How To Increase In Strength and Confound Your Enemies

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How To Increase In Strength and Confound Your Enemies by Jamie Rohrbaugh | FromHisPresence.comBeloved, are you ready to confound your enemies?

For example:

How would you like to win every fight before the fight begins? How would you like to have such strength and favor on your life that nobody can defeat you, ever?

Would you like it if people shook their head when they thought about you, thinking, “I just can’t figure it out, but it seems like s/he’s always on top and I can’t get around her (or him)?”

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    You can. That kind of strength is a gift of God. He’s given it to others, and He’ll give it to you too.

    How do I know? Because we read in the book of Acts that God did this for the apostle Paul–then called Saul–after his conversion. Saul was a Pharisee–one of the spiritual elite in Israel–and he murdered many Christians. But then he met Jesus on the Damascus road, and his life was never the same.

    In Acts 9:20-22, the Bible tells us what happened, and how Paul was increased in strength:

    “Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.

    Then all who heard were amazed, and said, “Is this not he who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for that purpose, so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests?”

    But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ (emphasis mine).

    So here are the factors in this situation that made Paul increase in strength and confound his enemies–and how can you do the same thing:

    (And trust me, you’re gonna like this …)

    1. Paul was clearly accomplishing the will of God.

    When Paul increased in strength, He was preaching about Jesus. This is clearly God’s will as revealed in the Bible. And God has a habit of blessing people who are devoted to obeying His Word and His will.

    If you will devote yourself to obeying God’s Word and doing His will as outlined in that Word, God can increase you in strength too. Why? Because:

    • It pleases Him to reward your obedience; and
    • When He blesses your obedience and expands your life, He’s expanding His Kingdom on earth… which pleases Him too.

    So follow Jesus’ command in Matthew 6:33:

    “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

    Related: The best illustration about what God’s Kingdom is that I’ve ever heard.

    2. Paul was risking humiliation and persecution in order to accomplish God’s will.

    I’ve heard various sermons from the folks out at Bethel Church (Redding, California), saying, “Faith is spelled R-I-S-K.” And that is so true. Paul was taking a huge risk by preaching Jesus:

    • He was risking humiliation, because he was known as being a Pharisee. He was totally switching teams here. (Adios, reputation. Adios, friends…)
    • He was risking persecution, because he hadn’t been the only one devoted to persecuting Christians–and here, suddenly, he was a Christian.
    • He was literally risking his life. Jesus was not exactly popular among the Jews, so he ran the risk of being killed any moment. (And subsequent verses tell us that the Jews did actually try to kill him.)

    Why did he take such a risk?

    [mv_video doNotAutoplayNorOptimizePlacement=”false” doNotOptimizePlacement=”false” jsonLd=”true” key=”wj6xhdymgggcxqwbhtwv” ratio=”16:9″ thumbnail=”https://mediavine-res.cloudinary.com/v1612382602/jyubudebce5k2sj8tl9r.jpg” title=”You’ve Been Fighting Witchcraft, And You Didn’t Even Know It” volume=”70″]

     

    Because he had gone all-in for Christ. He suddenly became humble, submitted to Jesus. He was willing to do whatever God told him to do.

    What has God told you to do that requires you to risk humiliation or even persecution?

    • Has He told you to go against the grain of other people’s opinions?
    • Has He asked you to quit doing something that others think you should continue doing?
    • Has He asked you to implement a new idea that other people scoff at?
    • Has He asked you to sacrifice your party reputation so you can live holy and pure?
    • Has He asked you to chase a dream that nobody else thinks you can achieve?

    Whatever God has commanded you to do, do it. Even if it involves risk.

    You will always have to take a risk in order to reach your destiny. But when you do, if you’re obeying God, He will come up under you and reward your effort. He will increase you in ways you never dreamed.

    3. Paul deflected the attention to Jesus.

    Paul was not building his own kingdom. He was helping to increase the Kingdom of God by preaching about Jesus.

    God can and will bless and increase people who are devoted to His Kingdom, rather than their own. So if you want to increase in strength and confound your enemies, again… SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM. It’s all about Jesus.

    Related: Dethroning Christian Myths: why “He Must Increase and I Must Decrease” doesn’t apply to you the way people tell you it does.

    4. Paul had prepared for his call through years of study.

    Philippians 3:5 tells us that Paul was a Hebrew of Hebrews, a Pharisee, well-learned and zealous for God.

    It’s true that his zeal was definitely turned the wrong direction before his conversion; however, after he was converted, all that preparation and all those years of study were crucial to his call in life. He was able to prove from the Scriptures how and why Jesus was the Son of God.

    Maybe that’s why he was able to exhort Timothy to work hard to prepare for his call:

    “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

    When we prepare for God’s call on our lives, He can increase and bless us when our moment arrives.

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    Many are called, but few are chosen (Matthew 22:14); and the ones that are chosen are the ones who are ready for the call.

    When Paul went all in for Jesus, God increased him in strength. He gave him such strength that his enemies were confounded. No one could stand up to him. No one could get in the way of God’s purpose for his life.

    Do you want strength like that too? Do you want to confound your enemies?

    Do you want to walk in such anointing and power that no one can come against you? That every attack is deflected? Do you want to see God give you such strength that you have victory before the fight even begins?

    You can. Obey God’s Word. Take Spirit-led risks in faith. Deflect the attention on Jesus by being devoted to His Kingdom. And prepare for your call.

    If you will do that, you will be a person whom God can increase in strength, and He will confound your enemies.

    Does this word resonate with you? If so, please leave a comment and share your thoughts! I’d love to hear what you think!

    Image courtesy of amareta kelly on Flickr via Creative Commons license. Image has been edited and graphics added.

    10 Comments

    1. Wonderful post! Thanks

      1. Hey, Renee! Thanks for reading! You’ve been on my mind and I am praying for you today!!! Hugs!

    2. Thanks, I so appreciate that!!

    3. I want to thank you, I have been reading your post since I found your site yesterday. Thank you so much. I’m not good with words at all but I want to ask if you will please pray for me and my family. We need a miracle. My children’s father is walking around in darkness and has temporary custody of them pending our next court date (which he and his lawyer won’t set up). Everything within me tells me that all of this will be used to God’s Glory and will be used to bring him to his knees and that my children will get to see through example how God works miracles when we turn to him but in the mean while they are around a truly tormented soul. I now have the funds to hire a lawyer and sett the final court date. Please pray for us and pray that I handle this as Jesus would. I feel like I’m supposed to let God handle this and it doesn’t feel right to hire a lawyer but he won’t set the final date and seems to be getting worse. I pray that this situation is reversed before we go to court. We are in need of a miracle. Please pray for my family and for my ex to be delivered from the darkness. I know that God loves him as much as he loves me and it breaks Jesus’ heart and mine to see him and our children suffering. Please pray that this will all be used to glorify God..
      Thank you and God Bless.

    4. Teresa M MONTGOMERY says:

      God has sent me to preach grace and truth into south Ga. It seems like hell itself has been unleashed on me but it is not stopping me. I am determined to preach Jesus and spread God’s love. It’s almost as if you could fire missiles at me and I would still go. I’m not afraid. The only thing that could stop me would be the pastor, then I would shake the dust from my feet and let God send me elsewhere. God bless you for this word.

    5. Maika Kamikamica says:

      Love this post Jamie

    6. Elizabeth Tuinidau says:

      By faith i received in my heart this great message.I am about to fight against those who are against My God soon…(meeting),He will surely give me strength and He will strengthen me before fight begins.Sis Jamie,thank you so much for this timely message.

    7. Thank you 😊 so much for this.

    8. Bantshang says:

      Thanks for the word. Do I have to sacrifice my children to get power to serve God? Is part of His covenant with me?

      1. No, Bantshang. You are to protect your children and cherish them and love them. God only asked Abraham to be willing to sacrifice his child, but when he went to actually obey, God stopped him. Protect your children at all costs! God sacrificed His own Child, Jesus, for you so that you can have power to serve God. JESUS is all you need!

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