This document discusses finding strength through God. It provides several Bible verses asserting that true strength comes from the Lord, including Ephesians 6:10 which says "be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might." Additionally, it notes that God strengthens believers with power through His Spirit, as in Ephesians 3:16. The document suggests that believers can do all things through Christ, as stated in Philippians 4:13. Overall, the main point is that God is the source of spiritual strength for Christians.
2. Be Strong IN the Lord
Ephesians 6:10
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the
strength of His might.
3. God is the Strength of My Heart
Psalm 73:26
My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the
strength of my heart and my portion forever.
4. I Can do ALL Things, through Him
Philippians 4:11-13
11 For I have learned to be content in whatever
circumstances I am. 12 I know how to get along with
humble means, and I also know how to live in
prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have
learned the secret of being filled and going hungry,
both of having abundance and suffering need. 13.I
can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
5. The Surpassing Greatness of His Power
Ephesians 2:19-23
19 (And) the surpassing greatness of His power
toward us who believe. These are in accordance with
the working of the strength of His might 20 which
He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him
from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in
the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and
authority and power and dominion, and every name
that is named, not only in this age but also in the one
to come. 22 And He put all things in subjection
under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things
to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of
Him who fills all in all.
6. Strengthened with Power through
His Spirit
Ephesians 3:16-17
16 That He would grant you, according to the
riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power
through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 so that
Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;
7. My Strength and My Song
Isaiah 12:2
2 “Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and
not be afraid; For the LORD GOD is my strength
and song, And He has become my salvation.”
8. Power when the Holy Spirit Comes
Acts 1:8
“You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit
has come upon you; and you shall be my
witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and
Samaria and to the end of the earth”
9. Disciples – Before and After
John 20:19
So when it was evening on that day, the first day of
the week, and when the doors were shut where the
disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and
stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be
with you.” 20 And when He had said this, He
showed them both His hands and His side. The
disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21
So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as
the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”
Summarize Acts Chapters 3-5
Editor's Notes
It is IN the Lord that we are able to be strong and tap into the strength of HIS might. It is not just that we get strength from Him, but as we abide in Him that we are strong. He is seated in heaven at the right hand of the Father, and the right hand represents God’s Authority and power. So we are seated with him (Ephesians 2:6) and it is from that place, in Him, that we find strength.
Our fleshly bodies and even our heart gets exhausted and fails, but God is the strength of our heart – from the inside we have strength even when we are physically and emotionally tired.
Through Jesus, the one who gives us strength, we are able to do all kinds of things that we might never have imagined that we could do. It does not matter what our circumstances are, we can be content, strong, full of joy, and walking closely with God.
How great is God’s power? Paul is praying that we would know “The surpassing greatness of His Power toward is who believe.” The word “surpassing” here means “to throw over or beyond”. His power is beyond anything else. And not just the power that he has (i.e. ‘potential’ energy’), but the power that is focused ‘toward’ us who believe. And Paul goes on to explain that the power he makes available for us is the same power that was in Christ when He was raised from the dead and was seated at the Father’s right hand (Is there any one strong enough to raise someone from the dead?). Again, as we are “In Christ” we are in that same position as Jesus: raised from the dead, at the Father’s right hand, in heavenly place, far above ALL rule/authority/power/dominion, above every name that is named throughout eternity. Everything and everyone is subjection to His and under His feet. And He is head over us, the church, His body = and we as His body are the fullness of Him.
The strength we have is because we are in the perfect position of being both IN Him (seated at the right hand of the Father), and He is in US (His Spirit). We have to be strengthened by His spirit in our inner man SO THAT Christ can dwell in our hearts. And it is all by faith. But He gives us the faith to believe, and he strengthens us so He can dwell in us.
As we see that God is our salvation, the one who rescued us and brought us from death to life, we can trust him and no longer be afraid. He is not just our strength, but He is also our song – the soundtrack to our lives.
The disciples spent 3 years with Jesus and they we able to heal and work miracles. Jesus is talking to them in Acts 1 after He was raised from the dead but before he goes to sit with the Father and before the Holy Spirit had come. He is telling them the they will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes, and that they will be his witnesses over the entire earth.
Lets look a little more at the disciples before the Holy Spirit and after. This passage in John is right after Jesus is resurrected. The disciples are afraid, hiding with the doors shut. Jesus shows up (the doors are shut, remember) and says ‘peace be with you’. He showed them his hands and side so that they KNEW it was him. Again, he says ‘peace be with you’ and then He says “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” He is commissioning them, and as we also saw in the prior verse in Acts to not go anywhere yet, for the Holy Spirit is coming to give them power. At this point, they have hope, then have seen the risen Christ, but they still have no power. Now skim through Acts Chapter 3-5 and see what these same disciples look like after the Holy Spirit has come. They are fearless, unstoppable, powerful, anointed, and full of wisdom.