Living Strong
Did you know the Bible teaches that spiritual strength will enable you to overcome anything?
Anything, includes financial challenges, marriage difficulties, job loss, trouble raising your children, or health issues. If we believed that to be true, then, spiritual strength would be priority #1.
Your spirit is your core. It is the inner you. However, most people don't even know they are a spirit being. So, there is no awareness of their level of spiritual strength or weakness. Consequently, there is little or no effort or focus placed on developing and maintaining a strong spirit.
Most people know the minute their bodies feel weak. They know how to stay strong physically with the proper nourishment and rest. People are aware of their physical strength and well-being at a very young age. There are many, many resources available for developing a strong, healthy body. The health industry is multi-million dollar industry.
Likewise, people are keenly aware of the value of mental development. The expansion of the mind through knowledge and education is highly prized. Yet, few are aware that spiritual strength is far more important than the development of the mind or the body.
Proverbs 18:14 "The strong spirit of a man sustains him in bodily pain or trouble, but a weak and broken spirit who can raise up or bear?"
If we believed that a strong spirit, would empower and strengthen us to withstand any challenge in life then we would spend most of our energy, time, and money on developing our spiritual strength.
How can one be spiritually strong? The spirit gains strength when it is fed. Feeding your spirit occurs when you hear the Word of God preached at church, on the radio or by television. You are feeding your spirit when you read the Bible and pray. Your spirit is strengthened when you speak God's promises over your life.
Many have gotten confused because they did not "feel" the immediate results of feeding their spirit. They attend church and hear an anointed message, but wonder if it did any good. That is like being disappointed when you don't feel the immediate effects of eating a nutritious meal. When you feed your body, energy is stored. Your body accesses that energy as you go about your normal activities, living your life. Because of proper nutrition, you have the energy you need to live successfully in the physical realm. The effects of feeding your spirit are the same. You are building spiritual vitality that will enable you to be a strong believer. Secondly, you will have the strength you need, to do whatever it is God has called you to do.
Without that necessary spiritual strength, you will be weak. Deuteronomy 32:47 AMP says "For it (God's Word) is not n empty worthless trifle to you; it is your very life."
Neglecting your spiritual health is a serious thing. It is an issue of life or death. Oh, you may not die physically when you neglect your spiritual health, but the Bible teaches that neglecting to ingest God's Word is a life or death issue. When you are weak spiritually, you think and say things like, "I hope we can make it through this situation. It doesn't look good." Those words do not agree with God's promises, such as, "I can do all things through Christ, which strengthens me." Phil. 4:13
You may not even know you are weak until trouble comes and you find it hard to stand and believe God's Word. It is not easy to look into the face of difficult circumstances and say "God is my refuge and my fortress." That kind of strength comes from a strong spirit. The time to gain spiritual strength is BEFORE, trouble comes. You would not expect to be strong in your body if you neglected to eat properly. The same principle is true for your spiritual health. Don't wait until trouble comes, because it will come. But you can overcome anything if your spirit is strong. Begin to feed your spirit today.