But the salvation of
the righteous is from the LORD; He is their strength in the time of trouble.
Psalms 37:39
This week we are focusing on a new
year and some tips for making it a fruitful year and a year of spiritual growth. A year of renewal in God is so desperately
needed. Yesterday we talked about the Renewal
of our Minds. Today we will explore the Renewal
of our Strength, and the Renewal of our Steadfastness.
God gives us the option of living
life in our own strength, which results in fainting, weariness and falling. Or, we can choose the option of waiting on His
strength to renew our strength. This
choice will enable us to soar in life, as we were intended to, and to run and
keep on running without fainting. In our strength we are unable; in God's
strength we are able.
Our strength is renewed when we
lose our desire to trust in man, and let God. If we have fallen in the midst of
hard times in the past year, perhaps it is because we tried to stand in our own
strength. But also, perhaps God was trying to say to us,
"My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in
weakness."
Let this year be the year we renew
our strength, and to view God as the Psalmist did in Psalms
37:39 But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; He is their strength
in the time of trouble.
Renewing Our Steadfastness
A small boy was standing by a
horse tied to a post. A stranger asked
him, "Can that horse run fast?" "I don't know," said the
boy, "but he can stand fast."
David's desire was to be as this
horse; to be steadfast or faithful to God and His ways. A great sin that plagues the Church today is
unfaithfulness to God and a non-committed attitude towards His Church, whom His
Son died for.
Steadfastness is faithfulness. It is the quality of reliability or
trustworthiness which makes a person one on whom we can utterly rely and whose
word will stand. Be assured, you can rely
upon God, but can God rely on you?
The renewing of our steadfastness
spirit comes when you and I . . .
·
Lay down every weight and sin that causes us to
stumble.
·
Run with endurance . . . not in our own strength.
·
Look to Jesus ... and keep on looking to Jesus.
Let this year be the year we
become more faithful, to be steadfast to God, His Church, and His Word.
For many this New Year will be a
year of believing and following the trends of the flesh hoping to make it a
year of relying on economics and trusting in themselves. However, we have the opportunity and ability,
through Christ, to make this year a year of renewal of our minds, strength and
steadfastness.
Scripture to Claim:
Therefore, my
beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the
Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. 1 Corinthians 15:58
