Week 39: Strong
Weekly Chapters:
Micah 1 - Zechariah 10
Passage of the Week:
Nahum 1:7
Adjective
1. Quality or state of being bodily solid
2. Mental power or fortitude
3. Moral power or courage
Thesaurus:
Clout
Courage
Energy
Fortitude
Power
Stability
Vigor
Vitality
Father God,
Help me understand your message today. Give me the spiritual strength to understand and put Your message to work in my life. I ask for strength daily to do Your will. You see me. You hear me.
Amen
Authentic vulnerability:
Am I strong?
Physically, somewhat.
Mentally, yes.
Spiritually, no.
Spiritual strength is an area where I need to build, tear down and build again. I know that I am weak as I fail under pressure; I succumb to my own devices and rely on my mental strength instead of turning to God and depending on His strength.
What is your Authentic Truth?
Study:
When I hear the word, strong, my mind goes to physical strength. People have said that I was strong, but that was likely due to mental strength and stubbornness. Where I am weak is spiritual strength. Routinely, I try to get through a situation with brute force and just physically pushing, pushing, pushing where I lack my spiritual strength and turning things over to God, looking at God’s word for answers, trusting in God’s power.
Nahum 1:7 tells us that “God is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes” (NLT), “a stronghold” (NKJV), and “he cares for those who take refuge in him” (CSB).
Habakkuk gave us an example of spiritual strength. The book of Habakkuk is his prayers, his waiting on and trusting in the Lord for answers—pure spiritual strength.
In Habakkuk 3, he prays that he is in awe of God and His deeds and mercy. Habakkuk references God’s splendor and power. His reverence of God is evident in his prayers as he paints a picture of God’s anger with the people through Habakkuk’s illustrations of changes in nature.
Habakkuk 3:4
Rays of light flash from His hands.
Habakkuk 3:9
You brandished Your bow and your quiver of arrows. You split open the earth with flowing rivers.
In Habakkuk 3:16-19, he refers to his fear that evil is on the verge, famine in the distance, yet he trusts in God and God’s strength (Verse 19) because Habakkuk trusts in the Lord and the Lord’s strength rather than his own.
How freeing that must feel: to turn everything over to God, to stress less, to smile more, all the time trusting that God has this under control. What a serene feeling.
This is where I want to be. Rather than relying on me or putting trust in others, I want to rely on God’s strength. I want to flex my spiritual muscle and rely on God.
But, how do we build muscle? By tearing down muscle fibers and building stronger bonds in their place. The same is true with our spiritual strength. We need to tear down what we think we know and build ourselves up by praying to God, reading His Word, and trusting in Him.
Let’s start today.
Father God,
Praise You for all that You do in my life and the times You have carried me. Praise You for the times when You have given me the leeway needed to learn my lessons. Father God, only through You and Your strength can I find peace.
Amen.
Homework:
Identify an area in your life that you need to turn over to God.
Pray about it, find scripture to see what God says, and turn it over to God.
Let Him hold you up.
