Even when we cannot see our strengths God’s grace is there to help us become stronger than we have ever been before.
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Sermon Notes: https://www.heartofgraceministries.com/blog/after-the-fact/strength-weakness/
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Strength
Strength out of Weakness
2 Corinthians 12:10
10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
Sometimes we find it hard to be strong in what we face because we cannot see the strength that we truly carry inside of us. God wants us all to know and understand that we are walking with more than just our own strength, more than just our own thoughts, and more than just what we see on earth.
- Gideon had a weakness in not believing in himself, but God saw a mighty man of valor
Judges 6:11-16
11 And there came an angel of the Lord, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.
12 And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.
13 And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt? but now the Lord hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.
14 And the Lord looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?
15 And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.
16 And the Lord said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.
- Moses had a weakness in not trusting the confidence of himself in following God’s command but God was stern in reminding Moses that
Exodus 4:8-12
8 And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign.
9 And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.
10 And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.
11 And the Lord said unto him, Who hath made man’s mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the Lord?
12 Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.
3) Elijah had a weakness in being afraid of the enemy and feeling alone in the battle that was ahead. Yet God revealed to him that there were others that were still standing. What an assurance to know we don’t stand alone.
1 Kings 19:13-18
13 And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?
14 And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
15 And the Lord said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria:
16 And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room.
17 And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay: and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay.
18 Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.
4) Even though Samson was lured into giving away the secret to his physical strength his biggest weakness was not realizing where his strength came from. Once he asked God for strength it gave him the ability to finally use it for God’s glory.
Judges 16:26-30
26 And Samson said unto the lad that held him by the hand, Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereupon the house standeth, that I may lean upon them.
27 Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and there were upon the roof about three thousand men and women, that beheld while Samson made sport.
28 And Samson called unto the Lord, and said, O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.
29 And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left.
30 And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.
Even when we cannot see our strengths God’s grace is there to help us become stronger than we have ever been before.
2 Corinthians 12:9
9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Don’t Let Go, The Work’s Not Done
Genesis 32 is the pivotal chapter so far as Jacob’s life is concerned. He is a vastly different man here from the person we have come to know in previous chapters. The preoccupation which obsesses Jacob is the necessity of facing his brother Esau, from whom he has deceptively obtained the birthright and the blessing of his father. While the results were consistent with the revealed will of God, the means employed were not pleasing to Him. The result was a “brother offended”.
When Jacob had left Canaan for Paddan-aram, his mother had told him that he would only need to be gone for “a few days” (27:44), and then, when Esau’s anger had cooled, she would send for him (27:45). Twenty years had passed and, so far as we are told, he had never heard from his mother. That must have led Jacob to conclude that Esau still harbored a grudge against him. Jacob thus had good reason to fear a confrontation with his brother.
Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me on this journey that I take, and will give me food to eat and garments to wear, and I return to my father’s house in safety, then the LORD will be my God. And this stone, which I have set up as a pillar, will be God’s house; and of all that Thou dost give me I will surely give a tenth to Thee” (Genesis 28:20-22).
To me, this was a bargain with God. In return for God’s presence, protection, and provision, Jacob would let God be his God. Of all that God gave to him in the form of wealth, Jacob would return ten percent. In effect, Jacob has made God his agent and offered Him the normal fee. What a far cry from what a man’s response to the living God should be!
All of Jacob’s deceitful practices which we have seen over the years of his life are the result of a fundamental misconception. Jacob felt that spiritual blessings were to be secured by carnal methods and means. Jacob rightly believed that God had promised to make him, not Esau, the heir of promise with the rights of the first-born. He valued this blessing while Esau despised it. What he did not yet know was that he did not have to connive and scheme in order to obtain the promised blessings of God. The encounter which Jacob will have with the Angel of Jehovah will correct this error and will instruct Jacob as to how and why spiritual blessings must be obtained through spiritual means.
Genesis 32:24-32
Supplant – to supersede (another) especially by force or treachery
Esau could neither provide nor prevent the blessing of God. It was not Esau that stood in the way of Jacob’s blessing in the land of Canaan. On the one hand, it was God Who opposed him. On the other, it was Jacob himself, who by means of his trickery and treachery, his cunning and deceit attempted to produce spiritual blessings through carnal means. The blessing of God must be obtained from God himself, and this must be done by clinging to Him in helpless dependence, not by trying to manipulate Him. That is the picture which is conveyed by this struggle in the night hours between Jacob and his God. A realization of this fact brought about a dramatic change in the character and conduct of Jacob, and thus his name was changed to reflect this transformation.
The Angel of the Lord asked his name, and he had to reply, “Jacob,” which meant “the supplanter.” This must have been as uncomfortable for Jacob as it was for childless Abraham to refer to himself by his name, which meant “father of a multitude.” No longer should Jacob be known as a supplanter, for now he was a man who prospered because of his faith in the purposes and power of his God, and so the name Israel was given him.
Genesis 32 emphatically instructed Jacob that the Christian life is a spiritual warfare. That is why we see so much emphasis upon angels. Angels met him when he entered the land. An Angel opposed him when he attempted to cross the Jabbok. The blessings which God promised Jacob were spiritual blessings, and spiritual blessings cannot be obtained through fleshly means. If Jacob’s life in Canaan were to receive God’s blessings, Jacob must learn to wage spiritual warfare. He must realize that his major obstacle is not his brother, but his God. Once God is with us, victory is certain. Since our God is a sovereign God, no one can resist His will—not Esau, not Pharaoh, not Assyria, Babylon nor Rome.
Ephesians 6:12
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
2 Corinthians 10:3-4
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
Hey, Can You Spot Me? Can Anyone Help Me? Is There Anyone There? Help!
I grew up my entire life always being enriched with wondrous virtues and instruction. Things like:
“Trust in the Lord and He will never fail you”
“You need to be saved in order to make Heaven your home”
“Ask Jesus to forgive you for your sins”
“Hold on through the storm and God will not leave you”
“When no one else will help encourage yourself”
I believed those words from all of those whom spoke these to me that they meant well and spoke it from a good place in their heart. In fact, I have even clung to the encouragement and listened to the instruction that I was told. However I cannot help but feel like that in the day I live in that something feels different than before. The many voices that I use to hear deliver such phrases are declining and I find myself looking inside my soul for strength now more than ever. It made me think, “Is this the way it’s supposed to be? Is it like riding a bike and once you’re off you no longer need that encouragement and kind push?”
At first I thought, “Yeah that’s got to be it. I’m just not praying and working hard enough or I would obviously see what I’ve been told my whole life”. And then after months and months of more decline (almost to silence) I then stood exhausted from all the effort and began to question myself in my feverish pursuit of keeping the bar that I had been told to hold my whole life up completely on my own. Thanks be to God somehow I came through what would have probably broke others down to loneliness and depression. When my pride wanted me to just write everyone off that had seemingly forsaken me the spirit of the Lord quickened me and began to teach me about something I had never realized before.
My revelation was simply this: we all need a spotter from time to time, but sometimes we are to be the spotter when others cannot carry their own load. It put me in the mind of this imagery:
Then I recalled this scripture:
Romans 15:1
1 We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
Powerful, right?! This helps me to realize that I am not to carry everything alone but I am not to always expect others to run to me either. Until we can learn to help each other as Christ instructed (love our neighbors as ourself) than we are trying to selfishly lift our own weights and demand the world to be our spot.
So what do you do when you cannot seem to carry your own weight? What do we do when no one steps up to help us in a time of weakness?
1) First of all, stop screaming for help from other people. Chances are if no one has come to your aid yet that God has not received your full trust and surrender. Have you confessed to God your shortcomings and the pains and hurts of your life that seem to keep you down. This heavy load we willingly carry needs to be the first thing we get rid of. Cleansing your soul is necessary. Repenting sincerely of things will help you to get up and feel lighter before you make the first effort towards anything.
2) Secondly, stop trying to lift a weight that you cannot carry without God’s help. We cannot continue to try to get to the mountain top without seeing that it takes thousands of steps before we hit the pinnacle. Daily prayer and thanksgiving opens the doorway of your heart to be humbled and at peace with things you cannot change. It also helps you to gain clarity on things that are making it harder for you than it should be.
3) Thirdly, make an effort that you feel like you can handle. Get to a church weekly, read some scripture everyday (you do not have to put yourself to sleep to have a meaningful bible study), pray for a few minutes a couple times a day, listen to some praise and worship at some point and allow meditation toward God, and keep a positive attitude even in the face of adversity. God would have you to walk simple steps of faith than to try and run with so many complexities.
4) Fourth, once you begin to establish your personal connection to God begin to challenge yourself. Step out of your comfort zone every now and then. Praise him a little more than normal. Pray a few minutes longer than normal. Help someone like you would help yourself. For as we challenge ourselves we find that this is where we begin to build strength and get stronger. And as you begin to step out by faith in these moments when you would be afraid God will help you and spot you initially with an overwhelming move of his presence and favor all about you.
5) Finally, once you realize that you can handle some things then begin to look for situations and individuals that you know you can lend a hand too. The bible talks of it being far better to give than receive. I have found that I gain just as much strength helping someone else learn to lift and carry the burdens of life than I do always just yelling for help and never trying.
Remember: we can lift a stronger amount of weight together than if we tried to do it separately on our own. Help others that you know that you can and remember that as you help them it will build you up to be stronger. And as we lead by example I hope and pray that this decline in encouragement begins to cease and that we return to the sincere compassion of Christ.
The Power Of Encouragement
Romans 12:3-8
3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:
5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;
8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.
– Encouragement is necessary to our walk of faith.
– Without encouragement a will with purpose fades unto a state of unrest and unsatisfaction
Hebrews 3:13
13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
– Without encouragement, life would soon feel pointless and burdensome. Without encouragement, we can be overwhelmed by the very real pains of our lives. Without encouragement, we feel unloved. Without encouragement, we begin to think that God is a liar or is unconcerned with our welfare. So, the Bible tells us to encourage one another, to remind each other of the truth that God loves us, that God equips us, that we are treasured, that our struggles are worth it.
– Encouragement makes it easier to live in a fallen world in a holy way.
– Encouragement makes it easier to love as Jesus loved (see John 13:34-35).
John 13:34-35
34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
– Encouragement gives hope (Romans 15:4).
For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
– Encouragement helps us through times of discipline and testing (Hebrews 12:5).
Hebrews 12:5
5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
– Encouragement nurtures patience and kindness (see 1 Corinthians 13:4-7)
4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
– Encouragement makes it easier to sacrifice our own desires for the advancement of God’s kingdom. In short, encouragement makes it easier to live the Christian life.
Proverbs 16:24 says, “Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”
– God’s Word is full of encouragement. Pleasant words, indeed.
– And even though at times the words of others may fail us we can have hope in the fact that when our strength is little in tribulation that Jesus steps in for us to God by our faith
John 16:33
33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
Creating A Miracle Atmosphere
A miracle is defined as a surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divine agency.
I am slowly learning the purpose of miracles in my life.
Miracles are not to brag or boast about, they are to humble you by the fact that without God we cannot do anything.
Miracles are not for us to forget but for us to remember that there is a God that loves us.
While miracles surprise us naturally on earth they are commonplace in the supernatural.
Miracles do not happen for history to continue and repeat itself. Miracles come for us to learn and to be thankful for our newfound knowledge that we would have otherwise have lacked without God.
The base components of a miracle are:
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a welcoming environment for the godhead (god, spirit, son)
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a recognizing of needs beyond our control
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unwaivering faith not crumbled by doubt and temptation
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compassion for others and a willingness to help
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full and entire obedience to the full call of God
1) This miracle of sight to the blind shows that if we will not over complicate our approach to God and bring a humble faith that things can begin to be opened!
We must learn to open our hearts and welcome God in the midst of our lives
Matthew 9:27-31
27 And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou son of David, have mercy on us.
28 And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.
29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.
30 And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it.
31 But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that country.
2) The virtue going out from Christ shows that through our advocate of Christ that our faith is enough to cause miracles to come to pass, only but be faithful!
Luke 8:43-48
43 And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any,
44 Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched.
45 And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?
46 And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me.
47 And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately.
48 And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.
3) Though it was a spirit of infirmity, an evil spirit, that she was under the power of, Christ has a power superior to that of Satan, is stronger than he.
Luke 13:10-17
10 And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath.
11 And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself.
12 And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.
13 And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.
14 And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day.
15 The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his donkey from the stall, and lead him away to watering?
16 And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?
17 And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.
4) This miracle of faith shows that it is far more easier to exercise compassion and faith towards God than to act as though we are going to ever help people by judgments and forms of reason
Mark 2:1-12
2 And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house.
2 And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them.
3 And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four.
4 And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.
5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
6 But there was certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,
7 Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?
8 And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?
9 Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?
10 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)
11 I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.
12 And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.
5) Jesus’s demonstrated lack of fear and hesitancy toward the leper showed that God wants to reach out to others to whom the world would call “untouchable” by our full and entire obedience
Luke 5:12-16
12 And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
13 And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him.
14 And he charged him to tell no man: but go, and shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.
15 But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities.
The Purpose of a Trial
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1 Peter 4:12-14
[12] Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
[13] But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
[14] If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.
A Christian’s life begins with a spiritual birth (John 3:3-5)
[3] Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
[4] Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?
[5] Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
- God’s plan is birth, growth and maturity
- God uses the bible, the church and other believers to bring growth
- God uses trials bring us into maturity (spiritual perfection)
So why do we as Christians have trials? (v. 12)
“Think it not strange”
- Christians have trials because we live in a sinful world
- We live in a world of turmoil and natural disasters
- We live in a world of crime, sickness and death
- We are a part of a straying generation (Romans 3:10-18)
[10] As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
[11] There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
[12] They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
[13] Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:
[14] Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:
[15] Their feet are swift to shed blood:
[16] Destruction and misery are in their ways:
[17] And the way of peace have they not known:
[18] There is no fear of God before their eyes.
Christians have trials because of the power of Satan
- Satan is our adversary
- Consider his attack on Job
- He is as a roaring lion (1 Peter 5:8)
[8] Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
Christians are on a collision course with the world
- Jesus warned us of this conflict (John 15:18-20)
[18] If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
[19] If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
[20] Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
- Many have suffered and died for Christ (Hebrews 11:36-40)
[36] And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:
[37] They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;
[38] (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
[39] And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
[40] God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
What makes our trials different? Why would they be worth making it through? (v. 13)
- We do not suffer alone (Hebrews 13:5-6)
[5] Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
[6] So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
- We become partakers of Christ’s sufferings (v. 13)
- We can even find joy in jeopardy (Acts 16:25-32)
[25] And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.
[26] And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.
[27] And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.
[28] But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.
[29] Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,
[30] And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
[31] And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
[32] And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.
- There is a design in our difficulties (Romans 8:28-29)
[28] And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
[29] For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
- And after it is all said and done our trials will come to glory (Romans 8:17-18)
[17] And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
[18] For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
God Knows The Breaking Point
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Deuteronomy 33:24-29
[24] And of Asher he said, Let Asher be blessed with children; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil.
[25] Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.
[26] There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky.
[27] The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.
[28] Israel then shall dwell in safety alone: the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine; also his heavens shall drop down dew.
[29] Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places.
The Children of Israel through the leadership of God and obedience of Moses were delivered by blood through the Passover and were led safely through the Red Sea. Now we find the last words of Moses to his people, giving Asher assurance for all of his days.
God knows all of our days. We will have difficult days ahead with toils, trials, temptations and tears. God knows the future from the foundation of the world. God knows the limits of our strength, for God must know this so we can be equipped each day. God knows our breaking point. He knows the day s when we feel at the end of ourselves. Best of all, God cares!
You see, God compensates for our weakness with His strength. He shall strengthen our hearts and renew our strength. His strength (grace) will be sufficient for all of the things we face.
Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late
I love life when life is good: my friends and loved ones are well, there are no general problems standing out, there is food on my table, the bills are paid, etc. I found it strange when I was praying today that God would reveal to me this interesting thought.
We have to remember to utilize the strength and willpower that we have through obedience during the good times so God can be glorified. I don’t want God to only be my “bailout plan”, to be the one I only call out on in sheer desperation. We can all honestly say at one point in time in our life that we found it easier to lose our focus on God when life was easier to live because the burdens did not carry a significant weight, right?
Let’s remember to move and praise God when it counts, in the GOOD times as well as the times when we are in trouble. If we are always spiritually in check by being humble in both times of our life, we have strength to be able to handle things when they come unexpectedly or out of the middle of nowhere.
So to paraphrase, obey God, and don’t wait until it’s too late!
The 7 Everlastings Of Isaiah
I was in a place in my life where I was looking for strength from the word of God. And as usual, I began to dig in and find everything that I needed. I thought I that I would share these cool pieces and tidbits with you. These references in Isaiah to the everlastings show the love that God had for us!
1. Isaiah 26:4 – Strength
[4] Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:
2. Isaiah 33:14 – Burnings
[14] The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?
3. Isaiah 35:10 – Joy
[10] And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
4. Isaiah 45:17 – Salvation
[17] But Israel shall be saved in the LORD with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end.
5. Isaiah 54:8 – Kindness
[8] In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer.
6. Isaiah 55:3 – Covenant
[3] Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.
7. Isaiah 60:19 – Light
[19] The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory.