“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes”

– Ephesians 6:10-11

In our lives, we have an enemy and his name is Satan. 1 Peter 5:8 says he is like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. His goal is to steal, kill and destroy and he would like nothing more than to bring destruction in our lives. This is why Paul exhorts us to be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power so that we can stand against the enemy.

He even gives us an entire armor so we can protect ourselves against his schemes. While we do not have to be afraid of the devil (one of his tactics is fear), we still need to keep an alert or sober mind so that we do not fall for his tactics. The best way to do this is to be strong in the Lord and to do that, we have to spend time in his word, in prayer and with other strong believers who edify and build us up in the Lord.

God speaks to us through His Word, in prayer and through other believers so trusting his word and engaging community helps believers grow stronger in the Lord. Jesus fought the enemy using the word of God by submitting to God’s word in his life and through his life he had people around him who poured into him. Since Jesus modeled how to defeat the enemy using the word and community, we are to do the same by walking by faith in Christ. Through the word of God, one can defeat the enemy anytime and be strong the Lord.