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Still Standing! Eph. 6:10 NASB- Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. I am so glad that I don’t have to depend on my own strength when I am going against the dark forces of the wicked one. The apostle Paul, in the closing chapter of his letter to the Ephesians begins his closing statements with this very encouraging statement. Let’s look at a couple of words from the Greek: Strong- Endunamao: a compound of the words en and dunamis. En means IN. Dunamis, means explosive strength, ability, and power. Its where we get the word dynamite from. Endunamao: gives us the picture of an explosive power that is being deposited into some type of container, vessel, or other form of receptacle. The very nature of the word endunamao means that there must necessarily be some type of receiver for this power to be deposited into. That’s where we come in. We are the container that God has chosen to deposit this power. Acts 1:8 and you shall receive power (dunamis) after the Holy Spirit has come upon you… The Passion Translation reads Eph. 6:10 Now my beloved ones, I have saved the most important truths for last: Be supernaturally infused with strength from your life-union with the Lord Jesus. Stand victorious with the force of His explosive power flowing in and through you. The enemy will come at you in so many ways to try to stop you and to hinder you from fulfilling your God-given destiny. When God has something great for you to do the devil will inevitably attempt to do something to stop you from doing it. When God sent Becki and I to Russia the devil attempted to make us miss our plane. But God sent and angel to make sure we made our flight in only thirty minutes. MIRACLE! When I made my first and second trip to Chiapas Mexico. The enemy succeeded in causing us to miss our flight, but that only resulted in a divine appointment with a retired police officer from the Bronx who was born and raised in Panama and was tagged to be our translator being healed and gloriously saved and baptized. The second time in Chiapas, I also missed my flight which resulted in me being extremely tired. But God’s supernatural strength and power of His might took over and the result was people being saved, filled, and delivered. The enemy will attempt to stop the word of God from accomplishing what God sent it forth to do but he will never succeed. Isaiah 55:8-11 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. 10 “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, 11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void (empty), But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. God’s Word is absolutely reliable and as the Psalmists says, Ps. 119:89 NASB - Forever, O Lord, Thy WORD is settled in the heavens. Look at how many times the enemy attempted to take out the apostle Paul. 2 Cor. 11:24-33 TPT- 24 Five times I’ve received thirty-nine lashes from the Jewish leaders 25 Three times I experienced being beaten with rods. Once they stoned me. Three times I’ve been shipwrecked; for an entire night and a day I was adrift in the open sea. 26 In my difficult travels I’ve faced many dangerous situations: perilous rivers, robbers, foreigners, and even my own people. I’ve survived deadly peril in the city, in the wilderness, with storms at sea, and with spies posing as believers. 27 I’ve toiled to the point of exhaustion and gone through many sleepless nights. I’ve frequently been deprived of food and water, left hungry and shivering out in the cold, lacking proper clothing. 28 And besides these painful circumstances, I have the daily pressure of my responsibility for all the churches, with a deep concern weighing heavily on my heart for their welfare. 29 I am not aloof, for who is desperate and weak, and I do not feel their weakness? Who is led astray into sin and I do not burn with zeal to restore him? 30 If boasting is necessary, I will boast about examples of my weakness. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is eternally praised, knows that I am speaking the truth. 32 Once, when I was in Damascus, the governor under King Aretas had his troops searching for me to have me arrested, 33 but I was stuffed in a basket and lowered down through a window and managed to escape. Paul’s ministry was anything but a glamorous and exotic experience. He was constantly hindered by the enemy. Even with a harassing spirit that constantly hounded him. Three times he asked the Lord to remove it only to Be given the following response: 2 Cor. 12:9 NLT- Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. I do not wish to boast about the power of the enemy, but of the power of Christ and His grace working through us. 1 Peter 5:7-9 NLT gives us several key verses. Peter begins with encouraging us to - verse 7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. Now why do you suppose that is so important? Peter tells us in the next verse. 8. Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Rick Renner says verse 8 could be translated: “You must be constantly alert and on your guard! The devil, like an accusing lawer, will try to charge you with all kinds of arguments and accusations. You need to know that he is like a lion on the prowl—constantly walking around, roaring with a deafening sound, earnestly seeking the kind of person he can completely consume and slurp up!” Peter doesn’t leave us hung out to dry! He tells us what to do and how to handle the devil. 9 Stand firm against him (the devil), and be strong in your faith. Faith comes from God: Romans 12:3 …God has allotted to each a measure of faith. But it is up to us to grow our faith. Romans 10:17 So faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word (Rhema) of God. 2 Timothy 2:15 AMP- Study and do your best to present yourself to God approved, a workman [tested by trial] who has no reason to be ashamed, accurately handling and skillfully teaching the word of truth. Jude 20 TPT But you, my delightfully loved friends, constantly and progressively build yourselves up on the foundation of your most holy faith by praying every moment in the Spirit. God has given to each man THE measure of faith. The measure of faith it takes to believe in Christ and begin your spiritual journey. But it is up to us to build on that foundation. This is where we stand, in our faith and confidence in a God who is faithful and who cannot fail! When we stand in the grace of Christ that is sufficient for us and on the authority of God’s word that is always constant, and in the strength and power of the Lord, no matter what the devil throughs at you, you will be able to endure it and overcome any obstacle in he attempts to put in your way. As John says in Revelation 12:10-11 NKJV- Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. John 16:33 TPT …everything I’ve taught you is so that the peace which is in me will be in you and will give you great confidence as you rest in me. For in this unbelieving world you will experience trouble and sorrows, but you must be courageous, for I have conquered the world!” In addition to this, Paul has assured us in Romans 8:37b NKJV … we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. So: Be strong in the Lord (filled with His power by the Spirit) and KEEP ON STANDIN