Being strong in the Lord

In Ephesians 6:10, the exhortation to “be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might,” is in the form of a command. These are strong words which contain the promise of great power. Is it really possible to be strong in the Lord, considering all the weakness that rules when the good is supposed to be done? The whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. From without, we are surrounded by a crooked and perverse generation, and within is the law of sin in our members. (Romans 7:23)

In spite of all this opposition, it is possible to conquer all the evil, according to the way set forth in the Scriptures. The armor must be complete, as described in Ephesians 6:11 and Ephesians 6:13, and we must “pray with all perseverance.” Ephesians 6:18. The secret of always overcoming is: always be filled with goodness.

A steadfast, immovable, and unshakable faith

We wage a battle against powerful forces from without and within. We can only fight against these forces in a steadfast faith that is immovable and unshakable. It is useless if we have not taken this stand. If we are wholehearted, we can resist on the evil day and remain standing after we have done (overcome) all things. What a glorious promise this is: “overcome all things.” Let us fill our hearts with the word of faith, so that evil spirits and powers and all the devil's army must flee.

We must take these things seriously, and we must do it today. Life passes quickly, and our entrance into heaven is at the door. We must stand, having girded our waist with truth. The least amount of slothfulness in this area causes the armor to be incomplete and prevents us from overcoming.

Be strong in the Lord: The weapons of warfare

The breastplate of righteousness belongs to the armor. “If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.” 1 John 2:29. The breastplate is made up of personal righteousness in our own life. The righteousness that is reckoned to us at our conversion is the righteousness of Christ.

Our feet must be shod with peace. We must know, discern, and realize that we must pursue peace in all circumstances, as much as possible. The shield of faith is a protection against all the fiery darts of the wicked one. It only takes a very small opening for the evil to pierce through.

The helmet of salvation makes us happy and bold – always prepared to praise and honor God. Not being prepared is foreign to those who possess the helmet of salvation. The sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, must dwell richly among us, so that it pierces to the division of soul and spirit, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12) The Word solves all problems; it separates the pure from the vile, and binds the power of the devil.

Let us exhort ourselves, from morning till night, to be zealous and faithful. We must wholeheartedly enter into a life of continuing in prayer for ourselves and all the saints. Then the armor is complete; we will be victorious on the evil day and stand after we have overcome all things.

This article was first published in Norwegian in BCC’s periodical “Skjulte Skatter” (“Hidden Treasures”) in October 1968, with the title “The full armor of God.”
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