Silas
Beloved of All
Your desire to be strong in the Lord is a desire that pleases God. Scripture says without faith it is impossible to please Him, and He is pleased when we put our trust in Him. The opposite is also true. When we doubt His promises and live in fear and anxiety, we do not honor Him. Again and again the Bible calls us to trust in the Lord with all our heart and not to lean on our own understanding.
Strength in the Lord does not come from looking at yourself, your weaknesses or your past failures. It comes by believing His grace and trusting what He has promised. Whatever God does in our lives comes to us through faith in Jesus Christ. Our standing with God is not based on keeping a set of rules, but on faith in Jesus. Through faith in Him we are made children of God, clothed in Christ, and God counts that faith as righteousness because He sees us in His Son.
God Himself is faithful even when our faith wavers. One woman in Scripture received strength to conceive in old age because she considered Him faithful who had promised. You can count on the same thing. The One who promised is faithful. Faith is not blind. It sees what cannot be seen with physical eyes. It looks to the Lord and to His promises and to the eternal life He has given, and it endures because it sees Him who is invisible.
Being strong in the Lord does not always mean you will see immediate triumph or victory over every difficulty. Faith will sustain you through whatever you face. It takes greater faith to hold on to God in suffering than in victory, to say Lord, Your will be done, even when you do not understand the circumstances. That kind of enduring faith is what God builds in us. At times He even allows us to feel trapped or pressed on every side so that we learn His power and learn to cry out to Him. When the people of Israel saw the great work the Lord did for them, they feared the Lord and believed Him, and their faith grew.
Scripture shows us how to grow strong. One man who is held up as an example was strong in faith and gave glory to God before there was any evidence that the promise had been fulfilled. He had the word of God, and on the basis of that word he praised the Lord. That praise was itself an act of faith. In the same way David began his life trusting in the Lord when he faced the giant, and when he was old and gray he still said, I will go in the strength of the Lord God. Many begin by trusting God and later begin to trust their own strength or wealth, but David kept his confidence in God to the end. Even when problems and opposition surrounded him, his trust was in the greatness and power of God.
The Lord is your light and your salvation. Whom shall you fear. The Lord is the strength of your life. Of whom shall you be afraid. In the time of trouble He will hide you in His shelter. Unless we believe that we will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living, we would give up. So wait on the Lord, be of good courage, and He will strengthen your heart. The Lord will give strength to His people and bless His people with peace. His eyes move throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are fully toward Him.
Ask Him to strengthen you today. Bring your need to Him honestly and place your confidence not in your own resolve but in Jesus Christ and His grace. Take His promises as true and thank Him before you see the answer. Keep your eyes on Him rather than on the size of the problem. As you wait on Him and trust Him, He will strengthen your heart and cause you to stand upright.
May the Lord strengthen you by His power, establish your heart in holiness, and cause you to abound in all things in Christ to the glory and praise of our God and Savior. May you know His peace and His strength sustaining you day by day as you walk by faith in Jesus. In Jesus name, amen.
Strength in the Lord does not come from looking at yourself, your weaknesses or your past failures. It comes by believing His grace and trusting what He has promised. Whatever God does in our lives comes to us through faith in Jesus Christ. Our standing with God is not based on keeping a set of rules, but on faith in Jesus. Through faith in Him we are made children of God, clothed in Christ, and God counts that faith as righteousness because He sees us in His Son.
God Himself is faithful even when our faith wavers. One woman in Scripture received strength to conceive in old age because she considered Him faithful who had promised. You can count on the same thing. The One who promised is faithful. Faith is not blind. It sees what cannot be seen with physical eyes. It looks to the Lord and to His promises and to the eternal life He has given, and it endures because it sees Him who is invisible.
Being strong in the Lord does not always mean you will see immediate triumph or victory over every difficulty. Faith will sustain you through whatever you face. It takes greater faith to hold on to God in suffering than in victory, to say Lord, Your will be done, even when you do not understand the circumstances. That kind of enduring faith is what God builds in us. At times He even allows us to feel trapped or pressed on every side so that we learn His power and learn to cry out to Him. When the people of Israel saw the great work the Lord did for them, they feared the Lord and believed Him, and their faith grew.
Scripture shows us how to grow strong. One man who is held up as an example was strong in faith and gave glory to God before there was any evidence that the promise had been fulfilled. He had the word of God, and on the basis of that word he praised the Lord. That praise was itself an act of faith. In the same way David began his life trusting in the Lord when he faced the giant, and when he was old and gray he still said, I will go in the strength of the Lord God. Many begin by trusting God and later begin to trust their own strength or wealth, but David kept his confidence in God to the end. Even when problems and opposition surrounded him, his trust was in the greatness and power of God.
The Lord is your light and your salvation. Whom shall you fear. The Lord is the strength of your life. Of whom shall you be afraid. In the time of trouble He will hide you in His shelter. Unless we believe that we will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living, we would give up. So wait on the Lord, be of good courage, and He will strengthen your heart. The Lord will give strength to His people and bless His people with peace. His eyes move throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are fully toward Him.
Ask Him to strengthen you today. Bring your need to Him honestly and place your confidence not in your own resolve but in Jesus Christ and His grace. Take His promises as true and thank Him before you see the answer. Keep your eyes on Him rather than on the size of the problem. As you wait on Him and trust Him, He will strengthen your heart and cause you to stand upright.
May the Lord strengthen you by His power, establish your heart in holiness, and cause you to abound in all things in Christ to the glory and praise of our God and Savior. May you know His peace and His strength sustaining you day by day as you walk by faith in Jesus. In Jesus name, amen.
