Be Strong
I.
Be strong is a
commandment-Ephesians 6:10, 1 Corinthians 16:13
A. If He told be to be
strong then there is a way to
be strong all the time in everything
1.
He
didn’t say try not to be weak, he said be strong; he didn’t say be strong in most
things, some of the time, but you can’t be strong all the time
B. Strong vs. Weak
1.
Strong 1) Having ability to
bear and to endure 2) Firm, Solid 3) Able to sustain attacks 4) Not easily
subdued, defeated or taken
2.
Weak 1) To be soft, to give
way 2) Not able to bear great weight 3) Easily broken 4) Not able to resist
violent attack (Isaiah 7:4-Don’t be soft)
II.
You’re not supposed to be
weak, you’re not supposed to be feeble, tired and weary
A. Most people’s idea of
Christianity is a bunch of weak feeble people who worship a strong and mighty
God
1.
Psalm
24:8-Who is this King of glory? The answer was strong and mighty, not weak and
feeble
2.
Ephesians
5:1-We are supposed to by imitators of God and He is strong
a. A week feeble Christian
is a contradiction of terminology
b. Christian means like
Christ and he was not weak or feeble; Jesus was strong
3.
Romans
15:1 Thessalonians 5:14-How are you going to support the weak and be weak
yourself
B. Galatians 6:9-You’ve been
commanded to not grow weak, if you are weak then you’ve been disobedient; if
you’re tired and burnt out, it’s b/c you’ve missed God
1.
If
you’re weak, it’s because you’ve allowed it
2.
2
Corinthians 4:16 (AMP)-Your spirit is supposed to be getting stronger everyday
a. There’s strengthening and
refreshing built into God’s way of doing things and if you’re weak it’s because
you’ve got out of His way of doing things
3.
Isaiah
40:31-If you’re weary you haven’t been looking to the Lord
III.
You can’t pray and ask
God to do something for you that He told how to get in His Word [EX: Draw me
close to you (James 4:7)]
A. If you’re weak you can’t stand (one who does not waver,
immoveable, stand firm) against the devil and resist him-Ephesians 6:10
1.
You
can’t stand without being strong and you can’t stand without the armor
a. The first step in the whole
thing is be strong
2.
The
effectiveness of the armor is determined by the strength of the one wearing it
a. That armor becomes
ineffective in the hands of a weak believer
B. James 4:7-8-There’s no
verse in the Bible that says pray and ask God to get the devil off of you and
then the devil will flee from you; To resist, you have to be strong
1.
You
can’t ask God for strength while you ignore the principles that He laid out in
His Word to be strong
2.
You
can’t ignore the principles of God’s word and just go into an unbelieving
prayer and expect to get results
C. Joshua 1:6-9- Be strong
is key to waking in victory---He told Joshua, who was facing an impossible
situation, three times in four verses to be strong
IV.
How do you know if you’re
weak or strong?
A. Proverbs 18:14-If your
life is being governed by your mind, body, and emotions you are weak
1.
A
weak spirit will result in a weak mind and weak body
B. Proverbs 24:10-If you
cave in under pressure you’re weak
1.
Be
strong means firm, able to sustain attacks; If you’re wavering you are weak
C. Ezekiel 16:30-If you are
giving into the flesh (doing things that are in opposition to the Word of God)
then you are weak