effort) the armor.
It takes work, it’s not just automatic.
Through prayer.
Boice says that Watchman Nee sees the Christians life as only standing in the victory that Christ has won for us.
Let go and let God do the work is a false view of the Christian life. FALSE
3. We find his supply through the means of grace
“Appropriation of that strength comes through the means of grace—prayer, knowledge of and obedience to the Word, and faith in the promises of God.”
Let go and let God do the work is a false view of the Christian life.
“victories of the Christian life are to be achieved by a relentless and lifelong struggle against evil. And even then they are realized only to the extent that we avail ourselves of God’s armor.”
Prayer Is A Key To Strength
Christian (All Prayer)
“The number one reason why prayer malfunctions in the hands of a believers is that they try to turn a wartime walkie-talkie into a domestic intercom.” Piper
“Until you believe that life is war, you cannot know what prayer is for. Prayer is for the accomplishment of a wartime mission. It is as though the field commander (Jesus) called in the troops, gave them a crucial mission ("Go and bear fruit"), handed each of them a personal transmitter coded to the frequency of the general's headquarters, and said, "Comrades, the general has a mission for you. He aims to see it accomplished. And to that end he has authorized me to give each of you personal access to him through these transmitters. If you stay true to his mission and seek his victory first, he will always be as close as your transmitter, to give tactical advice and to send in air cover when you or your comrades need it."
But what have millions of Christians done? They have stopped believing that we are in a war. No urgency, no watching, no vigilance, no strategic planning. Just easy peacetime and prosperity. And what did they do with the walkie-talkie? They tried to rig it up as an intercom in their cushy houses and cabins and boats and cars - not to call in fire power for conflict with a mortal enemy, but to ask the maid to bring another pillow to the den.”
Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”