Our God wants us to depend upon Him for strength and not upon ourselves. I am not talking about physical strength but strength in character. In many societies, independence and personal strength is seen as a virtue. As Christians, we also want to be strong, but our strength is not in ourselves but our strength comes for the Lord. We trust in Him. Ephesians 6:10 “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” The admonition here is to be strong, but to be strong in the Lord and take advantage of His great power. When do you need strength? Let us consider times in your life when you need to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
Perhaps you need strength when you are fearful of those who do evil or those who stand against the truth. You don’t need to be fearful, for God can be your strength and go with you in your spiritual battles. Psalm 27:1 “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” Isaiah 41:10 “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
Perhaps you need strength when you feel attacked and need to be sheltered. Psalm 28:7-8 “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I will praise Him. The Lord is their strength, and He is the saving refuge of His anointed.” The Lord should be your strength and shield.
Perhaps you need strength when you lack courage. Psalm 73:25-26 “Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” The apostle Paul asked the Ephesians brethren to pray to God that he would “speak boldly, as I ought to speak” (Ephesians 6:20). Your boldness can come from God.
Perhaps you need strength against temptation and sin. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” Ask God to help you take your thoughts captive so that you are not enticed to sin. 1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” Ask God to show you the way out of temptation so that you may be strong against sin.
Perhaps you have become discouraged and feel that God has left you without help. Isaiah 40:28-31 “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” Notice that this passage states that the everlasting God gives power to the weak and to those who have no might; He increases strength. But you must wait upon the Lord. You must be patient and not expect God to always answer immediately. You need to wait upon the Lord because your timing may not be His timing. When you wait upon Him, He will renew your strength. You will not be weary or faint spiritually. The Lord will not leave you without help. Hebrews 13:5b-6 “For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’” Someone can say bad things about you, or take your possessions or even take your life, but they cannot take away your salvation or your eternal life. God has promised to be with you. Put things into perspective and do not be afraid but trust in His help.
Perhaps you need strength because your faith is weak. Strong faith in God allows you to trust in Him. Jesus said that if we had faith as a mustard seed we could move a mountain (Matthew 17:20). Be like the apostles and ask the Lord to increase your faith. Luke 17:5 “And the apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith.’”
The Apostle Paul had some special revelations. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 “And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” The apostle came to realize that his strength and power came from the Lord.
My encouragement to you is to be strong. 1 Corinthians 16:13 “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.” But your strength should come from God. Come boldly to the throne of grace to find help. Hebrews 4:16 “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” I encourage you to have your strength be from the Lord. Ask for His help.