Be Strong in the Lord!

Ephesians 6:10-13

¹⁰ Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. ¹³ 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.

We know Satan as the devil, a formerly angelic creature who, before the creation of the human race, rebelled against God and has since battled with human beings and God. He is called the prince of darkness (Colossians 1:13), the father of lies (John 8:44), the accuser (Revelation 12:10) and the deceitful serpent (2 Corinthians 11:3).

Satan’s dangerous. He can transform himself to appear righteous and good (2 Corinthians 11:14). He attacks our physical health (Luke 13:16) and removes the Word from our hearts (Mark 4:15). He prowls around like a lion (1 Peter 5:8).

How should believers react to Satan? We must be cautious in dealing with him, but we don’t need to have sheer terror. Satan may be strong and dangerous, but God is stronger (1 John 4:4). Satan is only a creature. Unlike God, he is limited in space, time and strength. That’s why Satan flees when we resist him with God behind us (James 4:7).

It’s incredibly important to know that we can’t defeat Satan on our own. We need God’s help. Ephesians 6:10 says we must find our strength in the Lord and in His might.

We grow a deeper appreciation for God’s power and grace when we know the insufficiency of ourselves. The more we see our frailty, helplessness and dependence the more we appreciate God’s grace in supplying us with His power and assistance. Just as grace abounds the more we sin (Romans 5:20), the weaker we are the more gracious God is (2 Corinthians 12:9).

The help God supplies is another demonstration of His immense grace. God has promised that He will guard us and help us when Satan attacks us: “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Satan is stronger than us, and therefore we don’t have a chance fighting him without help. As He has promised, God has given us help – according to Ephesians 6:11 that help involves spiritual armour and weapons. If God wills, I will spend time on each element of this armour and weapons in the following meditations.