Be Strong in the Lord
Finally, My Brethren, Be Strong in the Lord “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death” (Rev 12:11).
In this great conflict that rages between us and the forces of evil, we must understand the pattern of warfare that God has set up in His word for ultimate triumph. We must first know for sure that the battle is the Lord’s and not ours. Failing to realize this will only lead to prolonged frustration and perplexity as we struggle to stop the wave of iniquity that is breaking in upon us, the people of God.
The church of Jesus Christ has been on the defensive for too long. In fact, victory for God’s people has generally been seen from a negative standpoint. Victory has always been seen as knowing how to ward off the attack of the enemy, or to get healed, or recover from some spiritual setback. The church has understood victory to mean escaping the onslaught of the enemy.
But the hour is at hand when the Lord God of Hosts, the Man of War, and the Lord of the Armies will mobilize His forces for a decisive onslaught on the adversary. And the gates of hell shall not prevail against the onslaught of the church. When our Lord Jesus died on the cross, “He spoilt principalities and powers, and made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it” (Col 2:15). But in this end-time battle, God will execute the sentence passed at the cross, and crush the hosts of evil under our feet. “And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen” (Rom 16:20).
The central message of this book to us, the church, is to awake and put on strength. God desires to have supernatural children. He hasn’t given birth to weaklings. His children are conquerors. They are world overcomers. “Who is he that overcomes the world, but he that is born of God; and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.” The Lord Jesus said: “When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils” (Luke 11:21, 22).
In the statement made by our Lord above, you would notice there are two strong men. The Lord said that when a strong man, fully armed, guards his palace, his property is safe, until a stronger man shows up and defeats him. The stronger man does three things:
1. Attacks and overpowers the strong man.
2. Takes away his armor. Disarms and takes away all the weapons which the strong man trusts in.
3. Divides the loot of the strong man; takes all the strong man’s possessions from him and walks away with them.
Who is the armed strong man guarding his mansion where he keeps his loot? Correct! The Lord is referring to the devil and his host here as the strong man. And who is the stronger “strong man” that showed up?
Yes! That is you and me, and every born-again, Bible-believing, Holy-Ghost-filled child of God who knows their position of authority in Christ Jesus. Of course, the Lord Jesus Christ, our Forerunner, did this first when He spoilt principalities and powers, and dispossessed them of all authority and powers. Then He gave the keys to the church. We are stronger and more than conquerors through His Name. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given unto me,” Jesus said; then He turned to His disciples and us and said, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Mat 28:19, 20).
Just as there are two strong men in the Lord’s message above, there are two armors. There is the armor of the strong man, and also the armor of the stronger man. The armor of God is represented by the armor of the stronger man, who overpowers the strong man and takes his prized possessions. The apostle admonishes us to put on the whole armor of God. The Lord Jesus Christ triumphed over Satan at the cross and in the grave. There He overpowered the devil and spoilt his goods. He robbed Satan of his powers and his authority. “And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it” (Col 2:15). Jesus took away Satan’s armor from him and totally disarmed him as far as we, God’s children, are concerned. Then He was raised from the dead and became Lord of all, and gave us His word and the authority to use His Name to overpower the enemy. He gave us supernatural armor to fight and totally dismantle satanic strongholds. Apostle Paul states:
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
“Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (Eph 6:10-13).
“(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled” (2 Cor 10:4-6).