◄ What Does Colossians 1:11 Mean? ►

When Paul prays for his brothers and sisters in Christ, he does not focus on the day-to-day material needs of the saints nor on other physical matters and necessities of life. Paul prays for spiritual blessings, godly wisdom, practical obedience, moral excellence, and a Christ-like character.

Paul's desire for all Christians is that we study to show ourselves approved unto God so that we may grow in grace and in a knowledge of the Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Paul knows that spiritual knowledge, godly counsel, and an understanding of the Scripture, is able to make us wise for salvation, through faith in Christ Jesus our Lord.

But he also knows the dangers of spiritual pride, which promotes 'self' and encourages unloving Christian service that relies on our own human strength and our own carnal capacities.

Paul knows that unless our Christian walk and spiritual witness is rooted and grounded in love, it is as sounding brass and clashing cymbals. He knows that unless our Christian life produces the fruit of the Spirit; long-suffering, patience, love, and joy, as well as humility, goodness, kindness, and self-control, it will profit us nothing and will not glorify our Father, Who is in heaven.

And so Paul prays that the Body of Christ will be strengthened with all might according to God's glorious power, reminding us that the strength we received is not of ourselves but from God. Paul prays that we will be filled with the Spirit and produce the fruit of the Spirit so that our service may be fortified by the power of the Spirit, producing within us patient endurance and joy in the Lord.

God's power is needed by every believer to stand fast in the evil day but in many false 'ministries' today God's 'power' is falsely labelled and misappropriated by unscrupulous teachers as their own, unique, supernatural-gift which they use to exploit unschooled believers and promote false teachings for material gain and to elevate themselves in the eyes of others. This is not what Paul was describing when he prayed: "May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience, with joy."

The joy of the Lord should be our strength, for His power is made perfect in our weakness. Indeed, it is only through the might of His power that the beautiful fruit of the Spirit can be produced in the life of a believer, for His strength is made perfect in our weakness.

As children of God, we are called to be strong in the LORD and in the power of HIS might as we clothe ourselves in HIS righteousness and HIS peace, HIS truth and HIS grace. We are to suffer patiently for HIM and to follow the example of Christ Himself, the suffering servant Who learned obedience by the things that He suffered.

May we be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might so that like Christ, we too may learn obedience by the things that we suffer and patiently endure in this evil day with joy, knowing that His grace is sufficient, for His strength is made perfect in our weakness.

Heavenly Father, I pray for my brothers and sisters in Christ, that they may be strengthened with all power according to Your glorious might. May they patiently endure amidst the trials and difficulties of life with all joy, knowing that Your strength is made perfect in our weakness. This I ask in Jesus' name, AMEN.