09-30-2026 Be Strong
Text: Ephesians 6:10
This morning we’re going to look at why Paul tells us to be strong. Our text is found in Ephesians 6:10 where he writes: “Finally my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.” He’s reminding us that the moment we accept Jesus and become Christians, we’re placed into spiritual warfare against the enemies of God led by Satan. We need to be strong because our adversaries – Satan and his minions – are strong. When we hear the word ‘strong’ we find that it’s a word that looks backward and forward. It looks back to the rich truths Paul wrote in his letter to the Ephesians. It looks forward because we become strong through our testimonies that will help prepare us for the conflicts and battles we will experience in our Christian life.
When we hear the words ‘be strong’ we understand that they have many meanings. First, they are military words because every believer is engaged in a spiritual battle. Further in the letter to the Ephesians, Paul tells us in chapter 6 verses 11-12 that we face a powerful enemy with many allies so we must be strong for the battle. He goes on to tells us the strengths that are required for this battle: strength of character (verse 14), strength of faith (verse 16), strength in our Biblical knowledge (verse 17) and strength in our prayer life (verse 18).
The words ‘be strong’ can also be mocking words. Sometimes words that are good are meaningless. There will be times when we’re required to be strong, but in reality, we may be feeling especially weak. Perhaps problems we are dealing with may be affecting us and depleting our strength. Or maybe we’re trying to fight a temptation that has us feeling like we’re on the edge of a cliff and we wonder if we can continue in this Christian life and its spiritual warfare. We may be trying to be strong and have intentions to clean up our language, control our temper, stop worrying, stop hurting others with our words, or trying to maintain a devotional life but we keep failing again and again.
When we reach this point, all we need to do is remember the words that follow ‘be strong’ in our text so that we can experience the miracles they bring to our lives. “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” Many times we forget that we never have to do this alone because we have the power of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
The truth is, even when we do our best to be strong, some battles are just too hard for us to fight, and some adversaries are too strong for us. But when we remember the entire verse and don’t get stuck on trying to be strong on our own, the battle immediately changes in our favor.
Never forget that we have a powerful Savior in Jesus Christ. He tells us in Matthew 28:18 “All power is given unto Me in Heaven and in Earth.” Because God gave Jesus complete authority over heaven and earth it means that Jesus governs and protects the Church and every Christian, controls hearts and opinions, and all the forces of Heaven are at His disposal so that He will help us the moment we feel our strength is failing. Isaiah reminds us in 40:31 that when we trust in the Lord, He will renew our strength strength; give us wings like eagles; so we can run and not be weak; and walk and not fall.
A big benefit that comes with trusting Jesus is that we have the promise of His power when we’re feeling weak. All we have to do is call on Him to help us. Paul wrote in Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.” He’s reminding us that we can be strong because we receive all the power we need when we are at our lowest because we trust and lean on Jesus. We can receive the strength we need to do His will and face the challenges we encounter as Christians. It doesn’t mean that He will grant us superhuman ability to accomplish anything we can imagine without regard to His interests. It means that we will have the strength needed to fight and stand firm in our faith as we live a Christian life. Yes, we will face troubles, pressures, and trials but we can rely on our faith and do what it takes to remain strong because we can trust that Jesus will give us the strength we will need to overcome every obstacle we encounter.
Our crucified and living Lord and Savior Jesus gives us the victory in every challenge and battle we face as Christians. When we feel defeated, we can run to Him and trust that our strength will always be renewed. When we trust Him completely, we can be strong and overcome whatever Satan and his army will throw at us. Afterall, as John reminds us in I John 5:4 it’s our faith that enables us to overcome the world because Jesus has overcome the world.
Until we meet again, may God bless you and keep you, may He shine His light on you, show you grace, and give you peace in all the days ahead.