You will know that God's power is very great for us who believe. It is the same as the mighty power he used to raise Christ from death and put him at his right side in the heavenly places.

He put Christ over all rulers, authorities, powers, and kings. He gave him authority over everything that has power in this world or in the next world.

God put everything under Christ's power and made him head over everything for the church.

The church is Christ's body. It is filled with him. He makes everything complete in every way.

The LORD said to my lord, “Sit at my right side, while I put your enemies under your control.” The LORD will cause your kingdom to grow, beginning at Zion, until you rule the lands of your enemies! Your people will gladly join you when you gather your army together. You will wear your special clothes and meet together early in the morning. Your young men will be all around you like dew on the ground. The LORD has made a promise with an oath and will not change his mind: “You are a priest forever— the kind of priest Melchizedek was.”

You were raised from death with Christ. So live for what is in heaven, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. Think only about what is up there, not what is here on earth. Your old self has died, and your new life is kept with Christ in God. Yes, Christ is now your life, and when he comes again, you will share in his glory. So put everything evil out of your life: sexual sin, doing anything immoral, letting sinful thoughts control you, and wanting things that are wrong. And don't keep wanting more and more for yourself, which is the same as worshiping a false god. God will show his anger against those who don't obey him, because they do these evil things.

You also did these things in the past, when you lived like them. But now put these things out of your life: anger, losing your temper, doing or saying things to hurt others, and saying shameful things. Don't lie to each other. You have taken off those old clothes—the person you once were and the bad things you did then. Now you are wearing a new life, a life that is new every day. You are growing in your understanding of the one who made you. You are becoming more and more like him.

THEREFORE THEN, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony to the Truth], let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us, Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God. [Psa_110:1] 

Just think of Him Who endured from sinners such grievous opposition and bitter hostility against Himself [reckon up and consider it all in comparison with your trials], so that you may not grow weary or exhausted, losing heart and relaxing and fainting in your minds.