She is a mom, wife, and passionate believer that Jesus changes everything.
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How many times have you heard about the “heroes of the faith” – people like David, Jeremiah, Moses, Deborah, and Paul? It’s easy to look at the great figures of the Bible and think, “Wow, they must have really understood something about God that I don’t.” I think more than anything, we look at these figures and wonder how they were able to find God’s strength and do the extraordinary feats that we remember them for.
However, it doesn’t take feats of biblical proportions for us to access God’s strength. How often have you heard stories from other Christians about having heroic faith, strong perseverance, or peace in the midst of turmoil, disease, divorce or even death? For us, they and their testimonies are present-day examples living through God’s strength.
Are those people an anomaly? Could you find God’s strength the same way in your own life?
For further insight into God’s strength in our life, let’s turn to Isaiah 40:31(NIV)
“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.”
What do you think when you read this Scripture? Do you envision yourself in this passage?
I want you to stop and think about this verse and reflect on your understanding and how you live it out.
So… how do you live this out?
Because this passage is all about what it means to have God in your corner. To walk in God’s strength.
My challenge for you today is how well do you know this?
How much do you feel renewed and refreshed?
Because as a follower of Christ, you are offered this type of life. The kind of life where you don’t get tired, do not get weary and are full of energy and strength-no matter what you face. No matter what.
But it is not something that you can just pick up. It takes a dedication to committing yourself to be a disciple of Jesus, resting and living in God’s strength, power, and love.
Can you imagine a life like that? A life where you do not get exhausted, do not get defeated and are full of hope and strength?
But before we continue looking at finding God’s strength in you, you have to trust Him. We must stop and cement this into our minds and hearts because the strength of God doesn’t fully come until you can trust God.
Trust it’s a vital practice for a believer.
Without trust, Christianity doesn’t make much sense, if you really think about it.
As a believer, you trust in the truth of Jesus Christ.
You trust in the work of the Holy Spirit.
You trust that God is who He says He is, and is worthy of trusting.
There are countless things a Christian is asked to trust, from doctrines to discipleship. On practically every level, trust is a major component of Christianity.
But it’s not always easy, right?
Sometimes it’s hard to believe that God is really there, walking with you and loving you. Especially when your experience is filled with trials and turmoil.
Life isn’t at all easy. Too many days are filled with ugly moments.
Sometimes that ugliness is very upfront and obvious, like when there is an argument, being cut off in traffic, or getting yelled at by your boss. Or even worse, there is abuse, death, addiction and so forth.
And other times, you might witness a mother being harsh with her child. Or overhear a person talking badly about another person. Perhaps you might be subjected to a person judging someone else. Maybe you are even the one being critiqued.
Whether you realize it or not, all of this ugliness affects you. You may have become numb to it, but it does, in fact, affect you.
Life beats us up.
Whether you realize it or not, life affects you. It can really take a toll on you.
But the good news is, this world we live in is the same world Jesus lived in.
Why is that important?
Because it is one of the most important things about God you could ever learn!
I’m serious, this is not rhetoric. I’m not trying to bait you, I’m dead serious. Jesus Christ’s life on this earth is undeniably paramount for you.
Jesus shows us how to walk with God.
See Jesus didn’t just come to this earth to die for our sins. He did something else too, He showed us what it looks like to abide in God’s presence and love.
Did you ever wonder how Jesus was Jesus? Like how did He deal with those tough Pharisees? How did He heal the crippled, blind and dead? How did He preach with such a newness and power? And how did He see those who were never seen by anyone else?
It’s because Jesus was God, right?
No…that’s not the answer!
Did you know Jesus emptied Himself of His godly power and depended solely on the work and strength of the Holy Spirit?
It’s true check it out here: Hebrews 2:17; Philippians 2:7; Isaiah 42:1; Luke 4:1.
Everything Jesus did was through the strength and power of the Holy Spirit.
The same Spirit that is given to us at our conversion.
So let’s do a quick recap:
Jesus came to this earth, did amazing miracles, taught the people about God, healed the sick, trained up disciples, dealt with judgement and critiques, overcame temptation and victory over the cross.
That same man, emptied Himself of His Godly power and depended on the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit to accomplish this tasks. That same Spirit is given to all believers.
Which means, we literally have everything at our disposal that Jesus did.
Well…
I think the big difference between us and Jesus is this: Jesus knew who He was and knew who the Father was. I’m not sure we all know that. Or I’m not sure if we’re all confident in our knowledge and experience of that.
I have had a lot of conversations with many Christians, from ministry professionals to the newest of believers, and when this topic comes before them, they usually don’t know what to do with it.
Why is that?
I think one reason is because of that ugliness we see and experience all the time.
It robs us.
It takes away our confidence and trust, in who God says He is and what God says about us.
We have a really hard time hearing God in this world.
The world we live in is very loud.
Too loud.
It’s constantly telling us we are not good enough. Not smart enough, not successful enough, not fit enough, and on and on. We are accosted with these messages of deflating self-worth.
You know, Jesus heard these messages too. Sure, maybe they weren’t critiquing Jesus’ body size, but they did criticize His message, His friends, the company He kept, and His identity.
Jesus’ identity was always challenged.
Yet, He did not falter.
Why?
Because He knew who God was and in turn, He knew who He was.
Again a quick recap, I want to make sure we are all on the same page, because this is very important.
1.) Jesus lived in the same world we live in, the one that is hostel to God’s goodness and love.
2.) Jesus emptied Himself of His godly powers
3.) Jesus functioned through the power and strength of the Holy Spirit
4.) Because of Jesus’ victory over the Cross, all believers are given the Gift of the Holy Spirit at conversion. The same Spirit Jesus relied on during His earthly ministry
5.) Jesus was judged, mocked and questioned about His identity countlessly, yet He never lost His strength or purpose. He did not crumble.
This passage from Isaiah 40, is a profound one for us today. Because it speaks to what both you and I desperately need to hear, that we are not alone. God truly is here for us and is with us and we have His strength living in us!
As we look to Jesus to see just what it looks like for someone to truly walk with God on this earth, we can find hope.
But, that hope can only grow if you trust in God.
You must trust that God is good.
You must trust that God is truthful.
And you must trust that God loves you.
Then you can begin to garner the strength God has available to you.
Because if you do not trust God you can’t fully depend on Him. You are always secretly doubting, unsure if He will pull through.
I can’t imagine Jesus thinking “I sure hope God shows up here” while performing a miracle or teaching a crowd of 5,000 plus. Could you?
Jesus knew without a doubt God was good, trustworthy and loved Him. And Jesus rested in that knowledge. It’s where all of His power, endurance, and strength came from. Well, that and God’s Spirit working through Him-which could not have happened if Jesus didn’t trust God.
Do you see how both go hand in hand?
With all that being said it’s boiled down to this simple equation:
Trust in God + reliance on the Holy Spirit = inner strength
This inner strength is available to you, but it doesn’t come easy. It requires discipline, determination, and humility.
It’s all about a journey with God. Walking with Him throughout all of your days, moment by moment. This is where the reward is found – this is the life you were called to. Because this life is the best one we can have here on earth. It’s a life where Maker and Creation walk hand and hand in a close intimate relationship.
It’s the kind of life I want, it’s the life Jesus lived and it’s the life God is offering you today. So start searching for God moment by moment and watch how strong you become. See what happens as you live in God’s strength.
Here’s a simple list to get you started finding the Strength of God.
1.) Get to know God
This is best found through and understanding of the life of Jesus. Jesus came to this world to be a living, breathing example of what it looked like to walk in God’s strength, power, and love. His example was not just reserved for Himself, the disciples and a few elite. His example is for all humans, including you!
Here’s a few ideas on of how to get to know God better:
-Read the Gospels over and over. Look not only at the big moments of Jesus’ life i.e. miracles, resurrection and such, but also bring your attention to the smaller moments, such as when Jesus is walking. See who He speaks to, look to what He does. In addition, carefully observe how Jesus deals with opposition. And finally, see how He connects with God.
-Find a book or curriculum that focuses on the life of Jesus. This will help you further study what Jesus’ life looked like on earth.
-Read the letter to the Romans by Paul in the Bible. This epistle is the most comprehensive of Paul’s theology and will help shed further understanding of Jesus’ ministry and purpose.
– And of course, there is all of Scripture to explore. The Bible can illuminate a better understanding of who God is and how He interacts and loves His creation. If you have the opportunity, you may want to join a comprehensive Bible study in order to get a better picture of the larger story of Scripture.
We have a great resource to help you get started studying Scripture better it can be found by clicking the image below:
2.) Fix Your Eyes on God.
This is a discipline which asks us to look beyond circumstances. In order to fix your eyes on God, you must avoid looking anywhere else but to Him. Sounds easy right? Unfortunately, it’s not. It’s easy for us, mere humans, to become seriously distracted and lose our focus so quickly that we didn’t even notice it happened. This is where the discipline is extremely important because as soon as you realize that you have focused on your circumstances and lost sight of God, you must quickly return your attention to Him.
Don’t stop looking to God, even if you feel like quitting or if you feel like it isn’t working. Trust God knows what He is doing and that He will pull through. Remember all the things you are learning from studying the life of Jesus and use that to fuel you.
A good resource for fixing Your Eyes on God can be found by clicking the image below:
3.) Seek God through prayer constantly.
Ask God to help you understand who He is and how He is with you bringing all of His power and love to you. We have a free ebook that can give you some great prayer practices. Get it by clicking the image below.
4.) Practice the attribute of humility.
It’s a tremendous declaration of humility to recognize that you are not capable of accomplishing everything, but God is. It’s the stance you must be in as you seek God’s presence and strength. God wants you to turn to Him and rest in Him. Humility is an essential attribute for anyone seeking the power of God in their lives.
5.) Receive God’s love for you.
Whether you realize it or not, God loves you just as you are and not as you should be. He simply loves you! We pray that you grow in this reality, because God’s love for us is overwhelming.
We hope you are inspired to find God’s strength inside you. It will take time, but anything worthwhile does. This is a marathon, not a sprint. It’s a Journey of walking with Your Maker who’s power and presence is already in you, you just need to find it.
Amen.
We have a nice little bonus for you as you continue to seek God’s strength. By clicking below, you’ll find 30 prayers for strength. These are 30 quick and easy prayers that will help you turn to God no matter what time of day it is and seek His strength!
Click graphic below for these great prayers!
