Why you must passionately crave spiritual strength

The power of spiritual strength

Life is a battlefield. Some have the mistaken assumption that because Jesus went to the cross, everything should be easy now. Not so. We have to enforce His victory, deliver people from the devil’s hands while doing more than keep our own heads above water. In Ephesians chapter three, the apostle Paul shares his prayer points with the people he is writing to. He tells them that he prays that they will be strengthened by the Holy Spirit in their inner man. Later in chapter six, he exhorts them to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. It is a call to maximum strength, not only as a random occurrence but as a dedicated pursuit. It does matter how strong you are spiritually. So why is it so important?

Read the first part of this article here :
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First, it is quite obvious that this is what God wants, as it is what we are exhorted to do. It, therefore, means that it is important for our lives. Many people, years after coming to Christ still flout their weakness and pull on other people for pity and continual assistance. Jesus deserves better. He paid a high price so we can be free, powerful, strong and effective for Him on the earth. Your level of spiritual strength (in the previous article I talk about how the Lord dealt with me about tensile strength), will determine your impact in all the different areas that we will look at below.

Why you must passionately crave spiritual strength

Spiritual strength and wisdom

Spiritual wisdom is indispensable to successful Christian living. However, you need spiritual strength to apply whatever spiritual wisdom you have gained. Over the years I have met many people who receive a measure of wisdom and direction from the Lord in some area or other, but they falter and fail eventually because they do not have the strength to implement or carry through. They start and stop, over and over again, and end up dropping off.

Some get off to a good start, but once they encounter challenges, they are consumed with anxiety and worry and don’t have the stamina to bear up under the strain and see a bright future ahead. This is vital because many are hunting for revelation, seeking prophets and prophecy without building their strength. Many callings never get off the ground because the called do not have the stomach for opposition. God has opened up revelation of His purpose to them, but they have gone no further.

Some see war and hide. At the onset of spiritual attacks or challenges, they gave up. Some will say things like every time I’m trying to register for this course I get attacked. So I’m just going to stop No, that’s the wrong attitude. The right attitude is to say, obviously there are powers that are trying to stand against this, I will resist them. I will attack them in return. Attack rather than be attacked.

In many instances, the church has capitulated on values.. Why? Because many believers are too weak to stand up to the opposition and persecution our values attract. Share on X

Spiritual strength to uphold kingdom values

Spiritual strength is necessary to uphold kingdom values and accomplish divine projects. God needs a strong and powerful church. If we are not strong, we’ll be easily demobilised and the work of God will stagnate. If we are not strong, we will bow to the world. That is what we see in the church today. In many instances, the church has capitulated on values, on issues such as the veracity of the gospel or the uniqueness of Christ. Why? Because many believers are too weak to stand up to the opposition and persecution our values attract. We have not allowed God to strengthen us in the inner man. We can be so strong that we will be unshakeable.

Why not go over your life and list the things that make you afraid? Then go before the Lord for help so these fears will disappear from your life. I must admit that as a leader, I have often looked at people and deplored their extreme weakness and wonder if they will truly stand when faced with real adversity. I have looked at people and wondered if this person was only here because the devil has not turned his attention to them. When he does, will they stand? We do need tensile strength.

People who have difficulty managing their own lives cannot effectively do the work of God. How is it that we have received the Holy Spirit, the great and mighty God through whom all that exists was created, and yet many have difficulty simply staying afloat? This is serious. And it is not about baby Christians either. Irrespective of your level, something always shows up to push you into a place of weakness.

Strength to win a generation

Only a powerful church can win this generation, powerful Christians who are unmoved by adverse opinions. Truly Jesus needs an army of mighty men and women who don’t bow before anything or anyone, who defy persecution and do not shrink from negative publicity from the mockers of the gospel. We cannot sacrifice our mission for ‘peace’. We are at war. Those who capitulate because they are problem averse end up being the most problem-prone. The devil likes to beat on the weak. History is only made by those who face down challenges, like David, like Paul and overcome despite adversity.

It is not adversity that makes us fail; it is our weakness in the face of adversity So contend for tensile strength. Choose to no longer be the object of pity and compassion, rather, to become a counsellor and a helper of men. We come from a heritage of faith and courage in the face of adversity. Men and women chose death rather than declare that Caesar is Lord. They were torn apart by lions and ravaged by fire. Yet they stood firm. We need great spiritual strength. God’s commands are feasible and doable, not unrealistic and bothersome.

I always say to the Lord if it is given to a human being to do, then I accept to do it. Now, if it is not given to a human being and it can only be done by angels, then I’ll pass. God will give us what we ask. When we ask for strength, we will receive strength, resilience, capacity, fortitude, fearlessness, etc. These words should be part and parcel of our vocabulary and daily experience.

Strength to be fearless

Fear is a major killer and robber of strength. Fear can result from a real and challenging situation, but more often than not it is a spirit that injects itself into a situation to hinder and derail a person. When the enemy wants to steal your strength, he will throw fear at you. The only thing to do is reject the fear strongly, declare your fearlessness commanding the spirit of fear to leave, declare that God is for you and with you and none can prevail against you. You can do anything through Christ who strengthens you.

Strength to build relationships

As a pastor, I have seen people destroy and hinder long-standing and God-given relationships because of their own weakness. They hit a hard place and take it out on others, often blaming them for their challenges. In their weakness, they judge and disconnect from people they should honour. Once the devil has isolated them or separated them from those who stood for them, they become easy prey and cannon fodder.

Women and spiritual strength

Isaiah 41 talks about God’s strengthening of His people. The Amplified Version renders it as unyielding and impenetrable strength. That was a gold mine to me when I found it in the days of my youth. I devoured, chewed on and soaked it in completely. I needed that strength. I have prayed continually to receive unyielding and impenetrable strength for decades now, and it works. It works for women and men.

Gender stereotypes hinder many women from walking in their God-ordained strength. Since our source of strength is the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, and we will discuss that at greater length later, it stands to reason that both men and women are potential beneficiaries. How many of the old-time mothers of the church have demonstrated greater strength in prayer and in life than their sons and grandsons and sometimes even their spouses? Every mother must be strong to pray for their children. The powers of darkness must fear their strength and keep away from their children because of them.

Strength to overpower demons

Ephesians six summons us to strength and calls on us to secure our armour from God to resist, oppose and defeat every subterfuge of the devil. It identifies the nefarious entities we have to contend with, sundry wicked spirits, principalities and powers. The overwhelming strength of God is to be coveted and received and used along with our weapons to overcome. He makes provision for total victory and success in all things and against all evil. We need not fail in weakness before any circumstance of life.

Strength empowers us to effectively engage in spiritual warfare. It takes boldness to confront the powers of darkness. It requires strength to persevere and not back down when the devil is being confrontational. We are told to submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee. Strength influences the successful exercise of authority.