Only God Gives Strength“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being.” (Ephesians 3:16 NIV)
The Apostle Paul had spent three years teaching and exhorting the believers in Ephesus. Yet he knew that they needed something beyond teaching; for he said in his letter to the Ephesians that he needed to fall on his knees in prayer, asking God to strengthen them in their inner being. Paul knew that he couldn’t instruct people to be strong in their inner person, for only God could give that strength. Although Paul knew that the Holy Spirit lived inside the believers, he wanted God to grant them more power. And he knew that you didn’t get power by speaking words into the air… rather, you prayed down power. The same holds true for us today.
Your pastor may have a great word, but he can’t teach you strength. Only God gives you strength, and it comes in answer to prayer—the fortitude to live a victorious Christian life, to minister to others, to overcome road blocks in life, to rebound when the enemy knocks you down, to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. This isn’t attained by jogging or lifting weights. You can be physically fit yet be weak against temptation and discouragement. The strength the Apostle Paul was talking about is being strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. It means living a supernatural Christian life. This comes only through prayer—asking God for the power of the Holy Spirit to live a supernatural Christian life every single day; and, like the Apostle Paul, asking the Lord to strengthen your brothers and sisters in Christ in their inner being.
Read Ephesians 3:14-18.
