Be Strong In The Lord!

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might” Ephesians 6:10

“Be strong in the Lord” was a phrase that kept popping up in my spirit as I was dealing with and managing an issue that confronted me recently. The Lord continued to impress it on me more and more and like Moses took time to observe the burnishing bush, so I took time to meditate and to scribble.

By the virtue of the fact that as believers we are spirit beings, living in bodies, yet having souls, reveals our tripartite nature. At salvation, it is our spirits that get regenerated while our souls and bodies retain what they were previously. That is why a school teacher whose soul/mind is inclined to academics and then gives his/her life to Christ does not change from being a school teacher. His/her gender with whatever physical features does not change. The rebirth only takes place within the Spirit. A person given to anger or having temperamental issues may still continue to express and demonstrate anger at every slightest issue, years after salvation, because that is at the soul realm. A person given to telling lies or other vices may still experience a pull towards such because his/her mind (soul) has been inclined towards that before the salvation experience. Our tendencies in the soul and body realm continue with us even after the salvation experience because they are part of our genetic makeup. This is the reason we need to keep working on ourselves so that our natural tendencies in the flesh give way more and more until the Spirit of God rules us. This becomes a necessity after salvation and it is a continuous process until we meet the Lord, because the flesh will constantly war against the spirit. (Galatians 5:17)

 One very important step to shrinking these negative tendencies of the soul (mind) and body, is to grow the Spirit and grow in the Spirit. Intentionality comes into the equation as we work upon our minds and bodies and bring them in subjection to the dictates of the Spirit of God who indwells us. It is not automatic that our flesh will naturally yield to the dictates of the Spirit.

“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the desires of the flesh” Galatians 5:16

“I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Romans 12:1

What we feed the more out of these three, will be revealed when we are confronted with the issues of life; whether it is the Spirit, mind or our bodies. Strength for your body does not come from fasting, praying or reading the Bible; it comes rather from feeding it adequately and nourishing it with physical food. But to tame the body, soul and their fleshly tendencies, then fasting, praying and application of the word comes in. Becoming strong in the Lord is not by eating physical balanced diet and food but rather through spiritual nourishment, exercises and disciplines as we take heed to ourselves. The extent to which we build strength in the spirit man, is the extent to which we are able to tame the soul and the body as we consciously put the fleshly tendencies under the influence of the spirit.

Often times, the body and soul are deeply nourished at the expense of the Spirit. Hence, we see strong tendencies of the human nature manifest more prominently as against the Spirit. We see strong temperamental tendencies at every slightest provocation; we see personalities revealed in the full force of the human nature; we see easy succumb to the flesh and temptations; attitudes, actions and reactions that reveal so much strength in the flesh rather than that which is tempered by the spirit; words that reflect strong tendencies in the flesh; responses to offences that reveal evident works of the flesh than the strength of the Spirit.

Becoming strong in the Lord therefore does not come on a platter, but rather by intentionality in building a strong Spirit. It comes by cultivating the presence of the Holy Spirit; by working on ourselves and every struggle that our flesh displays to take us over.  It comes by taking heed to ourselves as we watch closely. Becoming strong in the Spirit does not come by much activities (even spiritual ones) but by much tarrying before the Lord; by being still- in quietness and in confidence (Isaiah 30:15). This certainly is not to say we should become idle or lazy Christians but by all means, we must be fervent in Spirit, serving the Lord. However, our lives can get beclouded with so much pull here and there that if we do not pay close attention to ourselves, we are likely to justify our being busy legitimately possible in God’s service or in our secular or domestic affairs and the fallout of this will be evident in how we manage life situations. Jesus, while on Earth physically, helped His disciples understand the need for regular withdrawal. That was how they built strength in the Spirit. You cannot keep every of your days full of activities and expect to be strong in the Spirit. Jesus did not teach us that; but He rather withdrew from people regularly.

Exhibiting strong tendencies in the flesh will make us relate with others and handle matters more carnally than spiritually. Our words and body language will reveal more of the unregenerated than a Spirit-controlled temperament. With all these tendencies in place, Apostle Paul admonished the Ephesian Church, and by extension us, to be strong in the Lord. Being strong in the Lord is the same as being strong in the Spirit; not allowing our flesh to rule; dealing with the negative tendencies of our soulish and fleshly faculties. This of course, is a continual process but the instruction remains…BE STRONG IN THE LORD!

May you & I receive the grace to continually work upon every faculty of our lives such that our strength in the Spirit overrules every negative tendency that our soul and bodies may want to display. May we be sensitive enough to take heed to ourselves and make necessary adjustments when and where necessary. May we live and walk more and more in the Spirit that we do not fulfil the desires of the flesh. May we truly be STRONG IN THE LORD. Amen!

Funmi Adebayo