#21.5 - Sevensational: The Spirit of Strength
I don’t really even know how to begin this blog to be honest because I feel I'm severely lacking strength in this season. Things just got a lot more complex in the midst of personally going through vertigo, migraines, navigating regularly taking new medications I didn’t have to take prior to all of this, and now dealing with the aftermath of getting so dizzy the day before my surgery that I fell and broke my wrist in two different places (one break on the thumb side that spiderwebbed into multiple fractures and one break on the outside towards my pinky that broke off). So…one handedly (no dictation and utilizing God given strength)…I am writing this blog with Philippians 4:13 (KJV) in mind, “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.” Please forgive me if this blog and the upcoming blogs are not as long…I am trying to get in the mindset that at least some of this is seasonal…so please bear with me during this complex time, friends. Now thinking about it, Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV) reminds us, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:”...this lack of physical strength I have is temporary…but I love that I feel Jesus strengthening me day by day through these trials. NONE of this has shaken my faith…Abba is still at the helm of my life…through pain, persecution, judgement, tests, temptations, and examinations…all ecosystemic in their own respective ways. This season…like the others is temporary which means no matter what happens…this lack of physical strength is temporary. The neat thing is…my spiritual strength is on a significant uprise with an imaginative spectacular cinematic montage of prayer, reading God’s word, continuing to surround myself with Biblical community and being obedient (this means…resting…I don’t do “down” well). I am learning so I can get better for myself, my family, my friends, and for Abba…so that I can wholly go help and make disciples. Holy Spirit, love, character, perseverance, trust, and strength are essential to doing what Jesus called us to do in Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV), “ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”.
The timeless saying “there’s no love without trust” is just as true as this idea given to me by Holy Spirit: “there’s no perseverance without strength”. The ability to persevere is propelled by strength, trust, and of course…JESUS!!! 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (NIV) says, “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 weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” We are strong and can persevere because Christ is in us!!! Hypothetically speaking, what if I decided to disobey doctors, my therapist, my family, and Holy Spirit telling me to rest? It would be taking my own will, embracing pride (the root of all sin IMO), playing it off as my own strength, distrusting my medical team, prolonging the healing process, and gambling with my ecosystemic health. That’s far too many “cons" when I have a singular “pro” I can rely on; my relationship with Jesus ensures that I can give my concerns to God…the firm foundation of my life because in 1 Peter 5:7 (NIV) God’s truth simply and clearly tells us, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”. Trusting anyone in any varying degree requires vulnerability…being vulnerable with God who already knows what you’re going through is a whole “notha’” level of trust because those parts of our pain and suffering that we want to hide…is not possible with an authentic relationship with Christ. Why? Our relationship calls us to walk in faith and not by sight…so we are trusting in a relationship and God that we don’t always see…but…we know he’s there “until the end of the age”. I would’ve never thought about trust and strength being connected until writing this to be honest. The cool thing is…God’s truth on the connection of strength and truth is beautifully splayed out in Isaiah 40:31 (CSB), “but those who trust in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not faint.” If we are trusting in The Lord…we can rely on Him for strength…He already defeated our sufferings, demolished our temptations, and conquered our sins. This allows us to be open to freely functioning in courage with Holy Spirit and all of His vital characteristics. Joshua 1:9 (NIV) literally commands us, “ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” COMMAND = “Direct authoritative order” according to Merriam Webster's definition of "command". This does NOT include what we want or don’t want to do...it’s an order that we should be using our free will to obey…our way doesn’t work which is why we need God and His truth even more. We are commanded to be strong. We are commanded to be courageous. We are commanded to be unafraid (fearLESS). We are commanded to not be discouraged. We are commanded to know The Lord our God is with us wherever we go. To know…is to have the knowledge to trust in our beliefs (faith) enough to act upon it, to walk in, to go out…ultimately…faith is the ability to believe strongly enough that it impacts every part of our ecosystems. So where we place our faith is pivotal for our wellbeing and our lives because when we are nurturing our faith in Jesus and His power, the unseen (faith) is able to be made strongly evident through God’s truth and made outwardly known by Holy Spirit’s mysterious ways (sight). So as I believe that we are also commanded that “We live by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7-NIV)...I also believe that God occasionally, powerfully, and graciously bestows mysterious sight to us…testimonies and divine interventions (like where this blog’s slogan comes from “There are no coincidences with God”) are two examples of God physically showing His power. (Parenthesis Rabbit Hole: I find it no coincidence that the NIV version of 2 Corinthians 5:7 says “live” - it does not die by…not exist by (there’s a big difference between living and existing)…not lukewarmly live…not when we want to live…not IF we live. And if we take this a bit farther…we are made new by Jesus…the old died…the new is now alive…and seen.) We are not called to test God’s power or strength though…and our faith (the unseen) should be LIVED in (the seen-impacting our walk by physically matching our talk). If we lived our lives walking by only what we expect God to show us…that gives no free willed room to trust God…let alone ask for His strength to help us persevere. Before I get into the stages of attack, I am going to share one last piece of God’s truth connecting trust and strength: Psalm 28:7 (NIV), “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.” We serve a 3 in 1 God…The Lord’s strength is Holy Spirit’s strength and the power of Holy Spirit’s strength is exactly what Isaiah 11:2 (what this whole 7-sational series is based upon) is expressing to us through God’s truth.
This week’s attack section is going to look different…you are being challenged and encouraged to consider each question carefully so that you are able to be given Holy Spirit driven answers, Godly interpretations for you to pray over, and Jesus centered confirmations to pray upon. The battle always belongs to The Lord…our perfect shepherd…THE Alpha and Omega…and our Abba.
Stage 1: Confusion
What are some ways that the enemy can try to interfere with strength by using confusion?
Stage 2: Chaos
What are some ways that the enemy can try to interfere with strength by using chaos?
Stage 3: Theft
What are some ways that the enemy can try to interfere with strength by using theft?
Stage 4: Destroy
What are some ways that the enemy can try to interfere with strength by using destruction?
Stage 5: Kill
What are some ways that the enemy can try to interfere with strength by killing?
Through the spirit of God’s power and strength we are able to overcome the attacks of the enemy, we are able to fully trust in our relationship with Jesus who gives us unconditional love and a new courageous identity given to us to help transform our spiritual faith into physical acts with trust, and the ability to persevere through life’s challenges being guided by and fully living in Holy Spirit…our extraordinary, matchless, and unparalleled helper. Proverbs 24:5 (CSB) leads us beautifully into next week “The Spirit of Knowledge”, “A wise warrior is better than a strong one, and a man of knowledge than one of strength…”
Songs of the Week:
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I want to take a moment before closing out this blog to thank you all for your grace, understanding, and continued prayers. Things are rough right now with the inability to work but I walk out what I write and I know that Abba always provides…there is NOTHING that will shake my faith…God forever has my heart and I am full of gratitude.
For Holy Spirit, God, for Jesus, for prayer, for The Bible, for strength, for perseverance, for character development, for trust, for faith, for free will, for obedience, for God’s sight, for mercy, for grace, for divine mystery, for my amazing support system, for two hands and the ability to use one, and for another day to say “Good”...I am…
#Satisfied
