Michael is not just any angel—he is of the highest rank of angels, an archangel who has engaged in spiritual battles. Michael the archangel is a heavyweight! He is described in three books as fighting against evil spirits and forces of darkness. When Michael was sent to help Daniel, at the angel’s touch, Daniel fell down, trembling on his hands and knees (Daniel 10:10-14). In Revelation 12, we read of Michael leading the charge against “the dragon and his angels” (Revelation 12:7). Yet, with his high standing and spiritual strength, he dared not go after Satan on his own. In a showdown with Satan described in Jude 1:9, he depended on the Lord to fight for him. So must we.

In Ephesians 6, Paul tells the believers to put on the full armor of God so that they can withstand the “schemes of the devil” (6:11). We will consider the armor later. But before Paul laid out the armor, he laid out the source of our strength.

Ephesians 6:10
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

The Greek words “be strong in the Lord” are in a tense that means “to be made strong.” Battle ready means we must depend on God for our strength and strategy. We must allow the Holy Spirit to give us all we need for the spiritual conflicts today and the ones that we will engage in tomorrow. Our strength must be his strength. We must be made strong by the “strength of his might.”

We are no match for our spiritual enemy. Left to ourselves, we will lose every time. To think that we can do what Michael the archangel couldn’t, well, that is both naïve and foolish. We must depend on the Lord!

Father,
I know what failure and defeat feels like. I have experienced it far too often. I have gone up against a powerful foe in my own strength. Today, I depend on you. I desire to be strong in you. I submit my weakness to you and depend on the strength of your might. In Jesus’ name. Amen.