Our Redemption “in Christ” Detailed to the Ephesians Volume 60

Paul Instructs the Ephesian Believers on Spiritual Warfare Part 1: Be Strong in Christ

Ephesians 6:10-12 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. KJV

After the Apostle Paul has written to these Ephesian believers detailing many things to them about their salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and praying for them on two separate occasions in this letter, and instructing them on their duty and responsibilities individually and to one another, Paul concludes his letter by leaving for last perhaps his most important instructions to them and all of us who would read this letter in future generations and that is on their and our warfare against the devil and his demons while we remain on the earth as pilgrims. Paul begins by reminding them that they are his brethren “in Christ” and that he knows first-hand of this conflict of which he is about to speak. First Paul instructs them and us to “be strong” in the Lord and this little English phrase is translated by one Greek word endunamoo which means to empower: - enable, (increase in) strength, be made strong. In other words, the Apostle is here reverting back to what his very first prayer for them and us was at the beginning of his letter when he wrote, “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power” (Ephesians 1:17-19).

Paul after declaring all of the truth of our inheritance “in Christ” now wants them and us to from this time forth or from now on (that is upon receiving and reading his letter) to wage war against the enemy of our souls the devil and his following fallen demons all and only by surrendering, submitting, and subjecting ourselves to our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ Mighty Power and strength. Paul also was looking through the lens or eyes of our Lord Jesus reflecting and meditating on the words He spoke when He said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one.” (John 10:27-30). Paul knows (by the Word of God and by his own personal experience) that the devil and his minions are defeated, destroyed, and decimated by the Cross of Christ and by His Shed Blood on that Cross, but he wants these Ephesian believers and us today to know it or be aware of this fact and walk in it by Christ strength and power, the only way it is realized in our lives.

Paul was hounded by the devil and his demons constantly always trying to hurt him and then kill him, but he knew that it was Christ power and strength that kept him and preserved him as he declared with these words, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed ---always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.” (2 Corinthians 4:7-11).

As King David knew YAWEH or Jehovah as his constant strength and protector (in the physical sense) and prayed for His strength to be his on many occasions (Psalm 35), these Ephesian believers and we believers today must not try to fight in our own human strength (which is powerless against the enemy), but we must put on our Lord Jesus Christ and His Mighty Spiritual Strength in order to defeat the enemy’s attacks against us as Paul declared to the Corinthian believers with these words, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-6). Paul is here reminding the Corinthian believers that our enemy is invisible and he cannot be defeated by human weapons for many of his attacks come against our minds where our thoughts and reasoning reside, therefore, it is beyond our ability to wage war and win unless we put on Christ Strength and His Mind to combat these spiritual attacks.

“To be ‘strong in the Lord,’ is: to be strong or courageous in His cause; to feel that He is our strength, and to rely on Him and His promises.” Albert Barnes

My own Personal Note: We are powerless against the attacks of our enemy the devil when we rely on ourselves and our own will power to resist him, however, when we do as the Apostle James writes, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7) we can defeat him because we have no adequate resources of our own, but as the Apostle Paul writes, “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God” (2 Corinthians 3:5).

“Those who have so many battles to fight, and who, in their way to heaven, must dispute every pass, with dint of sword, have need of a great deal of courage. Be strong therefore, strong for service, strong for suffering, strong for fighting. Let a soldier be ever so well armed without, if he have not within a good heart, his armor will stand him in little stead. Note, spiritual strength and courage are very necessary for our spiritual warfare. Be strong in the Lord, either in His cause and for His sake or rather in His strength. We have no sufficient strength of our own. Our natural courage is as perfect cowardice, and our natural strength as perfect weakness; but all our sufficiency is of God. In His strength we must go forth and go on. By the actings of faith, we must fetch in grace and help from heaven to enable us to do that which of ourselves we cannot do, in our Christian work and warfare. We should stir up ourselves to resist temptations in a reliance upon God’s all-sufficiency and the omnipotence of His might.” Matthew Henry

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…