Where does your strength come from?

Have you ever examined yourself to see who you put your trust in, where your strength comes from? Who you trust and put your faith in is where your strength comes from. Is your faith in a person or God?

In the Old Testament, many put their strength in horses. This is why David said in Psalm 20:⁷ Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. Psalm 33:¹⁷ The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue. Horses was a source of strength back then but they weren’t to put their strength in them.

Your strength may come from riches. You may look at all of what your hands have produced. The home you have, the retirement plan you have.You continue to build these and your heart is satisfied. Jesus best described this in this parable. Luke 12:¹³ Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” ¹⁴ But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” ¹⁵ And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” ¹⁶ Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. ¹⁷ And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ ¹⁸ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. ¹⁹ And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’ ²⁰ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ ²¹ “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” Now when you look at what Jesus said here, it’s not about putting your strength in the riches that you have but your strength towards God. Job understood this as everything was taken away from him and yet, Job would not change his attitude towards God. Job never blamed God for what had happened to him.

Another one where people put their strength in is in men. Some people put their strength in Pastors, Evangelists or ministries. This has taken me a while not to put my strength in them. Now this might be something that is contrary to what you were taught but I learned the hard way that this is not the way. There are many big names in church today, and yet you will know them by their fruit. Stop looking at the person and look at their faith. Is their faith consistent with what Jesus taught and have the same results Jesus had? Are they trees of righteousness? Isaiah 61:3 That they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified. A disciple of Jesus is just like their teacher. If these men have been taught by Jesus, then they will be just like Him. When we are following Jesus, we are following His faith. That’s why Paul wrote 1 Corinthians 11:1 Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ. So now you see the evidence of Paul imitating Jesus by the life he lived. His life proved who he was following (imitating). So now who are you putting your strength in? I have heard it said that all the miracles died with the Apostles. If that is true then the Name of Jesus is dead as all the miracles they did was in the Name of Jesus. Hebrews 13:⁷ Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct.

Now your strength is to be in the Lord. As it is written Ephesians 6:10 be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. When you look at Hebrews 11, the faith chapter, all of the people talked about in that chapter were strong in the Lord. They all, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise. What you put your strength in is what you put your faith in. This is why I said earlier that when you are following Jesus, you are following His faith. The stronger you get in the Lord, the easier your walk becomes as your strength comes from him. Don’t look at what you have done, ask for forgiveness. He is faithful and just to forgive you. Now look at Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith and walk with Him. Even if the thought comes that Jesus isn’t there, He is. The goal of the enemy is to separate you from Him. That can only happen if you let it. Be Blessed.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches spoken to all the 7 churches in the Book of Revelation