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The Lord is My Strength

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The Lord is My Strength

Psa 27:1  A Psalm of David. 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? 

This is very good news! It means I am literally surrounded by strength. I may not be able to see it but I know strength is everywhere because God is everywhere. 

I never have to quit. When things get difficult I can reach out and take the strength I need. It has been purchased for me and is there for the taking. In fact, I can reach out every day, multiple times per day, and take as much as I want. There is no shortage of strength. God does not say,"now be careful, I don't want you getting too strong." No, He says, "I am the strength of your life."

I am surrounded by an abundant supply of strength. Think about it. There is not a place on Earth where God's supply of strength is not available to me. There is not a hole so deep, a night so dark, an experience so bitter, that this strength is no longer available.

If strength existed apart from God then that would be very bad news. Who then would be the owner of strength?  What would I have to do to get strength? Would it be freely given or would there be a price? What assurance would I have that this strength would be sufficient to meet my needs? Would my weaknesses be exploited? Would the supply be limited or is there a never ending supply? No, thank God that strength does not exist apart from Him, that He freely gives to all who come to Him and that there is a never ending supply.

You may say strength has nothing to do with God at all but is simply a question of ones personal character, of their personal commitment to principle. You say there are many strong men and women who have no faith at all and yet are people of strength.

But you must remember, the strength God gives is the strength that enables you to do, and to be, the person God has called you to be. There is a natural human strength but is hopelessly compromised because it is self-focused and cannot enable you to be the person God has called you to be. The focus of Human strength is purely subjective, a product of your personal world-view, of your own  ambitions. A person that relies on there own strength does not see life from a biblical worldview. God says we cannot serve Him in our own strength. It is not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord. Also, David says, "except the Lord build the house the workman labors in vain", and again, "except the Lord keep the city the watchman wakes but in vain." Human strength will not, and cannot, enable one to serve God in a good and wholesome way. Human strength is 100% effective in allowing one to live in chronic spiritual defeat.  

The power of human nature is defeated only by the Cross of Christ which is the power of God to Salvation. God's way of making us strong is the creation of a New Man. We are given a new identity which is found in only in Christ and the Cross is God's only way of giving a new identity. If you live in your old identity, with your old strength, then you have no power at all over sin and fleshly lusts which rule Human Nature. Real change is inward and is the result of being joined to Christ. In Him we have a new nature which is the source of our strength. Natural human strength is profitable only if the priority of one's life is outward. But, if you want real change, if you want victory over evil, if you want to know and walk with Jesus Christ, then you will need New Strength that is found only in the resurrected Christ. 

God has called every believer to put on the New. The Scriptures tell me to throw away the Old and put on the New. Like an old worn out garment we are to throw away every old lie, every old belief system that caused us to live our own life. We put on the New by capturing every thought and making them obedient to the truth of Jesus Christ. This means I make the Person of Christ, and His redemptive victories, my Worldview. The Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Christ become the truths by which I live. I conform my mind to the Word of God. The Gospel is where I find strength and is how I am to see life. The Person of Christ, and my Union with Him in His death, burial, and resurrection is my strength and the foundational truth of who I am.

Jesus Christ is the Word of God and is the first cause of Truth and the first cause of Strength. He is Truth. Truth is not apart from Him but in Him, and He came that we might know the Truth. He is He is my Creator, my Salvation, and His Word communicates His life and strength to me.

My strength is found in what He says. He tells me that prior to Creation I was chosen for Salvation. He says I have been elected to Salvation and that my Election predestines my ultimate conformity to Christ, and that all of life is working to perfect that which He has begun in me. He assures me that no weapon formed against me shall prosper. I am to see myself in the context of His graceful work in me and for me. He tells me I am a New Creation, that I have been given a New Spirit, a New Heart, and that I am created in Righteousness and True Holiness. Also, it is my Union with the Resurrected Christ that bring these realities to my life. I am in Christ and He is in me. He says, in living your New Life, in putting on your New Identity, I will be your strength.

With God, strength is not in short supply, it is found in the Resurrected Christ. Jesus rose from the dead and we are joined to Him. We share in His Resurrection power. The Lord freely gives strength to all who put their faith in Him, and all who will believe what He says. Do you need strength. The answer is yes, we all need strength. Why not reach out and take a handful. Why not, like the widow of Zarephath, give to God first, then He will fill your vessels with a never ending supply. Why not bring your truck and get a truckload. It's there for the taking. There is no charge. Take all you need, take all you can get. It's piled up, there is no shortage, God Himself has piled it up for you. All you have to do believe and act on what He says. That's all you have to do.

God bless you,

Jim

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Thank you,

Jim