Standing firm, moving forward…
“He rescued me from my powerful enemy… I pursue my enemies and overtake them;” – Psalm 18:17,37, CSB“I pray that he may grant you… to be strengthened with power in your inner being through his Spirit…” – Ephesians 3:16, CSB
“Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us…” – Ephesians 3:20, CSB
Against all odds
They’re breathing heavily, absorbing charge after charge. The opposing force is on the verge of breaking the line. Can they hold? They have to. Like the dramatic, goal-line stand of a football team, sometimes it’s defense that must stand firm, finding strength against all odds. Sometimes it’s the other way around, when it’s the offensive advance that must persevere, pushing against a long-entrenched cultural status quo, bringing the gospel into areas of persistent unbelief. Both the necessary power to hold the spiritual line and the breakthrough power to advance the name and good news of Jesus in a broken, often angry world are found in the Spirit of God. We are strengthened internally through the very presence and power of God.
More strength than we could imagine
Whether it’s a season of standing or a season of advancing, we’re wise to remember that we’re not just proclaiming a belief system or a moral code; if life could have come through law-keeping – dotting all the “i’s” and crossing all the “t’s” – there would be no need for this gospel we carry! Instead, God’s own Spirit has taken up residence within us, actually enabling genuine life-giving relationship with God. His divine power is actively working in and through us.
Who is helping us to live, model, and advance the depth and breadth of His love, His kingdom of “righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17)? God is, and He is doing this in ways far above and beyond what we can even imagine! In Him, we’ll discover a strength to stand and a strength to advance far beyond anything we’d have ever worked up on our own.
Think:
In what area of your life, work, or ministry do you need strength to stand firm, to ‘hold the line?’
In what area of your life, work, or ministry do you need strength to advance? What breakthrough are you asking God for?
Do you believe God is really able to do above and beyond all that you can ask or imagine according to His power? Do you believe God’s power is presently working in you? (Read Ephesians 3:20 again, if you’re not sure.)
Read all of Ephesians 3:16-20. This is written to a people, not just to an individual. Holding the line, advancing the line, and moving in the power of God is meant to be done together. Finding the strength of the Holy Spirit for the mission He has for us is going to happen much more readily together. Who is on the line with you? Who are you working with to accomplish God’s purpose in your lives together?
Prayer:
“Father, thank You for strengthening me with Your Spirit! Thank You for strength to stand and strength to advance along with my brothers and sisters in Christ. Just as You have rescued me and opened my eyes and heart to believe You, I trust You to work through me - and us together - to open the eyes and hearts of others who need rescue. Holy Spirit, empower me today for my part in the work You have for us to do.”