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“I can do everything through Him
who gives me strength.”
As the years pass, I am increasingly interested in how I can be as strong as possible and live life to the fullest. We are triune beings – body, soul and spirit. Our soul refers to the center of our personality where activities of thought and feeling take place as well as decisions of our will. It is where our character is formed. God gives our spirit to us at the time we believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. (John 3:5-7, I John 4:13)
Whether we are weak or strong in one part of our being, it affects the whole. For example, when we are ill, it often affects us emotionally; when we are depressed or angry, it can affect us physically. When we are weak either physically or emotionally, it can be hard for us to act confidently on our faith.
The Bible tells us that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. (I Corinthians 3:16, 6:19) You can be sure that the Holy Spirit wants us in the best condition physically and emotionally so we can experience fully the spiritual blessings He wants to give us. There is a lot of information available to help us be strong physically. We are to eat properly, exercise and have sufficient rest and recreation. (Hebrews 4:1) We can ask God for any additional wisdom we may need to help our bodies be strong.
To have healthy souls (personalities) means taking care of our minds and hearts (our emotions). Christians are urged not to follow the patterns of the world but to be continually renewed by reflecting on what is positive and good. (Romans 12:2, Philippians 4:8) We are also to trust our circumstances into God’s care, for when we see Him act to bring help and blessing, our hope and confidence in Him grows and our faith is strengthened. Trust and hope in God forms the foundation for strong emotional health.
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and has made the Lord his hope and confidence.” (Jeremiah 17:7 LB)
God also wants us to be strong spiritually. “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” (II Timothy 1:7) The apostle Paul prayed for believers, “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being.” (Ephesians 3:16)
What is our part in becoming strong spiritually? It does not mean we are to be conscious of Jesus every minute of our day, but we are to trust our lives to Him, and we do not allow anything to separate us from Him (for example, deliberate disobedience or lack of trust). This way, we remain in Him and He remains in us, so we are strong indeed. (John 15:4, 10)
There are two things we can do daily to help us remain strong: pray for God’s protection and praise Him for His goodness. It is Satan’s role to divide and conquer – to separate us from God, from others and to divide us within ourselves. He begins in our minds – bringing doubts, confusion and lies until we are plagued by negative feelings about others and ourselves. We can claim (rely and act on) God’s promises of protection in our prayers. I rely on the three following promises when I claim protection for myself and those God has placed on my heart: Ephesians 6:10-13, II Thessalonians 3:3 and Revelation 12:11.
1. In his letter to the Thessalonians, Paul asks them to pray that he will be protected from “wicked and evil men.” He follows his request with a declaration of God’s faithfulness: “ . . . the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.” (II Thessalonians 3:3
2. Paul encourages us to “be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power . . . against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil.” (Ephesians 6:11-12) In our prayers we can “put on the full armor of God” that Paul describes in Ephesians 6:13-17.
3. In the book of Revelation there is the promise of victory “by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony.” (Revelation 12:10-12) Christians are victorious over evil through claiming the authority of Jesus Christ. Each morning, I ask our Lord Jesus to cover my loved ones and me (and those He places on my heart) with His precious blood and grant us special protection and wisdom. In this way I go forth through the day feeling secure and strong in the Lord.
The prophet, Nehemiah, knew that “the joy of the Lord” is also our strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10) Jesus gave Himself in a way that no other person can. However, there is a way in which we are called to give which demonstrates our faith and acknowledges God as Victor over all. It is the offering of our praise. There is a unique kind of power in praise. We are declaring our trust and hope and we become an open vessel that God delights to fill with blessings.
“He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.” Psalm 50:23
God wants us to live with an exhilarating vitality. He knows the frailty of our human nature, that our lives get out-of-balance or we succumb to the stresses of living. He promises to renew and strengthen us. Our part is to refrain from running on our own strength alone, to trust and hope in Him, and to praise Him for His faithfulness.
“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” I Peter 5:10
“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:29-31
To help you apply the following passage, I have changed the personal pronouns and verb tense. Ponder these words in your heart and apply them to your circumstances.
May my Lord Jesus Christ himself and God my Father who loves me and by his grace gives me eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage my heart and strengthen me in every good deed and word. II Thessalonians 2:16-17
“Your hands made me and formed me; give me understanding to learn your commands.” Psalm 119:73
Heavenly Father, is there some way you want me to take better care of my body?
Is there some way you want me to nurture my heart and my spirit to be stronger in faith?
Suggestion for Meditation
Meditate on the following truth, receiving the Lord’s strength.
“I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13
Gradually become aware of your breathing. Breathe in the Lord’s strength. Breathe out your weariness and weakness.
I have been fortunate to have good health and energy until three years ago when tests showed that I had a small hole in my heart. To the praise and glory of God, I have experienced the gradual healing, strengthening and restoring of my heart. Through this period of time, my compassion has grown for those who are not strong or who have chronic health problems.
Isaiah prophesied that our Savior would suffer for the weaknesses, sorrow and sin of humankind. (Isaiah 53:4-5) Those who believe in Jesus, can receive the benefits of His sacrificial death. For my journey of healing, I needed to surrender in greater trust to Him. I also learned to seek and to listen for His wisdom and guidance in order to receive, to cooperate with and to protect His healing work in me. (Psalm 119:73) The Lord has restored and strengthened me physically, emotionally and spiritually! Sometimes, in God’s infinite wisdom, complete physical healing is not granted. God allows this because He has something better in mind. He gives us strength to bear it, we mature in our faith and His greater plan is revealed.