BE STRONG IN THE LORD!

Who does God want to be strong?

God wants His people to be strong: true, born-again Christians who serve Him faithfully.

Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. II Timothy 2:1

Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. I Corinthians 16:13

Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself. So will not we go back from thee: quicken us, and we will call upon thy name. Psalm 80:17-18

Only the LORD give thee wisdom and understanding, and give thee charge concerning Israel, that thou mayest keep the law of the LORD thy God. Then shalt thou prosper, if thou takest heed to fulfil the statutes and judgments which the LORD charged Moses with concerning Israel: be strong, and of good courage; dread not, nor be dismayed. I Chronicles 22:12-13 (David to Solomon)

What must we do to be strong in the Lord?

We know that good health helps us to be strong; physical exercise helps our body to be strong.

The Apostle Paul said:

For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. I Timothy 4:8

Godliness makes us strong, i.e., being God-like, being holy, if you please.

Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. I Peter 1:16

For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. Leviticus 11:44

There are many responsibilities for us as Christians to live up to:

1. First of all, we must be saved and sanctified to be holy and to be strong in the Lord. No unsaved or unsanctified person is going to live holy; it's impossible.

Once we are saved, sanctified and living holy, we must stay separated from the world, i.e., from the people, places and things of the world, that may cause us to forget God.

Now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters unto your sons, nor seek their peace or their wealth for ever: that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children for ever. Ezra 9:12

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. II Corinthians 6:17-18

Being separated unto the Lord makes us strong!

2. God wants our young people to be strong.

I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one. Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. I John 2:14-17

3. God wants us to be exercised

And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith. Ecclesiastes 1:13

Working out with weights is fine, but exercising ourselves in the things that are Godly is of greater gain or importance to us and makes us stronger.

But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation. I Timothy 4:7-9

But godliness with contentment is great gain. I Timothy 6:6

Cf. Psalm 119:9-11, I Chronicles 28:9 & 20, I Kings 2:2-3

4. Parents' responsibility to do their part to help their children to be strong.

Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments. His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed. Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth for ever. Psalm 112:1-3

Parents must serve God with fear to get this great blessing, and must delight in doing His will.

5. Faithfulness makes us strong

Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Hebrews 11:33-34

And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. Acts 3:16

Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. I Corinthians 16:13

Examples of being strong in the Lord!

So they strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and made Rehoboam the son of Solomon strong, three years: for three years they walked in the way of David and Solomon. II Chronicles 11:17

Cf. II Chronicles 15:7-19

(Also see example in Chapter 14 about Ethiopians)

Being unfaithful or weak will cause us to displease God and bring trouble.

Cf. II Chronicles 16:1-9

Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. Jeremiah 17:5-8

IN CONCLUSION: We know we must be strong to overcome the flesh, sin and the devil, and according to the scriptures there are things God has given us to be strong.

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. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; Ephesians 6:10-18

The Joy of the Lord is Our Strength

Throughout the Bible that are many admonitions for us to be strong.

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

Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Deuteronomy 31:6

Those are just a couple. But how do we become strong in the Lord? Several things contribute to our strength, such as our routine spiritual exercises, i.e. prayer, Bible study, and fasting. The main source of our strength, though, is the joy of the Lord.

Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength. And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth, because they had understood the words that were declared unto them. Nehemiah 8:10, 12

That leads to the next question: How do we obtain the joy of the Lord? Where does this joy come from? As usual, the answers are found in the pages of your Holy Bible.

Hearing the Word of God and putting it in our hearts will bring us joy:

Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts. Jeremiah 15:16

Separating ourselves from the things of the world, and seeking God will bring us joy:

Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. Psalm 16:11

Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. John 16:24

Also, in II Chronicles 30:18-27, Hezekiah had the people cleanse themselves from the idolatry they practiced under his father's rule, and they offered sacrifices to God. This brought them great joy!

Walking in the Spirit, and doing the right thing, will bring us joy:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23

For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit. Ecclesiastes 2:26

Giving our tithes and offerings, with a good attitude, will bring us joy:

Then the chief of the fathers and princes of the tribes of Israel, and the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the rulers of the king's work, offered willingly, And gave for the service of the house of God of gold five thousand talents and ten thousand drams, and of silver ten thousand talents, and of brass eighteen thousand talents, and one hundred thousand talents of iron. Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the LORD: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy. II Chronicles 29:6-7, 9

Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. II Corinthians 9:7

Having meekness will bring us joy:

The meek also shall increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. Isaiah 29:19

Keeping God's commandments will bring us joy:

If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. John 15:10-11

Trusting in the Lord will bring us joy:

But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield. Psalm 5:11-12

CONCLUSION

Here, again, are some of the things we can do to increase our joy, which will, in turn, increase our strength:

1 – Hear the Word of God and hide it in our hearts

2 – Separate ourselves from worldly things and seek God

3 – Walk in the Spirit and do the right thing

4 – Cheerfully pay tithes and give offerings

5 – Have meekness

6 – Keep God's commandments

7 – Trust in the Lord

May God, and His Son, Jesus Christ, bless and keep you as you continue in your walk with Him. Amen!