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Standing Strong With God – Love Beyond Measure · Still, Here

• 0:01
  SPEAKER_00: This is still here.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: A quiet moment to remember what is true.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: Listen to these words from the book of Ephesians chapter 6 verses 10 and 11
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: and verses 13 through 18.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_00: Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: Therefore,
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_00: and having done all.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_00: Paul ends Ephesians with the language of battle, but his repeated instruction is not attack.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: It is stand.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: That matters.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_00: He also reminds us that people are not the enemy.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: Our struggle is not against flesh and blood.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: The small ruler says, I have to be strong enough to withstand everything that comes against me.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: That ruler can make life feel like one long act of bracing.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: We watch for what might go wrong.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: We prepare our defense.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: We try to become strong enough that disappointment,
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: criticism, loss, fear, or uncertainty cannot reach us.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: But Paul does not say, find more strength in yourself.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: He says, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_00: For thirty days we have been loosening the old ways of measuring our life.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: The need to earn blessing.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: The fear that we could lose our place.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: Comparison.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: Shame.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: Distance.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_00: Forced strength.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: The pressure to find the perfect path.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: The need to control how others see us.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: Those old patterns do not disappear simply because we have recognized them.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: They come back when we are tired.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_00: They come back when something hurts.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: They come back when the future becomes uncertain and the old answer feels familiar.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: Spiritual warfare can be understood,
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_00: in part,
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: as staying awake when the old voices begin offering themselves again as truth.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: Look at the armor Paul describes.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_00: Truth.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: Righteousness.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: Peace.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: Faith.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_00: Salvation.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: The Word of God.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: This is not new equipment handed to you on the final day.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: This is the life God has been forming throughout the journey.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_00: Truth has helped you recognize the small rulers that were not telling you the truth
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: about God or yourself.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: Righteousness reminds you that your identity is received in Christ.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_00: Peace is not the absence of difficulty.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_00: Christ Himself is your peace.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: Faith keeps you open to what you cannot yet see.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_00: Salvation reminds you that grace has already acted.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: Scripture keeps reshaping perception.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: Prayer keeps you present to God instead of alone inside your own thoughts.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_00: You already know this armor better than you may realize.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: The person who began this journey may have been tired from trying to find a place
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: in God's kingdom.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_00: There was a lot of searching,
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: a lot of measuring, a lot of wondering whether you were doing enough to remain near.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_00: Now there can be less searching and more receiving.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_00: God in you is the place.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: Standing does not mean you will never become tired.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes tiredness may simply help you notice
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: that you have started carrying everything in your own strength again.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: You can notice that.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: Take a moment for this prayer of presence.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_00: God, I know where I belong.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_00: I know what holds me.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: I confess how easily I return to my own strength when I become afraid or tired.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_00: Everything you have been forming within me is still here.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_00: Let truth, peace, faith, grace, scripture, and prayer keep me awake to your presence.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_00: When the old rulers return, Help me recognize them and return to what is true.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_00: I stand with Christ.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_00: As you step back into the rhythm of your day, carry this prayer with you.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_00: I know where I belong.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_00: I stand in God's strength.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_00: I know where I belong.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_00: I stand in God's strength.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_00: I know where I belong.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_00: I stand
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: in God's strength.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_00: If you would like to go deeper,
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_00: the written reflections and other resources are available
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_00: at powerloveandmiracles.com
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, stay steady, stay open, stay present.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_00: You are still here.