A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Ephesians 6:10

What does it mean to be strong in the Lord?

First it means to not be afraid. Fear simply has no place in the heart of a believer because there is no room for it. When Christ fills your heart there isn’t room for anything else. Like Peter out on the water walking to Jesus, he was fine as long as he stayed focused on the Lord. But as soon as he took his eyes off the Lord and turned them onto the waves and the storm and the fact that he was out of the boat, actually walking on the water, he sank like a stone. All eyes on Jesus at all times.

Secondly, being strong in the Lord means trusting in the power of His Spirit in your life. You are not alone. You have the presence of God in you. You have been bought with a price. It’s realizing that you are loved; you matter to God; He sent His only Son to die so that you might live with Him forever — He cares about you that much — and now by faith He lives in you by His Spirit to see you through to the end of this earthly life, and His Spirit makes you strong.

And finally, as this verse tells us, we can be strong in the Lord because He has equipped us for battle. We have everything we need to stand firm against any threat from the enemy. We have a belt, body armor, boots, a helmet, a shield and a sword. (We’ll be finding out more about each piece of armor this week.) And to top it off, we have prayer — a direct line of communication with the God of the universe — always open, 24/7.

With all of this, how could you not be strong in the Lord?

Chances are, you already know about this, but does everybody you know? Are there people you can tell about this? So many people are afraid today; they feel vulnerable and alone. Think about who you could encourage with a word about the protection available to them through faith in Christ.