How to Be Strong in the Lord (Episode 22)

Being a Christian does not automatically make you strong in the Lord. You can be a Christian and not be strong in the Lord, but you can’t be strong in the Lord without being a Christian. Moreover, being strong in the Lord does not automatically come with the duration of time you have been a Christian. You can be a Christian for 50 years and still not be regarded as being strong in the Lord.

In Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus, Paul writes, “Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might” (Ephesians 6:10, KJV). Every Christian has what he or she needs to become strong in the Lord. That’s because of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.

Admittedly, some believers have more challenges to becoming strong in the Lord than others do. But the fact remains that every Christian has been endued with the wherewithal to realize that end.

But how do we become strong in the Lord, and why is that important? Paul writes, “Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (verse 11). The first part of this verse reveals in a nutshell, HOW to become strong in the Lord. We accomplish that end by putting on the whole armor of God.

The second part of the verse reveals WHY we need to be strong in the Lord. It is so we can stand against the wiles—the schemes, tricks, or attacks--of the devil. It stands to reason that if we must put on the whole armor of God so we can stand against the wiles of the devil, then we won’t be able to stand strong if we don’t do that.

The Enemy Determines How We Must Fight

In this episode, Frank King underscores the point that we don’t get to determine how we must fight to win against the devil. Rather, the enemy determines that. Why do you think our nation has intelligence agencies? It’s because we must know what works against adversarial nations and what does not. If we ignore the intelligence and we just do what we always do, our warfare will not be effective. The same thing is true about our enemy, the devil. It is the nature of the enemy that dictates the kind of warfare we must fight in order to win.

In our own strength, you and I are no match for the devil. The only way we can win against him is by donning ourselves with the armor that comes from God.

The components of the armor of God are listed in verses 14-17 of Ephesians, chapter 6. There, Paul uses the symbology of armor. He talks about the girdle of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Then he says praying always (verse 18). In other words, put all these components on, praying always.

But how do we put on these components of the armor of God? We do that by applying those components to our life. In other words, by walking in truth or integrity, walking in righteousness, living by faith, obeying the Word of God and praying always. That is how we become strong, not in our own strength but strong in the Lord.