How Can I Find Strength To Carry On?

What can you do when you feel too tired of the struggle to go on?  What can you do when you can't find strength for another day?

When you can't find strength, consider the words of the ancient prophet,
"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak." Isaiah 40:29.

HE GIVES
We look for strength in many places, such as friendship, stoicism, education, and self-will, but there is one place where we are sure to find it. God can give you strength. God is willing and He not one to give up. He will be there to give you strength when you come to him.

God gives strength freely; we do not have to buy or earn it- just ask.

He gives strength to the weary,
Isaiah 40:29

STRENGTH
The strength that God gives is the strength of faith and of spirit, and we can receive his strength for our weakness when we come to him in faith.

TO THE WEARY
Sometimes, it is good to be tired and weary. When we are aware of our need, we can ask for help. If we are prideful, we may be weary but no better off because we refuse to be humble and ask for God's grace.

We may grow weary of waiting for God to answer our prayers and bring deliverance by conquering our problems, but strength and power to endure through them may be the best answer to those prayers.

POWER
God can give what we need and more; he is willing to give not only strength but also power.

Strength is not enough if you can't act, but power is the strength that moves with direction and purpose. Power is strength under control.

WEAK
Our faith can make us strong in our weaknesses. The apostle experienced this and said, "When I am weak, then am I strong." This testimony shows the power of God working through him in the situation, 2 Corinthians 12:10.

Though we are weak and faint, we may find power and strength not in ourselves but in God when we look to him to supply it. It may not be the power to overcome trials but to thrive in them.

If you do not have a relationship with God, then visit my other blog. 

(c)Adron Dozat 12/28/14

Why Does God Not Heal Some People? 2 Corinthians 12:9

What does the Bible say about why some people don't get healing? We wonder why some of us have chronic illnesses or conditions, and others have disabilities. Why do we not receive a miracle of healing or a great cure?

"But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness," Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so the power of Christ may rest on me."
2 Corinthians 12:9, NIV*.

This Bible verse is from the writings of Paul the Apostle, where he describes his struggle with his own infirmities. Like many of us, the Apostle sought to be healed of a disease that troubled him. There is no explanation as to which disease, but its extremity is clear by his many prayers for deliverance.

PAUL PRAYED
Being an apostle, we can be assured of his correct prayer. If anyone should have gotten the answer he wanted, it should have been him. He did not get the healing he sought. Instead, he got an explanation.

GRACE
The grace of God is greater than healing. Some explain grace by the acronym, "God's Riches At Christ Expense." It is a nice way of putting it, but here God's grace is more; it is an active manifestation of the power of God in the life of the person suffering. God's grace, or favor toward him, is supporting him, encouraging him, and lifting him above in his sufferings. This grace is more valuable than healing since he would experience God in a greater way than if he was just healed.

PERFECT POWER
God's power is not lacking and does not need to be finished or brought to perfection since it is perfect already. This perfect is like when one is trying to turn a 10 mm nut using a 20 mm wrench it will not work, but when one takes a 10 mm wrench, they have the perfect tool to turn the nut, we didn't remake the tool into a new one we choose the perfect tool.

The "Perfect" here is the action, manifestation, expression, and experience of God's power. Our weakness is the perfect place to experience the power of God; if we were never weak we would not see the power and glory of God in our lives in the same way.

BOAST
Why would Paul boast about his weakness? We boast about things that we feel are exalted or better than inferior things. We boast about achievements because it sets us apart and above others. Paul felt that the power of God he experienced in his weakness was superior to just being healed. In boasting about his weakness, he was boasting about God's power that is his strength.

*To see other translations of this verse, click on this link: Online Parallel Bible.

(c )Adron Dozat 10/22/12

WOULD YOUR KIDS LIKE BIBLE PRINTABLES EACH WEEK?

When you make your monthly pledge of only $3:50, you will receive BIBLE TIME FUN WEEKLY, a children's activity printable bulletin every week. You will receive additional material available only to patrons, as well as an editable Word Doc. It has pages of puzzles, coloring pictures, and games for the kids.  You can share it with the kids in your church, Awana Bible club, class, camp, VBS, Backyard Bible club, school, and home. Use the button below.

Become a Patron!

Thank You!

The Heart That is Tested by Fire. Proverbs 17:3

There is one thing that is shared universally by people of faith- they will be tested. Some of the hardest sufferings to endure is not physical but the anguish of the heart.

“The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord test the heart.” Proverbs 17:3.

CRUCIBLE
The crucible and furnace were designed on purpose to do a task, and God has designed a purpose in every test of our hearts.

FURNACE
The crucible and the furnace try the metal and make it pure. Only the extreme heat of a blasting fire can make silver or gold pure. Silver yields its impurities rapidly, but gold enters the furnace over and over to become pure. Some tests are like silver; they come and finish their purpose quickly; others are like gold and must be endured time and again.

TEST
Sometimes our tests are to expose our weaknesses, and sometimes to purify us. Just as a crucible tests and refines the metal, in the same way, our lives endure the fire of testing to reveal our shortcomings and to improve our quality. Like gold which becomes more pure and valuable; so the testing of our hearts will make us more precious, useful, and beautiful; through them, we grow and mature as we never would otherwise.

THE LORD
What a comfort that it is the Lord who tests our hearts! The Lord, who is so loving, all-wise, and all-powerful, has our good and best at the center of His plans for us. In our test, we can remember that He is in control. We may not understand why we go through such depth of testing, but we do understand He is bigger. We can and must trust in Him during the test.

Here are a few suggestions:

• Cling to our loving God in prayer.
• Search His word as never before.
• Recount His many blessings.
• Remind yourself of His love.
• Pray over the promises in the Bible.
• Declare to Him and others your trust in Him.
• Be honest before God and others.
• Accept the support of others.
• Thank God.
• Resolve by God's help to endure.
• Resolve to bless His name.

The laws of physics guarantee that silver and gold will purify when superheated in a crucible. If the crucible should tip over and the metal spill out, the results will be disappointment and loss. The metal that stays in the furnace becomes useful and made into a thing of beauty.

Let's be grateful that our trials are guided by a loving God and that we will become the treasure that we would not be otherwise in His hands.

(c) Adron 7/23/10

The Glorious Weakness of Human Effort. 2 Corinthians 12:9. NIV

There is much in life we can do nothing about. We have scores of personal weaknesses. If only we were some superhero with immense strength and super intelligence. But we are just ordinary people, with problems we can’t fix.

“But he said to me, 'my grace is sufficient to you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9. NIV.

If anyone could have expected the Almighty to lift their burden, it should have been Paul the great Apostle. He struggled with an illness he termed the “thorn in the flesh,” (2 Corinthians 12:7). This great man of faith whose service to God is unparalleled sought The Lord in prayer for deliverance on multiple occasions. Instead of healing,g Paul was given the promised blessing that God’s grace will suffice.

Today’s faith community has many definitions of grace. Some say grace is “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.” Many sing that we are saved by Amazing Grace. Others define grace as synonymous with mercy, favor, or dignity.

This verse tells that grace:

• Comes from God
• Is sufficient
• Is for me
• Has power
• Is perfect in my weakness.

There is the grace that leads to salvation, where Gog comes into our lives; but this is the grace of God being in our lives, it is an experience of God. This grace is intimate and personal to those of us who call out to God.

God’s power was already perfect, but it is in our weaknesses He shows His perfect power. Often we don’t look to Him until we are faced with our own weakness; then we seek Him and our weakness becomes the vehicle that God uses to manifest His power. If I had never known weakness, then I would never value God’s strength and power. Paul, through his weakness, experienced the power of Christ in a way that even the Apostle would never have known otherwise. His weakness became something to celebrate.

We all have some weakness. Like Paul, we who can’t help ourselves must look to Him Who Can. Paul’s prayer for deliverance was answered not with healing but with “promise perspective,” that God's grace would be enough. Our prayers for victory over our struggles may not result in more strength but in more of God in our lives. Cry out to God about your weakness; thankfully ask the Lord for His abundant grace, keep it up until you can celebrate His power in your life.

____________________________

Thank you for visiting and reading my blog. I hope this post is helpful and an encouragement.  For more like this see the most popular post in the left sidebar, or use the search box above.

Use the share buttons below to save and share this to your social networks. 

(c) Adron 3/4/10