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Be Strong In The Lord

                 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. (Ephesians 6:10)

                Strong: Middle English strong, from Old English strang, of living things, body parts, "physically powerful;" of persons, "firm, bold, brave; constant, resolute; having authority, able to enforce one's will;" of medicines, poisons, "powerful in effect;" of winds, etc., "violent, forceful, severe," of wine, "having high alcohol content." The general sense is "possessing or imparting force or energy; intense or intensified in degree."( Strong - Etymology, Origin & Meaning)

                And, we’re back to this verse, or maybe this passage. It looks like the last time I discussed it is in 2024, so maybe it’s not so horrible that I return to it. According to the etymology, that means we’re to be firm, bold, brave; constant, resolute; having authority, and able to enforce one’s will. Some of that sounds like the “Name it and Claim it” idea. The same is true of “possessing or imparting force or energy.” But what good would it be for us to be strong in having authority or being able to enforce one’s will on others or the world if we cannot and do not first become strong within ourselves? So what does it mean to be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power?

                One thing it does not mean is that we’re supposed to be strong in ourselves. We aren’t meant to be a spiritual superhero, spouting witty repartee as we beat the tar out of any demon or non-Christian who comes our way. One might be strong in math or English. That would mean that your relationship with the subject is such that you know how to use it. To be strong in the Lord in that sense would require a close relationship that would, by its nature, involve lots of time spent in the study of Scripture and prayer. It would, to return to an oft-used chorus, require that we love God with all our hearts, all our souls, all our minds, and all our strength, and love our neighbor as ourselves, and that we depend on Him completely. To use another chorus, it would require that we “Trust and obey/For there's no other way/To be happy in Jesus/But to trust and obey.” (Trust and Obey, John H. Sammis)

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