Be Strong in the Lord
God and his strength and wisdom are who and what we are to look to when we go throughout our daily routines, and when we have to make decisions and choices in life as far as what to do and where to go, etc., and when we go through trials and tribulations, and when our enemy Satan (the devil) is fighting hard against us in our minds, or in our bodies, or in our hearts. We should seek God’s face and his wisdom and direction in all these things.
For, as followers of Jesus Christ, and as human beings on this earth, we are going to go through trials and tribulations which test our faith. We are going to have times when the stresses of life appear to be overwhelming, and when we may not know which way to go. Our minds may have days when they are sluggish, too, especially the older that we get, and so we need to call upon the Lord to be our strength for us, and to give us clarity of mind.
For our enemy, the devil, wants to break us down. He wants to dishearten and to discourage us. He wants us to give up the fight. He wants us to feel hopeless and without choices and without solutions. He wants to draw us away from the purity of our devotion to the Lord and to draw us back into the ways of the flesh and of this sinful world. So he works hard against us to try to get us to give up our faith, and he tempts us, hoping that we will sin against the Lord. For his goal is to get us to pull away from Christ.
And when this says that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers and authorities and powers over this present darkness, this is not saying that we won’t have physical enemies. The Bible definitely teaches us that we will (Matthew 5:10-12). And Jesus and the NT apostles and all of the Lord’s devoted people throughout history have had physical enemies. But what this is teaching us is that this is a spiritual battle to be fought with spiritual weapons and not with physical weapons of warfare.
Put On the Whole Armor of God
Now putting on the armor of God is not something that we just speak through, or that we do as some kind of religious ritual, but it means for us to daily put on Christ and his armor (his spiritual weapons of spiritual warfare) so that we are able to walk (in conduct, in practice) as those who are free from slavery to sin and as those whose lives are committed to walks of holiness and obedience and surrender to our Lord in daily living.
So, what that means, in all practicality in daily living, is that we have put off lying, and now telling the truth is our practice (Ephesians 4:25), but not just any truth, but mainly the truth of God’s Word in the Bible (Genesis to Revelation). For even withholding the truth that is owed to other people is lying, and it is sinful for us to keep back the truth of the gospel from other people out of fear of what they might think of us and how we might be treated by them (Luke 9:26).
And righteousness has to do with what is deemed right in the eyes of God, i.e. what is approved by God. But this is not just a status that we wear, but we must be those who are walking in righteousness, and for whom sin is no longer what we practice. And faith is not just words that we speak, but it is action. For faith comes from God, it is gifted to us by God, it is not of ourselves, but it is persuaded of God as to his holiness and righteousness and of our need to repent of sin and to now follow Jesus in obedience.
Our salvation is not just forgiveness of sins so that when we die we get to go to heaven, and not to hell. For Jesus died to deliver us out of slavery to sin so that we will now be slaves of God and his righteousness. He died so that sin will no longer reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its desires. For if sin is what we obey, and not obedience to our Lord, it will lead to death, not to life eternal. But if we obey obedience to God, it leads to righteousness and to sanctification and its end is eternal life (Romans 6:1-23; 1 Pet 2:24).
And we are to take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And this is not just going through the ritual of reading a passage of Scripture each day, but this is about applying the truths of God’s word, meant for us who believe in Jesus Christ, to our daily living. So, we walk (in conduct) according to the Spirit, and not according to the flesh, and we deny self, and we die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord’s commands in holy living, doing what pleases our Lord Jesus (Luke 9:23-26).
Praying at All Times in the Spirit
And when the Scriptures speak of “praying at all times” or “praying without ceasing,” this doesn’t mean that we are continually speaking words of prayer every minute of every day, but that we are continually in the presence of the Lord in an attitude of prayer and in open two-way communication with our Lord to where talking with the Lord is as natural as talking with someone who is sitting in the room across from us, and where we listen to him, too.
And not all prayer is asking God for something. For we are to pray with thanksgiving, and we are to be those who praise and worship our Lord, and we are to be honest with our Lord about our failures and pray for his strength and wisdom to do what is right and to not do what is wrong. And we are to pray for guidance and direction in knowing where to go and what to do and in what to say to people, too, so we are being his witnesses.
And then we are to be those who pray for other people, for their salvation from sin, that they would turn from their sins to follow Jesus Christ in obedience to his commands in holy living. And we need to pray for those who profess faith in Jesus Christ but who are living just like the world, and who are still making sin their habit, that they would turn to the Lord or turn back to the Lord in walks of faith and obedience and in surrender to the Lord and to his will for their lives, and that they would be the Lord’s servants.
And we need to be praying for our fellow Christians to be strong in their faith and in their walks with the Lord and that they would not give way to the enemy of their souls. And we should pray for all who are taking the truth of the gospel to the people of the world that they would speak the truth in love and not the lies which tickle itching ears, and that they would be courageous in speaking the truth of the gospel, even if it means that they are hated and persecuted and even killed for their testimonies for Christ (Matt 24:9-14).
As the Deer
By Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1
As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
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“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.” (Ephesians 6:10-13 ESV)
God and his strength and wisdom are who and what we are to look to when we go throughout our daily routines, and when we have to make decisions and choices in life as far as what to do and where to go, etc., and when we go through trials and tribulations, and when our enemy Satan (the devil) is fighting hard against us in our minds, or in our bodies, or in our hearts. We should seek God’s face and his wisdom and direction in all these things.
For, as followers of Jesus Christ, and as human beings on this earth, we are going to go through trials and tribulations which test our faith. We are going to have times when the stresses of life appear to be overwhelming, and when we may not know which way to go. Our minds may have days when they are sluggish, too, especially the older that we get, and so we need to call upon the Lord to be our strength for us, and to give us clarity of mind.
For our enemy, the devil, wants to break us down. He wants to dishearten and to discourage us. He wants us to give up the fight. He wants us to feel hopeless and without choices and without solutions. He wants to draw us away from the purity of our devotion to the Lord and to draw us back into the ways of the flesh and of this sinful world. So he works hard against us to try to get us to give up our faith, and he tempts us, hoping that we will sin against the Lord. For his goal is to get us to pull away from Christ.
And when this says that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers and authorities and powers over this present darkness, this is not saying that we won’t have physical enemies. The Bible definitely teaches us that we will (Matthew 5:10-12). And Jesus and the NT apostles and all of the Lord’s devoted people throughout history have had physical enemies. But what this is teaching us is that this is a spiritual battle to be fought with spiritual weapons and not with physical weapons of warfare.
Put On the Whole Armor of God
“Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6:14-17 ESV)
Now putting on the armor of God is not something that we just speak through, or that we do as some kind of religious ritual, but it means for us to daily put on Christ and his armor (his spiritual weapons of spiritual warfare) so that we are able to walk (in conduct, in practice) as those who are free from slavery to sin and as those whose lives are committed to walks of holiness and obedience and surrender to our Lord in daily living.
So, what that means, in all practicality in daily living, is that we have put off lying, and now telling the truth is our practice (Ephesians 4:25), but not just any truth, but mainly the truth of God’s Word in the Bible (Genesis to Revelation). For even withholding the truth that is owed to other people is lying, and it is sinful for us to keep back the truth of the gospel from other people out of fear of what they might think of us and how we might be treated by them (Luke 9:26).
And righteousness has to do with what is deemed right in the eyes of God, i.e. what is approved by God. But this is not just a status that we wear, but we must be those who are walking in righteousness, and for whom sin is no longer what we practice. And faith is not just words that we speak, but it is action. For faith comes from God, it is gifted to us by God, it is not of ourselves, but it is persuaded of God as to his holiness and righteousness and of our need to repent of sin and to now follow Jesus in obedience.
Our salvation is not just forgiveness of sins so that when we die we get to go to heaven, and not to hell. For Jesus died to deliver us out of slavery to sin so that we will now be slaves of God and his righteousness. He died so that sin will no longer reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its desires. For if sin is what we obey, and not obedience to our Lord, it will lead to death, not to life eternal. But if we obey obedience to God, it leads to righteousness and to sanctification and its end is eternal life (Romans 6:1-23; 1 Pet 2:24).
And we are to take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And this is not just going through the ritual of reading a passage of Scripture each day, but this is about applying the truths of God’s word, meant for us who believe in Jesus Christ, to our daily living. So, we walk (in conduct) according to the Spirit, and not according to the flesh, and we deny self, and we die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord’s commands in holy living, doing what pleases our Lord Jesus (Luke 9:23-26).
Praying at All Times in the Spirit
“Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.” (Ephesians 6:18-20 ESV)
And when the Scriptures speak of “praying at all times” or “praying without ceasing,” this doesn’t mean that we are continually speaking words of prayer every minute of every day, but that we are continually in the presence of the Lord in an attitude of prayer and in open two-way communication with our Lord to where talking with the Lord is as natural as talking with someone who is sitting in the room across from us, and where we listen to him, too.
And not all prayer is asking God for something. For we are to pray with thanksgiving, and we are to be those who praise and worship our Lord, and we are to be honest with our Lord about our failures and pray for his strength and wisdom to do what is right and to not do what is wrong. And we are to pray for guidance and direction in knowing where to go and what to do and in what to say to people, too, so we are being his witnesses.
And then we are to be those who pray for other people, for their salvation from sin, that they would turn from their sins to follow Jesus Christ in obedience to his commands in holy living. And we need to pray for those who profess faith in Jesus Christ but who are living just like the world, and who are still making sin their habit, that they would turn to the Lord or turn back to the Lord in walks of faith and obedience and in surrender to the Lord and to his will for their lives, and that they would be the Lord’s servants.
And we need to be praying for our fellow Christians to be strong in their faith and in their walks with the Lord and that they would not give way to the enemy of their souls. And we should pray for all who are taking the truth of the gospel to the people of the world that they would speak the truth in love and not the lies which tickle itching ears, and that they would be courageous in speaking the truth of the gospel, even if it means that they are hated and persecuted and even killed for their testimonies for Christ (Matt 24:9-14).
As the Deer
By Martin J. Nystrom
Based off Psalm 42:1
As the deer panteth for the water
So my soul longeth after You
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
You alone are my strength, my shield
To You alone may my spirit yield
You alone are my heart's desire
And I long to worship You
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