There is an interesting combination of relying God and retaining strength to with stand the schemes of the devil. In Ephesians 6 we have the passage were we are to put on the whole armor of God. That statement alone hints at a possibility of us leaving a gap in our armor because it heavily relies on us doing the work to put it on. The verse before the command to put on the whole armor of God is a verse with a deep foundation of power and strength found in Jesus.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Ephesians 6:10

If you’re not careful you might still rely on your own effort to following Jesus in the way that you think you should go. One translation of this verse reads “become strong in the Lord” which gives more of an accurate interpretation of Jesus being the source of where we receive strength, and not just a blind chase to mimic some actions of Jesus.

To take hold of this perspective you must then answer the question: what are you relying on Jesus for? Paul doesn’t leave the expectation or definition of strength open for interpretation. He says that the strength is found in the deeds and miracles of Jesus and the word “might” refers to the capability and potential of the established power of Jesus. So what Jesus has done means something and what He will eventually do defines our expectations.

The impact of his strength gives us the instructions of what we’re capable of and also a destination of where we are headed. One scholar expressed that Paul’s impact from Christ lead him to (1) to know and experience God; (2) to know the hope of His calling; (3) to know of His glorious inheritance; and (4) to know of His great power.1

Pray that your faith comes full circle to know the strength of protection you have in this life but also for this life to reflect where you are going in the next life.

1. Dockery, D. S. (1998). The Pauline Letters. In D. S. Dockery (Ed.), Holman concise Bible commentary (p. 577). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.