My wife is a woman of vision. She has amazing spiritual insights, but she also carries a practical and aesthetic vision for rooms in our home. One place that’s been in development lately is our basement gym. Recent enhancements include two strong resistance bands, equipped with handles and ankle straps, that we clip onto wall-mounted anchors for upper- and lower-body workouts. As we have matured (a nice way of saying we’ve gotten older), we’ve recognized the importance of strength exercises to maintain muscle mass and to keep atrophy at bay. Flexibility and strong muscles help prevent injury and increase mobility, ensuring a much better quality of life.
A maturing believer should also be increasing in strength—becoming strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might (Ephesians 6:10). God knows we get stronger through exercise—not only physically, but also mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. When He led the children of Israel into the promised land, He went with them. But they weren’t welcomed with opened arms; they had to fight to take possession. It must have been a little scary for these former slaves to face foreign armies. But as God gave them victory after victory, their strength and confidence grew.
As believers we grow in confidence and strength as we navigate life’s challenges with God. While many Christians pray for everything to go their way–to have comfortable, problem-free lives–that’s not what God promised. Jesus told us that in the world we would have tribulation, but to be of good cheer, because He has overcome the world (John 16:33).
We get stronger mentally by taking thoughts captive and renewing our minds with the truth of God’s Word, resisting the tendency to conform to the world’s way of thinking (Romans 12:1-2, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5). As we grow in wisdom by walking with God and meditating on His Word, we exercise the mind of Christ given to us. He gives us wisdom from above with which to make our decisions (1 Corinthians 2:16, James 1:5). The Lord wants to give us understanding in everything! (2 Timothy 2:7).
As we take control of our thoughts and guard our hearts, refusing to let them be troubled, we become stronger emotionally (Proverbs 4:23, John 14:27). We start to realize that instead of a spirit of fear, we have power, love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7 KJV). And we replace worry with peace as we deliberately set our minds on God and trust Him with our circumstances and challenges (Isaiah 26:3).
We become a force for God’s kingdom spiritually by resisting the devil and exercising our God-given authority over him (Luke 10:19, James 4:7). The devil is a liar, constantly throwing fears, lies, and negative imaginations our way to see what will stick. He’s described as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. But God tells us to resist him, staying firm in our faith, speaking God’s Word over our lives in faith (1 Peter 5:8-9, Joshua 1:8, Proverbs 18:21).
For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith (1 John 5:4).
Meditate on these scriptures, put your hope in God, and as you train yourself to resist the enemy, you’ll go from strength to strength! (Psalm 84:5-7).
