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Eternity 27 - The Spirit Strengthens Us
(Ephesians 3:16 NKJV) that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,
(Philippians 4:13 NKJV) I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
(Colossians 1:11 NKJV)
that you may be... strengthened with all might, according to His glorious
power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy;
(Hebrews 12:12 NKJV) Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down,
and the feeble knees,
(1 Peter 5:10 NKJV) But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.
Look at the above five verses - what do they tell you? God
wants strong Christians! God is interested in making you a strong,
effective, courageous, bold and faith-filled Christian. God wants to cure
your weakness, timidity feebleness and fearfulness. God wants gutsy Christians
who can take on persecution, stand up for Jesus and win the crown of life!
Jesus is kind to the weak and the broken but He heals them and strengthen
them and the lame - are strengthened and leap for joy! Is your Christian life
a bit "weak and lame" - does it need a booster? Then the Holy Spirit
is the answer. Paul prayed "that you may be strengthened by the Spirit
in the inner man" (Ephesians 3;16). That is your strength comes a)from
God and b) comes from the inside out - from the inner man to the outer man.
How do you get strengthened in the inner man? Start by praying for
it as Paul does for the Church and the apostles did in Acts! In Acts
4 the church was threatened with persecution and Peter and John were beaten
after healing the lame man. So the church prayed for strength and boldness
and miracles - and this is what happened:
(Acts 4:31 NKJV) And when they had prayed, the place
where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with
the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.
Later on in chapter 5 the prayer is answered with abundant and extraordinary
miracles! (Acts 4:24-37, 5:12-17). Strength and power and boldness and miracles
came through believing prayer.
Secondly live out your prayer - act strong, live strong,
stand strong, walk strong. Gradually put aside weak and insipid and cowardly
ways. Decide that each day you will "stand up for Jesus", decide
that you will do one courageous thing a week. Make moral and spiritual boldness
your aim and pray for the strength to be a good leader, a strong husband,
an honest businessman, a pure teenager, a gracious wife, or a principled student.
Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with boldness and the power
to live the Jesus way: (2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV) For God
has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound
mind.
Blessings,
John Edmiston
Visit the Asian Internet Bible Institute
