Strength for Today!

For many Christians, each day is a matter of just getting by and doing the best they can. They do not expect much at all out of life or God for that matter. These dear folks experience zero power, and cherish no notions of spiritual triumph or overcoming. Just getting along from day to day seems to be their focus. It is no stretch to characterize their lives as extremely boring and painfully…just human. Please relax...my aim is not to be harsh or judgmental, but there is a serious danger here that we must recognize. A humdrum ‘Christianity’ naturally gives way to spiritual discouragement and quitting. Here is how it works; since we do not experience any of the great stuff the Bible says we should, why bother at all? What seemed normal for Apostles Peter and Paul is not for us; it must be that God does not work that way today—they reason. Today all we can do is suffer for Jesus…right? The problem is too many Believers have made the mistake of defining Christian expression in our terms, according to our circumstances, and in our limited and often warp perception of reality. Here is the latest memo—God is not silent, and He has spoken in His Word (Heb. 1:1, 2). Therefore, painstakingly make all your conclusions about Him and the Faith based on the Scriptures because your mind, emotions, and experiences will blatantly lie to you and mislead you (Jer. 17:9, 10).

Because the realization of a triumphant Christian experience has proven elusive and mysterious, some have erroneously concluded faith simply does not work. At least not for them anyway; it seems to work for the pastor, and those super-saints, but not for us ordinary folks. Feeling perplexed and disappointed with God, these eventually quit. They are not up to simply faking it, so quitting seems to be a more honest reaction. At least they aren't hypocrites...right? Of course their rationale is skewed and yes, there are other potent options like triumph in Christ! However, if we are honest about this; Christian living without a sense of progress and power can become tedious and wearisome. Nothing inspires frustration like looking to God when He appears to not even be interested in delivering on our pleas for strength. We feel our weaknesses in painfully uncomfortable ways and God just seems to sit by idly…. Is defeat and frustration all there is?

Hope of Becoming Stronger

Such disillusionment with God and spiritual pursuits; however, is not His desire for us. Christ actually avails to us the power of the Holy Spirit Who indwells us to enable, equip, and help us lead an abundant, victorious, and empowered life to the glory of God. Consider for a moment Paul’s prayer for the Ephesian Church:

For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God (Eph. 3:14-19).

In verse sixteen, Paul prayed for Believers to become stronger inwardly by the workings of the Spirit of God. The Spirit of the Living God helps us grasp, develop, and experience God’s will for each of us—He is the potent expression of the indwelling Christ in submissive Believers. He makes continuous and genuine Christian expression possible; He also enables us for evangelism and effective ministry. We desperately need Him at work in and through us if we are to become the people our Heavenly Father re-created us to be. The Holy Spirit’s supernatural enablement is vital for the cause of Christian living, loving, and laboring to the glory of God. We desperately need His supernatural strengthening deep within the innermost precincts of our being (Eph. 3:16). Look to the strength the Spirit of God provides to navigate our struggles and become triumphant in this life.

Strength for Living

We are limited and destine to frustration and failure if we try to live and serve in mere human strength. God’s enablement affords us power to overcome our natural limitations and weaknesses. Notice the word “strengthened” (Eph. 3:16) means to “be strong to overcome resistance,” or to increase in strength; to grow stronger. This is God’s pledge to give us divine muscles for Christ-like living and laboring. To be strengthened by God is the desired outcome and need for each day.

But, what resistance must we overcome? We must overcome the resistance of the “works of the flesh” by the strength of the Spirit (Gal. 5:16-26). The Spirit and flesh will abide in antagonistic postures until the day of the Rapture and our bodies and nature are fully changed and redeemed. Warning, do not attempt to live for God in the strength of human determination and will-power (Rom. 7:18-25; 8:5–9, 13). This will only result in utter frustration, discouragement, and greater carnality! Always remember the flesh is weak and cannot be relied upon—it is not subject to God and will never ever be subject to Him. The Holy Spirit will energize and empower the committed Christian who believes God for divine power (Acts 1:8; Gal. 5:16).

It is incumbent upon us then to choose divine strengthening for life and service. The Apostle Paul said in Galatians 2:20, ^“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Again He declares in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Then the narrator of 2 Samuel 22:33, states “God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect.” Finally the psalmist quips, “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD” (Psalm 27:14). In each instance God promised His people the wherewithal to be strengthened with supernatural (divine) muscles for heavy duty living and serving for His glory. We must consciously believe and commit ourselves to this truth.

Might for Living

Another helpful term in this text that we need to grasp is the word “might”. “Might” (dynamis; Eph. 3:20), is the living dynamic power of the Holy Spirit—enablement. The focus is on what we are strengthened with; what it is that actually makes God’s people stronger in the Lord. The word “strengthen” points to the desired outcome and the word “might” indicates what God will use to get us there. He will empower us with holy “might;” this word is related to the word dynamite, a pyrotechnique explosive. So we are talking about significant levels of power. This is really great news!

In Luke 24:49, Jesus guaranteed such vibrant energy, “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.” “Power” is internal and behavior altering “might” from God (Eph. 5:18-21). The Apostle Paul used the term in Colossians 1:11, where he prayed, “Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness”. Once again we see this refers to a huge flow of dynamic, situation changing, energy available to the abiding and submissive Believer! Beloved, this is substantial spiritual wealth from God for each of us, His children to put to work in our daily experiences.

It is The Spirit Who strengthens by imparting, inculcating, permeating, and pervading our innermost character, thoughts, emotions, convictions, and values with supernatural might-power (See Ps. 138:3; 2 Tim. 4:17)! As a result, the Christian’s character is more Christlike, our thoughts towards God and His will are clearer and more accurate, and our emotions are stabilized as we get off the emotional roller coasters that threaten a steadfast lifestyle. In addition our convictions are reinforced, clarified, purged, honed, and galvanized rendering us into people of trans-mundane purpose, holy boldness, and perceptive/discerning change agents. Our values are renovated, constructed, heightened, and refined; as a result we regard the good, cherish the better, and choose the best for God’s honor. We become people who know who we are in Christ, what we are doing and why, and we know where we are going in life and eternity. We come across as ‘strong’ to others, but we know it is divine strength being welded to our souls by the Spirit of grace.

The Spirit’s enablement for Christian living and service is the strength we desperately need for today. It is not a luxurious extra we can get along just fine without, but an essential grace for a truly Christlike lifestyle. This is real might that make Believers significantly stronger even while facing today's challenges. Beloved, I am saying there is strength for daily challenges. Ask God to supply your daily need at the top of each day. Yes, just cry out to Him confessing your utter weakness, acknowledging His comprehensive strength, and trusting Him to supply what you need in real time throughout the day. All through the day ask and trust Him for what you need. It does not matter if your weakness is rooted in your mind, emotions, or will; He is able to help you resist the influence of your weaknesses and accentuate your strengths to see His will done. He will resource you accordingly. Trust Him to make you stronger, and when He does give Him honor, credit, respect, and praise for His goodness to you.