In Christ - I am strong in the Lord

I am strong in the Lord...

Psalms 18:1,2  I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 

Psalms 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation--whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life--of whom shall I be afraid? 

Ephesians 6:10  Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. 

Isaiah 40:29-31 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.  Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;  but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. 

Joni and Friends Daily Devotional
November 17, 2010

"They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." 

-Isaiah 40:31

Birds overcome the lower law of gravity by the higher law of flight. And what is true for birds is true for the soul. Souls that soar on wings like eagles overcome the lower law of sin and death. Hannah Whitall Smith writes, "The 'law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus' must necessarily be a higher and more dominant law than the law of sin and death; therefore, the soul that has mounted into this upper region of the life in Christ cannot fail to conquer and triumph." *^[1]

Why is it then that so many Christians fail to conquer? Perhaps it's because we fail to mount up and soar with wings and choose instead to live on the same low level as our trials. Little wonder we blunder when the battleground we choose is on an earthly plane. Christians are powerless there; that is, unless they shift to a higher battleground and choose weapons of warfare that are spiritual.

What we need is perspective. We need to see what birds see. When, like eagles, we soar on wings, trials look extraordinarily different. When viewed from their own level, trials look like impassable walls, but when viewed from above, the wall appears as a thin line, something easily overcome.

You have wings. You don't need stronger, better ones. You don't need more wings, or larger ones. You possess all that you need to gain a heavenly perspective on your trials and thereby overcome. A passive or inactive trust in the Lord won't do. To use your wings is to actively trust in God.

Lord, I don't want to trust You in theory or in word only. I want my trust in You to be as active and as strenuous as "mounting up with wings." As I do, thank You for the higher, heavenly perspective You give me over my trials.

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^[1]* Smith, Hannah Whitall, The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life, Fleming H. Revell Company, Old Tappan, New Jersey, 1976, p.169.

When you’ve done all you can do – and then some – and still don’t feel victorious – remember that God never asked you to do anything for Him in YOUR strength!  Learning to rely on HIS strength in trials and in times of weakness means giving up believing that we can do anything without Him.  We are strong “IN THE LORD” – not strong in ourselves – but in HIM.  That’s a message I need to be reminded of often – I push myself for too long and get worn out – but when I rest in Jesus and allow Him to control my calendar, I have all the strength I need to do what He’s called me to do!  Sharon