Lasting strength comes from above

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.”

-- Ephesians 6:10

There comes a point in everyone’s life, sooner or later, where you just can’t find the strength within yourself.

The world shouts at you to dig deeper, to reach farther and to try to latch onto something that you know just isn’t there.

And in that, the feeling of failure or defeat -- even just the sheer exhaustion -- can be overwhelming.

That’s the thing about our own strength: It is a scarce and a finite resource.

Chapter 6 of the book of Ephesians contains one of the most well-known sections of scripture in the Bible, spawning many a Sunday school song and Christian bookstore toy sets over the years. It details the whole armor of God, and it emphasizes the importance of putting this armor over your life.

When you really examine that section of scripture, what comes to the surface is that each piece of his armor represents a piece of the nature of Jesus Christ, and His effect on the human soul.

The helmet of His salvation. The breastplate of righteousness. Feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. The shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

None of these things -- salvation, righteousness, peace, faith, or God’s Word -- exist outside of, or apart from, Jesus.

And what’s so important to note in the putting on of this armor, is that it is not presented in the context of charging forth and mounting an attack against the enemies of God.

Repeatedly, throughout scripture, it is reiterated that our battles belong to God.

In Deuteronomy 20:4 says “For the Lord your God is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.”

In putting on the entirety of this armor, in Ephesians 6:13, we are told simply to stand.

Stand for God. Stand with God. Stand in the entirety of who God is.

Which is what makes this verse, “be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might,” so amazing.

The strength even to stand comes from God.

In your moments of utter defeat and weakness, find your strength and your peace in the God who has moved heaven and earth to offer salvation for your soul.

He is the one who goes with you. He is the one who will fight for you. He is the one who will save you.

Joey Crandall is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Carson Valley.