Tag: strength

Strength for the Weary

Have you ever been in a place when you needed strength? Who do you look too? How do you receive this strength that you are needing? Do you know that in this life we can’t do it on our own, we need help, we need His strength.

“So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited…”

Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me…”

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:7-9 

“Living this life can only be lived through His strength”

His strength is limitless. When we are at our weakest that is when His strength becomes the greatest! But are we seeking for His strength? Are we asking for His strength when feel as if though you can’t take another step?

Fact: Strength is grown and developed and we can’t grow or develop without seeking Him.

Q: Where can we find this strength? How do we receive strength?

There is strength for those who hope

“ My soul, wait silently for God alone,

For my expectation is from Him.”

Psalm 62:5

The true source for our strength only comes from the hope we have in Him. 

There is strength for those who seek 

  • “Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.” – Psalm 105:3-4
  • When we begin to praise in our weakness, when we begin to look up, we begin to have hope and joy, joy is the strength of the Lord.
  • “Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face continually.” – 1 Chronicles 16:11

  • There is strength for those who wait

Isaiah 40:31 

“But they who wait (hope) for the Lord shall renew their strength;
    they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
    they shall walk and not faint.”

Sin That Dwells Within Part 2

“The ground that you had gained yesterday, will be a battle for today”

Just like a soldier on the battlefield who is always aware of his surroundings, expecting a battle at any given moment. We too should be on the lookout.

“Be sober-minded; be watchful… 1 Peter 5:8

2. EXPECT A DAILY BATTLE

LIVING A LIFE FOR GOD ISN’T EASY, WERE SWIMMING UPSTREAM. THOSE WHO ARE NOT WALKING IN THE FLESH, FEEDING THERE OWN DESIRES BUT WHO ARE WALKING IN THE SPIRIT WHO ARE NOT GRATIFYING THE DESIRES OF THE FLESH, THIS DEVO IS FOR YOU! HERE ARE A FEW REMINDERS:

– EXPECT THE GROUND THAT YOU GAINED YESTERDAY TO BE CHALLENGED TODAY.

– EXPECT THOUGHTS THAT ARE CONTRARY TO THE WORD OF GOD TO FLOOD YOUR MIND

– EXPECT PERSECUTION

– EXPECT WEAPONS TRYING TO BE FORMED

BUT KNOW WHO YOUR CAPTAIN ON THE BATTLEFIELD!

“BUT KNOW THAT THEY WHATEVER WEAPON FORMED AGAINST US SHALL NOT PROSPER”

REMEMBER THE PRESENCE OF TROUBLE DOES NOT PROVE THE ABSENCE OF GOD.

REMEMBER WITH EVERY OPPOSITION DOES NOT SIGNAL DEFEAT BUT RATHER MARKS THE BEGINNING OF THE BATTLE. 

EVEN THOUGH JESUS HAS DISARMED THE ENEMY, HE IS WANTING YOU TO BELIEVE THAT HE IS STILL ARMED, HES NOT REAL.

HE HAS DECEIVED MANY, BUT WE ARE TOLD TO NOT TO BE IGNORANT OF HIS DEVICES. 

WE MUST KNOW:

HE IS AFTER YOUR DESTINY, AFTER THE INHERITANCE THAT WE HAVE THROUGH CHRIST. HE IS AFTER OUR SOULS. 

BUT WE MUST REMEMBER THAT :

JESUS OUR VICTOR OUR CAPTAIN IS ON THE BATTLEFIELD, THE ONE WHO NEVER LEAVES NO MATTER HOW INTENSE THE BATTLE RAGES. NO MATTER HOW HOT THE FIRE GETS, NO MATTER THE PRESSURE THAT BUILDS, HE WILL NEVER FORFEIT.

TO KNOW THAT WHATEVER WEAPON THE ENEMY MIGHT FORM AGAINST US, WITH GOD IT SHALL NOT PROSPER!

–   EXPECT HIM TO MOVE ON YOUR BEHALF

  • EXPECT HIM WHEN THE ENEMY COMES IN LIKE A FLOOD THAT GOD WILL ALWAYS RAISE STANDARD
  • EXPECT HIM TO GIVE YOU STRENGTH THROUGH THAT TEMPTATION
  • EXPECT HIM TO BRING YOU THROUGH
  • EXPECT AS MANY AS OUR FOES, WE HAVE FAR MORE FOR US THAN AGAINST US.
  • EXPECT THAT THE GOD OF THE VALLEY IS TOO THE GOD ON THE MOUNTAIN!

A TIME FOR EVERYTHING

From the time that we were knitted in the womb (psalm 139:13-16) to when our life is over, God will have orchestrated every move, every challenge, every part that we had faced. But the most assuring part is that He has a plan for everyone. Not just for salvation (2 Peter 3:9) but He has given us a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11)

He knows the plans for us, plans for welfare not of evil, to give us a future and a hope.

Solomon tells us that there is a time for everything. No matter what season that we are in, God has also given us provision for that time.

Ecclesiastes 3

3 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

a time to be born, and a time to die;

a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

a time to kill, and a time to heal;

a time to break down, and a time to build up;

a time to weep, and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;

a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

a time to seek, and a time to lose;

a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

a time to tear, and a time to sew;

a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

a time to love, and a time to hate;

a time for war, and a time for peace.

WE ALL KNOW WHICH SEASONS WE WOULD LIKE TO BE IN. 

EVERYONE DESIRES TO BE IN THE GOOD AND COMFORTABLE SEASONS, PREFERRING LAUGHING TO MOURNING, LOVING TO HATING, GETTING TO LOSING; BUT WHATEVER SEASON GOD HAS PLACED US IN, WE MUST ALSO RESOLVE TO FAITHFULLY SERVE HIM THERE.

ARE YOU IN A SEASON OF FRUITFULNESS? A SEASON OF TRAGEDY OR GRIEF? KNOW THAT THE LORD IS WITH YOU TO GIVE YOU STRENGTH!

FINDING STRENGTH

Q: In whom does your strength come from?

A: We find strength in the Word of God.

1 Samuel 30:1-6.    FINDING STRENGTH IN HIS WORD

Now when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid against the Negeb and against Ziklag. They had overcome Ziklag and burned it with fire 2 and taken captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great. They killed no one, but carried them off and went their way. 3 And when David and his men came to the city, they found it burned with fire, and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. 4 Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep. 5 David’s two wives also had been taken captive, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 6 And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.

We read David had a choice to seek God for strength or to go on his own strength. 
  • WHEN NO ONE IS THERE TO ENCOURAGE YOU, 
  • WHEN ALL YOUR FRIENDS HAVE TURNED AWAY
  • THERE IS ONE! THAT STICKS CLOSER THAN A BROTHER
  • ABLE TO EMPATHIZE WITH OUR WEAKNESSES
  • He IS AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE FATHER INTERCEDING ON OUR BEHALF

WHEN ALL HOPE IS GONE AND HIS WORD IS ALL YOU HAVE, YOU’VE COME TO THE PLACE WHERE HE WANTS YOU! WHEN YOU COME TO THE END OF YOURSELF BUT ALL YOU HAVE IS HIS WORD, YOU’VE COME TO THE PLACE WHERE HE WANTS YOU!

WHEN YOU TAKE THE SPIRITS LEADING INSTEAD OF YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING AND ALL YOU HAVE IS HIS WORD TO LIGHT UP THE PATH, YOU’RE GOING TO THE PLACE WHERE HE WANTS YOU!

“But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God”

“It’s the Word of God that is sharper than any two edged sword.” – Hebrews 4:12

It cuts through sin

It cuts off addictions

It heals

It delivers

It sustains

It is living!

THINGS BEGIN TO CHANGE WHEN YOU FIND STRENGTH IN HIS WORD!

>>PRAYER<< 

“But those who wait on the Lord

Shall renew their strength;

They shall mount up with wings like eagles,

They shall run and not be weary,

They shall walk and not faint.”

WHEN WE WAIT ON HIM, HE WILL RENEW OUR STRENGTH, IT’S ONLY IN HIS WORD THAT ARE STRENGTH IS FOUND.

You Sustain me

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You sustain me

It is our wisdom, as well as our necessity, to beseech God continually to strengthen that which he has brought in us. We often forget that the Author of our faith must be the Preserver of it also. The lamp which was burning in the temple was never allowed to go out, but it had to be daily replenished with fresh oil; in like manner, our faith can only live by being sustained with the oil of grace, and we can only obtain this from God himself. Let us, then, day by day, go to our Lord for the grace and strength we need. We have a strong argument to plead, for it is his own work of grace which we ask him to strengthen. Only let your faith take hold of his strength. – Charles Spurgeon

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From the instant that we ask Christ to be Lord of our lives we are no longer sustained by our own ability. We rest fully in His Grace, by putting our faith in Him. For Him to be Captain, not the co-captain, the driver, not the passenger. For Him to be in control. He is the source that we need. Whenever you buy a car, the tank will be full, or at least close to it, but when your almost out we know where to go. If you were not to fill the car up obviously you could not go anywhere, like the Christian, trading things of God for the cares of this World. Who’s complacency of not being filled becomes distant from God Overtime without communion with God, our “tank” gets lower and lower until we hit rock bottom.

~ Wisdom is better than strength ~

“Greatness lies not in being strong, but in the right using of strength; and strength is not used rightly when it serves only to carry a man above his fellows for his own solitary glory. He is the greatest whose strength carries up the most hearts by the attraction of his own.”  – Henry Ward Beecher

The sinner who lives on their own strength cannot have victory in the trials that they are in. Like the wise man who was surrounded by a great and mighty army inside the walls of a little city, with his wisdom; delivered the city.

” There was a little city with few men in it, and a great king came against it and besieged it, building great siegeworks against it. But there was found in it a poor, wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that poor man. But I say that wisdom is better than might, though the poor man’s wisdom is despised and his words are not heard.”
(Ecclesiastes 9:14-16 ESV)

Having victory in your life is not done by outsmart the enemy, it is using the wisdom of God through Jesus Christ who has already won the victory. Through Him we will be sustained by His Grace.

“Cast your burden on the Lord,
and he will sustain you;
he will never permit
the righteous to be moved.” – Psalm 55:22

Are you sustained by God?

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