Be strong

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Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.

1 Corinthians 16:13 NIV

Spiritual strength is that which enables us to act on the intentions and desires of our hearts. Whereas courage is the confidence and assurance that drives us, strength is the empowerment that allows us to move.

All Christians have it, to a certain degree. It is measurable in that you can always tell whether you have it, or you lack it. While it is not an exactly quantifiable substance, you can usually tell for your own self your capacity to endure difficult situations, or to carry heavy burdens.

And while the verse seems to be a direct command that implies that we can go ahead and invoke it to come out of us somehow, that’s not it at all. As with everything else, it comes from God.

The LORD gives strength to his people

Psalms 29:11a NIV

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Psalms 73:26 NIV

Strength of any kind, and in any part of us, comes from God. It is a gift that He can give (and take away) according to His will.

And as with anything else, we should be good stewards of the strength and power that He provides. Don’t abuse it (i.e. God gave me strength and so I don’t have to exercise good judgement over the things I eat), don’t overuse it (i.e. God made me strong, and so I should lead with an iron fist), and and use it wisely for His purpose.

How to be strong

1. Think holistically

Do not forget to strengthen other aspects of your life. Also pray for physical, mental, and social/relational strength. All of these are needed to live the full, purpose-driven life that God has prepared and has always desired for us. Weak bodies cannot sustain your ministry, whether it be a for work or for church. Feeble minds can be easily tempted, easily swayed, easily stumbled. Strained relationships can always be on the verge of breaking if they are not fortified.

Be strong in all these aspects and you will bring up your heart endurance, and will grow more in your faith.

2. Train daily

It bears repeating – do your daily devotions, worship continuously, pray consistently. Just like physical strength training for the body, it is something that builds up the more you do it every day. Strong bones heal faster, and bears more weight, takes more strain. Unused muscles atrophy. It is the same as with our spiritual strength. If we don’t train consistently, if we let ourselves be lazy and skip the work needed to improve as necessary, then we will not develop and grow. Our foundation weakens, and decay is sure to follow.

3. Be patient

We want a strength that lasts, that is sustainable; a strength that is acquired through good discipline, with patience and time taken to train in the right way. Strength is not acquired overnight; at least not the one that counts. While we do not discount the reality of “suddenly” and the possibility of “spring forth“, we also do not want to rely on fantastical notions all the time. God grants requests and answers prayers; He can make miracles happen with just a thought. But at the same time, His will is absolute, and His wisdom is unknowable. The onus is on us to wait on Him and rely on His good timing.

And as we wait, we endure, joyfully. Not stopping in our obedience to follow His commands.

Through it all, being strong with the strength of the Lord.

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