Lesson 4: Walking with God in Power, Thanksgiving & Prayer

STRONG in the LORD

Discussion Questions
(1) How do we usually identify those who are mature (strong) in the Lord? 

(2) How does God identify a strong person? 

Eph 6 - The Armor of God

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. ¹⁴ Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; ¹⁶ in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
¹⁸ With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, ¹⁹ and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.


Let's quickly unpack the above Scriptures to see how we become strong in the Lord's strength. Notice phrases like:

• schemes of the devil
• stand firm
• breastplate covers the heart....righteousness comes from actions from the heart
• feet & gospel - we must "go"
• shield of faith - extinguish flaming arrows -- memorize Scripture so that it is readily available to you as you are hit with flaming arrows
• helmet of salvation - have confidence in the mercy and grace of God's plan of salvation
• sword of the Spirit - in humility and with all grace share the Word of God. "Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies" (1 Cor 8:7) Do not be a "clanging cymbal". Too many slash with the sword to win arguments instead of winning hearts to Christ. 

Philippians 4:4,6
Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice!
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

WALKING WITH GOD

There are certain characteristics of those who walk with God. We sometimes miss those and exchange them for a man-made set of measurements (metrics). Often we assign maturity to the person who gives the most money, attends the most assemblies or serves on the most programs. But God has given us a different set of metrics. In the coming lessons we will be striving to grow in the areas that are meaningful to God and to help us grow in our walk with Him.  

WALKING in HIS POWER

We know that Christians need to stand firm and not waiver when the evil one attacks, but which characteristics of a Christian help them to accomplish this? We will look at a few signs of maturity that the Spirit of God is more than willing to bring into our lives so that we can stand strong in His Power.  

One of the first signs of maturity is the acknowledgment of God's power in our lives. "It is NOT I, but Christ who lives in me." Giving God the glory in all things is imperative as we begin to desire a closer walk with Him. As Christians, we can accomplish nothing significant outside of His power. Yet we often, through our own intellect, skills and talents, plan, implement, and evaluate programs and ministries without ever tapping into His power. We certainly can accomplish many of those things without the Spirit of God. But they will never be as magnificent as God is able to create with just a mustard-seed size of faith from His followers. 

A true follower of Christ places everything in the power and the will of the Father. Even our daily planning is placed into the will of the Father. "If the Lord wills, we shall go here or there." (Hebrews 6:3) 

STEPPING out in FAITH

Stepping out in faith means that we walk with God beyond what we know we are able to do on our own. We can determine what the will of God is and then follow His lead. In Matthew 7, Christ tells us that not everyone who cries, "Lord, Lord" will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Not  everyone who accomplishes mighty works in His name will enter His Kingdom. Only those who do the "will of the Father." (Mark 3:35; Luke 16:13)

So, what is the "will of God?"

God desires a close fellowship and walk with us. To walk with God in His Will we need to:

• Be redeemed & transformed by the renewing of our hearts and minds in His Spirit (Romans 12:2; 1 Thess 4:3; 1 Peter 4:2)
• Resist the devil and His influences by learning to serve only one Master (Matthew 6:24; James 4:7)
• Trust in the Power of God by being anxious in nothing but instead walking continuously in prayer and thanksgiving (Phil 4:6)
• Rejoice in the Lord Always, Giving Thanks in all things (Phil 4:4; 1 Thess 5:18) God LIVES (is enthroned) in the praise of His people (Ps 22:3)
• Put on the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace... Galatians 5:22f)
• Love the brethren and the lost by prioritizing the call to community and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20)
• Learn NOT to judge, but leaving that up to the Father (1 Cor 4:5)
• Give ourselves over fully to the Lord so that He can work and do His will through us (2 Cor 8:5; Phil 2:13)
• Instruct those who oppose God patiently and in all humility (2 Tim 2:25)
• Be faithful in good works (Titus 3:8; 1 Peter 2:15; 1 Peter 4:19; 1 John 2:17)
• Walk closely in submission (James 4:8)
• Endure to the end (Rev 2:7) 

Assignments
(1) Bring to class next week your research on "How to be thankful in all things"
(2) Express "thankfulness" in a new and creative way this week. Practice being thankful