Strength

Chris's dad is the pastor of our church. He is one of the wisest people I have ever met, and I've learned a lot from both his messages and his character in the two years since we moved to Pennsylvania to live near Chris's family.

This past Sunday night we weren't planning on going to evening church because Luke was going to need to eat right around the beginning of the service, but for some reason I really felt like it would be good to go, so I asked Chris if we could anyway. I'm so glad we did, because the Holy Spirit really spoke to me through Chris's dad and Ephesians.

I'll keep it short (I hate reading long sermon-type blog entries). Basically, he preached from this verse:

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power." (Eph. 6:10)

Then he looped it back to these verses:

"I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms..." (Eph. 1: 18-20)

Essentially, I have ressurection power at my disposal. Does it give you chills?

The message was a lot better than how I'm going to sum it up, but essentially it was this: don't blame anyone else for your circumstances, since our struggle is "not against flesh and blood" (Eph. 6:12). There is a spiritual battle in the world, but we have ressurection power to help us fight.

So when I'm tired, stressed out, cranky, impatient, un-self-controlled, fed up, disappointed, frightened, or whatever -

I need to be strong.

It's a command, and I can do it.

Ressurection power.