THINK VICTORY! THE LORD IS MY STRENGTH

THE LORD IS MY STRENGTH
"Summon your power, O God; show us YOUR strength." Psalm 68:28

Did you ever find yourself so overwhelmed with life that you want to just crawl back into bed and pull up the covers? I am still trying to learn the lesson that I can't do ANYTHING in my own strength - but with His strength - wow! This is what I read about HIS strength this morning from STREAMS IN THE DESERT (Zondervan):

"The Lord imparts to me the underlying strength of character that gives me the necessary energy and decision-making ability to live my life. He strengthens me 'with power through his Spirit in my inner being.' (Ephesians 3:16) And the strength He gives is continuous, for HE is a source of power I cannot exhaust.

1. "Your strength will equal your days" (Deut. 33:25) - my strength of will, affection, judgment, ideals, and achievements will last a lifetime.

2. " The LORD is MY strength" (Exodus 15:2) to GO ON. He gives me the power to walk the long, straight, and level path, even when the monotonous way has no turns or curves offering pleasant surprises and when my spirit is depressed with the terrible drudgery.

3. "The Lord is my strength" to GO UP. He is my power to climb the straight and narrow path up the Hill of Difficulty, as Christian did in Pilgrim's Progress, and not be afraid.

4. "The Lord is my strength" to GO DOWN. It is often once I leave the invigorating heights, where the wind and the sunlight have surrounded me, and begin to descend to the more confining, humid, and stifling heat of the valley below that my heart grows faint. In fact, I recently heard someone say, referring to his own increasing physical frailty, 'It is coming down that tires me most!'

5. "The Lord is my strength" to SIT STILL. And what a difficult accomplishment this is! I often say to others during those times when I am compelled to be still, "If only I could do something!" I feel like the parent by his sick child but is powerless to heal. What a severe test! Yet to do NOTHING except to sit still and wait requires tremendous strength. The LORD is my strength! Our competence comes from God. - 2 Corinthians 3:5

So what about you, today? Whatever it is you are facing, my friend - HE IS YOUR STRENGTH - whether it is to GO ON, GO UP, GO DOWN or to SIT STILL - Be encouraged - HE IS YOUR STRENGTH. You will be like Nehemiah that can say even in the midst of the struggles of life - "THE JOY OF THE LORD IS MY STRENGTH!"

Great Quote: A man broken by God, is an obedient man. Further, he is a vulnerable man, vulnerable to feeling the hurts, pains and grief's of the people he must serve. God breaks a person, not to let goodness OUT, but to let goodness IN. Something enters him that flavors his whole being, tenderizes his heart, and makes him able to empathize with others." - Glynn Evans