When enemy snipers shoot at people in the street, those people are vulnerable and unprotected. But when they shoot at soldiers in a tank, the bullets just ricochet off the tank’s armor. The soldiers are protected and strong because they are in the tank.
When the Apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:10 to “…be strong in the Lord” for the purpose of standing against the wiles of the devil, he is saying that our true strength is in a person – and that person is the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, it is important to understand that we’re not just fighting the evil that is out there. Our real enemy is a person – the devil. He’s cunning and deceptive and has enormous spiritual power. And quite frankly, we are no match for him. But Jesus Christ is! He has defeated the devil, both at the temptation experience, and at the cross. And He has triumphed over the principalities and powers of the angelic world. There is no one in the universe like Jesus Christ, and He is in fact, the only One who can stand against the wiles of the devil. Now that’s why we have to be “strong in the Lord.”
The phrase, “in the Lord” is actually without the article in the Greek text. So it says, “be strong in Lord.” That means that Paul is not just referring to Jesus Christ as a person, but to all that He is in the quality of His character – the Eternal, Glorious, Almighty Lord!
Therefore, when we come to Him in prayer and immerse ourselves in true heartfelt worship, when we acknowledge Christ’s authority over every area of our lives, when we rejoice in His holiness and goodness as our Lord and sing His praises, then He is free to be all that He is in us. We are wrapped in the power of who He is, and the wiles of the devil can have no effect on us. So, don’t forget: “Be strong in the Lord”!
Hey – you’d better get in the “tank”. The devil is a good shot, and he’s got his sights on you.