Posts from — May 2011

“‘Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.’” –Joshua 1:9 (NIV)

I remember the first time that I had to leave home and be away from my parents. As part of an elementary school trip I would be away for one whole week at an outdoor camp. Though I was looking forward to the exciting adventures that were to be had, I was also nervous and afraid. A child’s imagination often runs wild and knowing that I would be spending the week in a heavily forested area, there was the fear of the dangers that could be lurking in the woods. But before I left my father recited this verse to me and it brought me so much comfort and joy. Knowing that the all-powerful God who created the Heavens and the Earth was going to be by my side was a huge confidence boost. Even to this day when I feel that I am stepping into the unknown, this verse comes back to me reminding me that God is with me wherever I go.

Situations will come along our path that make us quake in fear. Uncertainty grips our minds and our hearts sink with despair. We wonder how we will ever pull through these situations in one piece. In desperation we cry out for strength and the wisdom to navigate through the storms which we find ourselves sailing into. However, there is hope! No other navigator will suffice expect for Christ Himself. When we have allowed Him to enter our hearts, He will strengthen us in our hour of need. By staying in tune with His Spirit He will guide our steps towards the fulfilment of His perfect plan for our lives. With Him as our Captain, we will have nothing to fear resting in the assurance found in Romans 8:31 that “If God is for us, who can be against us?”. We will be able to stand fearless before our situations and circumstances knowing that it is God who gives us victory and who in His omnipotence will work all things together for good.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,” –Ephesians 6:14 (NIV)

Have you ever worn a suit of armour? It is certainly not something that everyone can wear and be comfortable in. Most mediaeval examples of amour were made of metal and were designed in different styles depending on the needs of the battlefield. But while a metallic suit of armour offered ample protection against the attacks of an assailant, it required a certain level strength to actually bear its weight and fight effectively. Place someone in a suit of armour not tailored to his strength and frame and one will see him moving ponderously around and stumbling about under the weight he must carry. To wear a suit of armour one needs not merely natural strength, but a strength which is built up and constantly maintained through intense training.

As children of Christ we are called to stand for righteousness and truth. But too often this mantle which we are called to bear is beyond our strength. The armour is too heavy for us to carry by ourselves and we stumble in it. The reason for our struggle is that we are relying on our own strength. If we try to stand for truth and live up to God’s righteous standards on our own efforts, we are prone to fall short for we are weak and all too prone to submit ourselves to sin and defeat. We can only wear the armour of God when we have a strength that comes from not within ourselves, but from Christ Himself. When we have allowed Him to enter our hearts He will empower us by His Spirit to live lives of purity and integrity.  Walking in step in His Spirit we will find that when we have put on the belt of truth and wear the breastplate of righteousness, it will not be heavy for Christ is the one who gives us the strength to boldly proclaim His truth and be, as He says in Matthew 5:13-16, “…the salt of the earth…the light of the world.”

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

“The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.” –Psalm 29:11 (NIV)

Sickness has a way of weakening us in more ways than one. Not only do we become physically drained, but we become mentally exhausted as well. With our energy sapped away from us and feeling unnaturally tried we are limited in what we can and cannot do. However, this causes us much grief and anxiety.  Remembering our prior strength and vigour we lament that we have been reduced to such a helpless state. For this reason we seek medicine; to restore what has been lost. What sweet relief it is when we have found the right medicines to cure us of our aliments! As its soothing effects affect every area of our bodies we feel our vitality being replenished; giving us the energy and strength to carry on with what needs to be done.

All of us have our afflictions and illnesses. Some may be of a physical nature, but many are emotional and spiritual. Regardless of the nature of our suffering, it torments us and drags us into misery. Under them we feel bound to weakness and we long to find healing and restoration. To this end we look for all sorts of medicines to cure our aching souls. But such medicines, as they are found in the world, fail to bring that total healing we long for. Disappointed and frustrated we ask if there is any way for us to regain the strength we once had. The wonderful assurance is that there is a cure which will never fail! Isaiah 53:5 speaks of Christ and that by “…his stripes we are healed”. When we have allowed Christ to enter our hearts, He will seek to restore us in all areas of our lives. With His Spirit residing within us He will renew our strength and bring life back into our souls. Through Christ we will see, just as how medicine gradually brings relief, how He will strengthen and heal us as He proves to us His faithfulness and goodness.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

“Your words have supported those who stumbled; you have strengthened faltering knees.” –Job 4:4 (NIV)

Winston Churchill remains one of Britain’s most renowned statesmen. Serving as the British prime minister during the tumultuous years of the Second World War, he was well known for his strong leadership as well as his oratory skills. One of his most inspiring speeches was delivered on June 4^th, 1940 before the House of Commons. As the British Isles were under threat of being invaded by Nazi Germany, Churchill warned the aggressors that, “…we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender…”. With a leader who could give such impassioned exhortations that boosted morale, it is no wonder that Britain resisted with the tenacity that it did; eventually causing an impatient Hitler to call off his offensive against Britain and focus his attention elsewhere.

Life can often feel like a battle that we have been unwillingly thrust into. The pressures of the situations and temptations that constantly assail us often feel unbearable to endure. In the face of their relentless attacks we feel ourselves growing weak; inching one step closer to utter defeat with every assault. Though we try to handle these pressures on our own, we stumble and our strength falters. We wonder if there is any way to renew our strength and to give us that boost to not just simply carry on, but to carry us through into victory. The wonderful truth is that there is! When we have allowed Christ to enter our hearts He will strengthen us by His Spirit. Through His Word He will speak life into us, thereby strengthening our faith in Him as we take refuge and hope in His promises found in Scripture. When we take inspiration from the Word of God, He will empower us to face our struggles knowing that in Christ, who did not falter at the Cross secure in the knowledge that by His resurrection victory is assured, we too are assured to emerge triumphant.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

“But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.” 1 Timothy 6:11 (NIV)

It is interesting that Paul would tell Timothy to flee from wickedness instead of fighting it head on. Perhaps the best way to fight sin in our lives is to run away from it. Too often we have the notion that we must suppress sin in our lives with our own hands and efforts. But such an attempt is like us trying to stop a speeding train by standing in front of it. Conquering sin is too great a task to accomplish by our own strength or willpower. That is why all that is required of us is to simply run from temptation. However, what often happens is that when temptation comes our way, we act like deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car; unable to move in time and thereby allowing sin to destroy us.

In the face of sin, our legs prove to be weak in running away from it. But there is hope in that our legs can be strengthened only by Christ’s work in our lives. When we have allowed Him to enter our hearts and seek to follow after Him, He will give power in our legs to flee from sin the moment it rears its head. If our eyes are focused on our sin and on us trying to overcome it, we will only find ourselves being pulled further and deeper into it. But if our eyes are fixated on Christ, we will find ourselves being drawn closer to Him as His Spirit works within us and perfects His righteousness within our hearts. With Him guiding our minds and our steps, we will know that to be in His presence is the safest defense against sin. Elevating our minds to the things of above, we will develop such a revolt for sin that we will want to flee from it; acknowledging that we can only do so by God’s strength alone.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” –Psalm 27:14 (NIV)

Waiting can often be unbearable. When something does not work out as planned or things do not get done when and how we want them to, it is easy to become frustrated. Part of our frustration is that when we are forced to be patient, it seems as if we have lost control of our affairs. Instead of us dictating what needs to be done and when, it seems that we are at the mercy of our circumstances. This loss of power over our lives makes us feel weak and plunges us into despair. We lose hope and feel as if we will forever be slaves to our situations, bending to their every whim, and feeling insecure when we compare ourselves with others who seem to have it all together.

In Christ however we are made secure. We fail to see that those moments of waiting are opportunities to develop our strength in Him. When we have allowed Christ to enter our hearts and seek to live according to His Spirit, we will quickly come to understand that His schedule is better than ours. Though with our fallible eyes we cannot see it, He has a wonderful plan in store for us and He will not rest until He has seen it fulfilled in our lives. He is able to use our circumstances and turn them around in order to display His power over our situations and His faithfulness to us.  However, He will do this not according to our timing, but by His flawless wisdom. When we choose to grasp his hand and patiently wait upon Him, He will strengthen us by His promises that everything is under His control. By constantly submitting ourselves to Him and trusting in His wisdom, we will see how good He truly is. Our faith will be strengthened in those moments of waiting and we will remain firm and confident before all that we face knowing that in Christ we have the final victory.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

“That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” -2 Corinthians 12:10 (NIV)

Why is it so painful to feel weak? Our pride does not want to admit to or show any signs of weakness. The reason for this is that our pride wants to convince others that we are great and deserving of admiration and respect. But when situations break the illusion that our pride has created of ourselves and our abilities, we feel useless and helpless. It does not help that our culture has in general subconsciously adopted the attitude of survival of the fittest, where the strong survive and the weak are cast aside. When we find ourselves in that position of weakness it is easy to fall into despair; asking if there is any way to regain our shattered worth and dignity.

The wonderful promise is Christ is able to make us strong through our weaknesses. He is in the business of restoration and He wants to bring us life through Him so that we may thrive. Nothing is impossible for God and He is able to use our sorrows and failures to make us strong and display His faithfulness and love. When we have allowed Christ to enter our hearts and seek to be empowered by His Spirit residing within us, He will give us strength to face and overcome the struggles we face. In Him we have an intrinsic worth knowing that He has created us in His image and are adopted into His family when we choose to be renewed by Him.  Thus as His precious children we can rest in the fact that He will always come alongside us and lift us up despite our hardships when we call upon Him. Knowing that the loving hand of God is always there to support us, we will have a strength that will remain firm in the midst of adversity and pain. We can take hope in the assurance that while we may stumble and feel weak, Christ will always pick us up and use our sufferings to fulfil His perfect plan for our lives.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.