Go in His Strength

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. (Ephesians 6:10)

Before Paul wrote anything about armor or named a single enemy, he laid the foundation for spiritual warfare. You must be grounded in God’s strength to fight well. The Greek word for “be strong” here is endunamoo, meaning to be empowered. But notice where the empowering comes from: not in your own strength, skill, or spiritual discipline. Your strength comes from the Lord. This is vitally important to understand. Many believers try to fight spiritual battles on their own strength and wonder why they keep losing.

Paul continued to explain what this looked like by using two more Greek words in this passage. Kratos is the word for “might.” It refers to God's ruling and governing strength, the strength that holds everything together through His wisdom and authority. The other word is ischus. It is the Greek word for someone’s ability, capacity, and power. Paul was saying your job is to put on and live in the empowerment God gave you in His ruling strength and in His ability.

Later, he will write about principalities, powers, rulers of darkness, and spiritual wickedness in high places. These are supernatural foes, but God never asked you to fight them in your own strength or ability. You’re to fight with the same power that raised Jesus from the dead and seated Him above every name that is named.The Greek word pros, used for standing against these forces, means “face to face.” You are not running or hiding from the enemy.

That is the posture of someone who knows whose strength they are standing in, unflinching. When you are empowered by His kratos and His ischus, you can stand face to face against anything the enemy brings. You cannot wear the armor effectively if you have not first settled who is empowering your fighting. It is not you; it is His strength.

Practical Application

Before you pray, before you confess, and before you engage in any spiritual battle today, take a moment to consciously put on His strength rather than your own. Declare out loud that you are empowered in the Lord and in the power of His might. Make it a starting point, not an afterthought.

Isaiah 40:31; 2 Timothy 2:1