Ephesians 1:17–20 “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,2” (ESV)
Whether you admit it or not, the fear of the unknown often traps or at least delays our actions. We sit and ponder the outcomes, weighing the risks, measuring our ability to shift with the wind. And while we’re busy calculating, we’re not moving. Paul understood this about us. He knew that even believers can stand paralyzed at the edge of what God has called them to do. So he doesn’t give a lecture. He prays. And look at where he begins.
He asks God to give them two things: the “Spirit of wisdom” and the “knowledge of Him.” Not more resources. Not better circumstances. Wisdom and knowledge of God. These are the weapons. When you know who God is and you can see the battlefield through His eyes, the fear starts to lose its grip. The “eyes of our hearts enlightened” means we stop seeing the problem at its size and start seeing it at God’s size.
That thing you’re facing right now? It’s too large for you to conquer. But it’s not too large for Him.
Then Paul moves to hope. He called you. That’s not an accident. You didn’t stumble into this life, this fight, this mission. God set you apart and called you by name. And the hope doesn’t end with today’s battle. He points us to the ultimate victory, an inheritance in heaven that no enemy can touch. This feels like the ultimate pep talk by any coach I’ve ever read.
And he finishes with power. Not your power. His. The same force that reached into a sealed tomb and pulled Christ from death to life, that same resurrection power lives in you. You’re not fighting with your own strength. You have the greatest military might imaginable, the Most High God living in you.
Tim Keller once said, “No matter what the future holds, God is in control with a power greater than death.”
So, what are you fearing today? What’s keeping you from leading with that same power?
Stay on Mission
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