And let us not grow weary (Grk. EKKAKEO) while doing good, for in due season (Grk. KAIROS) we shall reap if we do not lose heart (Grk. EKKLUO). Gal 6:9 NKJV

Strength is essential in righteousness, in right living. Without strength the battle is lost, especially in leadership, because without strong leadership the campaign ends badly, the journey goes astray, and surrender to the enemy, with all its consequences, is inevitable. Doing good, here in the context, is preaching and teaching the Word both to individuals and at all other times. I’ve learned over the years that there are times of sowing and times of reaping, i.e. sowing trips and reaping trips. For years I preached and taught in Kenya from one end to the other. Now we are reaping thousands of students graduating from our schools of ministry there, from Busia to Mombasa, one end of Kenya to the other. Sowing and reaping!

EKKAKEO means to give out, to quit from lack of power. KAIROS is that precise, divinely given moment when everything comes together, like the onset of birth pains in natural childbirth. EKKLUO is to loosen or relax our discipline, our standards and our love.

‘And let us not give up and quit from lack of power and strength, as we await the harvest of the Word we have sown in love, for at just the right moment the harvest will come, if we do not relax our discipline, our standards and our love.’

JESUS! JESUS!! JESUS!!!

Finally, my brethren, be strong (Grk. ENDUNAMOO) in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Eph 6:10 NKJV

ENDUNAMOO is one of my all-time favorite Greek words in the NT. Its used seven times, and we are going to look briefly at each usage, and its always in the middle or passive voice in the Greek text, which is fascinating. I do a lot of exercise to become strong physically. I’ve been a marathoner, a skydiver, a skier, though not very good, and have a black belt in taekwondo from a serious martial arts academy. But spiritual strength doesn’t come from how many pushups I do. That would be the active voice in Greek. ENDUNAMOO is in the middle or passive voice. Let me explain…

In Greek there are three voices with the subject and the verb: the active, the middle and the passive. In the active voice, the subject does the action. I worked out! In the passive voice the subject receives the action. The workout was done to me. In the middle voice the subject allows themselves to be acted upon. As I went through the workout, the exercises came and did a work on me!

ENDUNAMOO in verse ten is in the middle voice because the verbs are in the imperative mood, meaning it is a command. We are commanded to allow ourselves to be strengthened in the Lord. How is that accomplished?

Here is ENDUNAMOO in its first usage…

But Saul increased the more in strength (Grk. ENDUNAMOO), and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ. Acts 9:22 NKJV

Now here is a key! After the word ENDUNAMOO in the Greek some Greek texts add the words EN TOU LOGOS, meaning ‘in the Word.’ Here, in its first usage, we get the insight that the Word, the written Word, caused Saul to grow in strength spiritually. Saul was also speaking in tongues by this time because Ananias had ministered the baptism to him (verse seventeen). We have found in our Holy Spirit Encounters and the intern program that when people pray in tongues and read the Word, even simultaneously, that their faith is greatly strengthened. No pushups involved, just reading, praying and receiving – ENDUNAMOO. This is such a fundamental key that it is mentioned in the first usage. And look at what he is strengthened to do – confound the religious people and prove that Jesus of Nazareth was the promised Messiah!

He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened (Grk. ENDUNAMOO) in faith, giving glory to God… Rom 4:20 NKJV

Here in the second usage we find another key. How was Abraham strengthened in faith? We must go back to Genesis.

After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” 2 But Abram said, “Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!”

One of the things I love about the Word is that it shows all the dear men and women of God as being just real people like you and I. Abram didn’t understand what the Lord was doing, and he was afraid. The Lord is going to minister to him, speak a RHEMA word to him and deliver him from his fear, filling him with faith. What God does for Abram He will do for anyone who comes to Him with an honest and open heart.

4 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” 5 Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”

There is much deeper truth here than what is apparent in the English text, but this suffices for our study. Faith comes by hearing the RHEMA word (Romans 10:17) – the right word at the right time. One time a brother, a dear man of God, shared with me how he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He went to the Lord and the Lord said, I will walk you through this! That RHEMA word was all he needed for his faith. He went back to the doctor, found his PSA markers were normal, and that was that! Never needed any more medical attention. This RHEMA word was all Abram needed to lock his faith into the Lord.

6 And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. Gen 15:1-6 NKJV

The third usage is our record in Ephesians. Then the fourth is found in the iconic Philippians 4:13.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens (Grk. ENDUNAMOO) me. Phil 4:13 NKJV

One translation I read one time reads,

“I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Christ who infuses inner strength into me.”

Understanding who you are in Christ, your true and eternal identity, infuses you with authority, and puts the power of God at your fingertips. Who are you? You are a crown prince or a crown princess, heir to the throne of God, who is seated for judgment and authority at the right hand of God. To help you with even a modicum of explanation would require another whole article. Read Ephesians!  But get the point here – understanding who you are in Christ and practicing that reality daily will strengthen you and give you confidence to walk in authority. I can’t do for you what you must do for yourself – study and practice. When we understand who we are in Christ and walk it out, Luke 10:19 is one great truth that comes to manifestation.

Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.  Luke 10:19 NKJV

Some times when I bring up authority, people will say that all the apostles were martyred. I don’t know that! Scripture only says that Stephen was martyred. Peter and Paul knew the times of their deaths, but that is not even unusual, plus they were both old men. I think the record of Paul especially in Acts points to the fact that he walked in authority. Paul was stoned to death in Acts 14, but he was raised from the dead!  Relying on Catholic mythology as historical fact – can you say, Peter was never in Rome? – is tenuous, at best. Authority flows out of you when you know who you are in Christ!

The fifth usage, the number for grace, is found in first Timothy…

12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me ( Grk. ENDUNAMOO), because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, 13 although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. 14 And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. 1 Tim 1:12-15 NKJV

God qualifies those whom He calls with mercy and grace. I believe the more I grow up in my calling the more defined that calling becomes. There are things I am called to do, and for those things I will be qualified with strength, mercy and grace. There are things I am not called to do, that if I try to do them, I will be doing it in my own strength, and for that I need more pushups. Good luck with that! So, what I learn from the fifth usage is that I must stay in the calling I am called to and check with the Lord about His permission and authorization to do what I want to do, because only then will I receive ENDUNAMOO. Do you understand?

The sixth usage…

You therefore, my son, be strong (Grk. ENDUNAMOO) in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 Tim 2:1 NKJV

This is a great usage! Its in the middle voice because again like Ephesians 6, it is a command. Why are we commanded to be strong in grace? One reason is because our flesh will always judge someone else as being unworthy of the blessing of God. One time we were ministering at a Bible college in India when a Hindu woman came to be healed. God healed her, THEN she got born again! We could have said, you are not a Christian! You cannot receive from Him! But we didn’t. I don’t know how many times I have been thrown out of places because they said I wasn’t qualified to be there. Your loss, buddy. I know the anointing I carry and the blessing that it brings. Jesus said that If they reject you, they are rejecting ME, and Him who sent Me, and that puts them on shaky ground. Strengthened in grace! You position yourself, you allow yourself to be strengthened in the grace of God. There are no grace pushups! Forgiveness and mercy are two of the great keys to position yourself to be strengthened in grace.

The seventh usage…

But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me (Grk. ENDUNAMOO), so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear. Also I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. 18 And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen! 2 Tim 4:17-18 NKJV

Second Timothy is Paul’s valedictory message. You must understand that Paul’s messages, along with the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John have rocked the nations for two thousand years. All the gentiles, including you and I, basically of all time have at least had the chance to hear what these men wrote, and billions have responded and believed. Good job guys! This occurred because the Lord stood with and strengthened Paul, and he, as the most prolific NT writer, was able to get the word out. The Lord stood with him and confirmed His word.

And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen. Mark 16:20 NKJV

Because Paul was ENDUNAMOOed in the grace and mercy of God, through positioning himself to receive with love, mercy and forgiveness, his words went out like Isaiah said.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.  “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.  “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there,

but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

12 “For you shall go out with joy,  and be led out with peace; the mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing before you, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Isa 55:8-12 NKJV

All preaching and teaching must have the sense of victory in it. I trust you will receive the sense of victory that I have tried to communicate in this study of ENDUNAMOO. Let me summarize for you.

We are strengthened in reading the Word. You read the Word daily, and you read it to the degree it begins to flow into you and fill you up, crowding out worry, doubt and fear. You stay in the presence of God until you receive a clear RHEMA word that imparts faith. You position yourself to receive in the presence of God and wait upon Him to impart to you His strength. You know and fully understand who you are in Christ, because authority flows out of you when you know who you are. You stay in your lane, so to speak, not seeking to do things outside of your calling, and waiting on Him to confirm for you what you should be doing, or what you want to do. You are strengthened in grace to see every man that the way God sees him, and don’t make the mistake of assuming what you think God thinks of someone. The Lord, from Genesis to Revelation, has expressed some pretty strong opinions about some individuals and groups. Finally being strengthened is all about standing with Him in joy regardless of the circumstances. The Lord and you make the winning team. The billions who have responded to Paul’s writings are testimony to the grace and mercy of God upon the whole ministry of the apostle. Don’t you think?

Your life can have the same impact Paul’s has had, but it won’t come by doing pushups! It has to come as you position yourself to receive the strength of God. Your harvest is coming! Leave your weariness and come into the presence of God and be refreshed, be strengthened in the Lord. Amen? Love you!

Remember dear ones, we must be about our Father’s business…