Where Do You Get Your Strength?

 

Dennis Edwards

You see, I live by a set of ideas or principles contrary to what secular society teaches. The secular world teaches "Be strong in yourself. Dig down deep and find your own strength." The message of the Gospel is that you don't have to try to find the strength in yourself. Gospel actually means "good news." The good news is that God, the creator of the universe, came into the world, lived as one of us, and won the victory over our inability to save ourselves through our own strength. Through apparent weakness, He was strong. But His strength came not from Himself, but from Him spending quiet time with His Father in heaven. Jesus would get up early and go out into a mountain and pray. Sometimes He would spend all night in prayer, even desperate prayer. Mark 1:35, Luke 6:12-13, Luke 22:39-46.

Yes, we need to be strong, but where do we find strength? In alcohol, drugs, on-line Podcasts, friends, books, music, nature works, shopping, food? Secular studies show that people who spend time alone walking in nature or who have a daily meditative walk are more likely to be creative, are more likely to have strong convictions. The truth is we need time alone to find the strength we need. But that strength actually comes from outside us. The strength comes from the words we believe to be true. What makes us strong is the words we believe, not ourselves. Therefore, what is important is, what words are we believing and trusting to be true.

Am I trusting man's word that says, "Be strong in yourself. Pull up your bootstraps." Or I am trusting the Creator of the universe who says, "Be strong in Me. Let Me be your strength." That's the difference. They are two opposing philosophies. One is, you try to be strong in yourself. You seek for inner strength. The other says, I can't make it, I'm not strong enough. I need help from my Creator and, therefore, reaches out to Him and finds Him; and in finding Him, finds the strength He supplies. Like King David of old wrote, "My strength comes from the Lord which made heaven and earth," Psalm 121:2. We need to look to God for the strength we need. We'll never be to strong enough in our own strength, no matter how much natural strength we have.

We need the supernatural strength of God to help us be overcomers. We can find that strength in Jesus. That's the secret. That's the good news. That's the Gospel. In Him I can do all things. Philippians 4:13.Through Him I can overcome every obstacle and fulfil my destiny. Romans 8:37. That's why He says, "Come unto Me all you that are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of Me because I am meek and humble, and you shall find rest unto your souls, because My yoke is easy and My burden is light," Matthew 11:28-30. But we have to do the coming. Isaiah 55:1-3. But if we do, He'll give us the strength we need, and everything else in the bargain. Isaiah 40:28-31. Matthew 6:33. Seek Him while He may be found. Jeremiah 29:13. Love and prayers. Dennis