Spiritual WarfareSample

Where the Real Power Comes From

In his classic text on spiritual warfare, Paul urges us to “be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power” (Ephesians 6:10). When temptation hits, there is a massive difference between you being strong and you being strong “in the Lord.”

The former is when you search inside yourself for strength; when you get self-esteemy and say, “I am strong. I am enough. I got this.” As common as that practice is, it leaves you with far too little strength, because true strength doesn’t come from within.

Let me prove it. Did you know that the real power of a boxing punch (or the real oomph behind a home run swing) does not come from the chiseled physiques of professional athletes? They might have shoulders like cantaloupes, but that’s not where their power comes from. The real force comes from . . . the ground! The power starts from the earth’s stability and strength, which gets launched as kinetic energy through the body—first legs, then hips, then core, then BAM! Take a boxer, float him in the air, and his punch will lose almost all its power. But once you set his feet firmly on the earth, he’ll have a source of super strength.

When you fight your spiritual battles, don’t look inside yourself and think there’s enough strength to stand up to Satan. Instead, grab your Bible, hit your knees in prayer, look to the cross, and plant the feet of your faith on something outside of yourself—the Rock that is our God. Be strong in the Lord!