Question: From Where Does Your Strength Come?

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; therefore, my heart exults, And with my song I shall thank Him” (Psa. 28:7).  “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might” (Eph. 6:10).

Hey Gang: One does not have to watch very long to see the world does not measure strength by our relationship with our Abba Father.  As a matter of fact, life has taught me that Satan not like strength of any type, especially as described in the above Scriptures.

I was watching the “Strongest Man Competition” and was utterly amazed with the power these men had in their bodies.   One of the tasks, that had to be completed, was to place a harness on the contestant and a long rope that they attached to a semi-trailer truck.  The object- he had to pull the semi up a very slight grade to the finish line, a hundred or so yards away. Now, I readily admit that it would take every iota of my strength just to pull the rope to the finish line.

In an interview, after the strongest man was crowned, the winner gave a short litany of the physical problems that he had to overcome in order just to be included in the competition. It reminded me of Paul’s description in Corinthians of what he called slight afflictions that he endured as an apostle of Jesus. The next time you believe life has entered the bummer stage, take a minute or two and read what Paul meant by slight afflictions in 2 Corinthians 11:23-29.  And, while at it, pay special attention to his wrap-up of this dissertation on pain and agony: “If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness” (vs. 30).

 Did you know the world is filled with God’s object lessons? I have just completed cutting, splitting and stacking my wood needs for the coming winter.  It brought back memories of yesteryear when I helped a friend prepare his wood needs for the coming fuzzy white stuff season.  He had several types of wood, some split easy and some more difficult. 

But he also had some elm in the pile and I noticed that, if I tried to go at the strength of the piece of elm, the eight horse splitter did not have the power to penetrate and split the log but, if I moved it to an inch or so from the edge, it would, with a great deal of grunting, split the log.  It also weakened the log enough that I could then attack the inner parts of the log and complete the splitting job.

Throughout the day, each time I ran into a piece of that tough elm tree God reminded me of Paul’s words in Ephesian 6:10-13:  “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.  Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.  Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.”

Notice in verse eighteen of that chapter Paul gives us the prerequisites of success in our battles with the evil one:  First, “Pray at all times in the Spirit”; second, “Be alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints”. 

Ern Baxter, who was known as the ‘preachers – preacher’ once commented that as long as we keep the armor of God in place, the Devil cannot tell us from Jesus.  I certainly believe in that analogy.   When I am locked into God’s power supply, I find my days are filled with a peace and joy that surpasses human understanding but when I go my own way and allow Satan to control my day, it is dumpster time.

So, my young friends and family, take a minute and make sure you have your armor in place before you drive out your driveway into the mission field;  the evil one is no one to fool with in our own power and strength.

Blessings,

Gramps