Be Strengthened in the Lord

Ephesians 6:10 (NET) Finally, be strengthened in the Lord and in the strength of his power.

Blake was now really weak because of the many battles he had faced and lost (at least that was his thinking). He didn’t feel strong enough because he had been beaten down so many times in life.
He continued in this state of spiritual weakness until he heard a sermon about the joy of the Lord. That was the day he realized that spiritual strength and joy in the Holy Ghost cannot be separated. He determined from that day that he would never allow the devil to steal his joy and strength again. Because of this decision, he gradually but surely came out of his depression and started doing exploits for the Lord again.

One of the easiest ways the devil deceives people into weakness is by tempting them to sin so that as a result, they would lose the joy of their salvation. There’s this resident joy in the heart of everyone who has received God’s kingdom, and this joy is a fruit of the Spirit. But when believers violate their consciences, it sets their spirits into a mood of mourning and this can rob them of this joy of salvation. That’s why after David’s iniquity, he cried to the Lord to restore to him the joy of His salvation(see Psalm 51:12).

The devil can also attempt to rob us of this joy by orchestrating circumstances around us that are unfavorable. But we must not forget that one way to be strong in the Lord is to rejoice in the Lord always(see Philippians 4:4) because the joy of the Lord is our strength (see Nehemiah 8:10).

Go into today remembering that being strong in the Lord is to rejoice in the Lord and let your hope and confidence come from the Lord. Trust in the Lord’s faithfulness at all times. He is more faithful than your mind has the ability to understand.