When life gets too busy or hard, we can feel drained and low on strength, and find ourselves operating in a vulnerable state. Making a mental choice to “do better or be stronger” is not really enough because we are spiritual beings.

When we have “given of ourselves too much” or are living with an “open wound caused by a deep hurt” or “severe loss” of some kind, we must stop and deal with our condition. How we handle our stressed or weakened condition is everything.

If we listen to sad secular music, we will get sadder. If we listen to the unseen spiritual enemy, who tries to convince us of how unfair things are and how much worse we have it than others, it will not help us at all and only make matters worse. There are endless possibilities of all kinds of unhealthy thoughts and situations that do not build us back up or strengthen us.

For those of us who are Christians, we have the Lord. If we will remain close to Him, calling upon and even crying out to Him, it makes it possible for the Lord to help us. When we lay our issues at His feet and worship Him from our hearts, despite the pain, something amazing happens. We become comforted and strengthened. Additionally, as we listen to Christian praise and worship or simply sing something meaningful from our hearts to the Lord, the process continues. This is God's way of helping us re-hydrate spiritually.

In a way, the “spiritual us” operates along with the “mental us.” The deeper level is the spiritual. This deeper level is where our “spiritual strength” comes from. Positive “thoughts” are nice and helpful but only in the deeper part of us, are we really strengthened spiritually.

In choosing to “trust and praise God” - especially and including when it hurts the most, we find something that cannot be attained any other way and that is a deeper level of spiritual strength. Sincere prayer, worship, godly mediation, praise, etc - all these actions on our part, are used by the Lord, to strengthen us.

If we try to continue in our “own strength” or by just “trying to be more positive” we may be helped somewhat but not in strength that comes from doing it the Lord's way. We are not just physical beings with minds; we are spiritual beings with bodies and minds. Much secular reasoning, and even some reasoning found in the church, says that emotions are only mental. This is not true and is the reason why finding mental solutions is often not near enough.

When we give our “issues” - our hurts, pains, needs, etc. to the Master of wisdom, love, comfort and strength and we trust and praise Him despite how bad it hurts at the time, then we are allowing God to help us His way. And we all know that His ways are higher and better than ours.

Some Christians have come to a place in their lives when they do this automatically because they have learned to do so by being sensitive to listening to the Holy Spirit and His direction. But some have never realized the process or even seen it demonstrated. The choices we make when we are hurt and even struggling the most, are especially going to be for better or worse. Choosing the Lord and His ways are the best ways and with trust, praise, worship and prayer and even simple songs sung sincerely to Him from our hearts will bless the Lord but also restrengthen us. Just as physical athletes must be hydrated, so must Christians in the daily battles of life. And sometimes the battles come rapidly, one after another. These types of godly choices, help “hydrate us” for the kind of strength we need daily and especially when life is too much or too fast.

So let us choose to battle God's way, taking time to face our challenges and circumstances with His Word and actually stand on His promises. We can give our pains and issues to Him, trusting in His plans for our situations. And instead of allowing the negative thoughts that the devil comes with or even our own negative thoughts of doubt and despair, or choosing to listen to sad secular songs that drain us even more; we can choose to listen to healing and uplifting godly songs and stay close to the Lord through prayer and worship. These types of choices give the Lord the opportunity to restrengthen us.

In conclusion, becoming a Christian is just the beginning. We must learn to live life according the direction of God's Word, the Bible, and by the direction of the Holy Spirit. And as we do as Jesus did, taking time out from the pressures and hurriedness of living in a demanding world, to personally seek the Lord alone and find His refreshing, then we in-turn, are strengthened and will go through the next round of daily pressures from a place of strength instead of feeling drained and in a weakened condition. As we literally “praise the Lord” from our hearts, He lifts us up from where ever we are! To win the battles of daily life, we must invest making the kind of choices that help us operate from a place of strength!


E. Cockrell

Endurance is something we cannot live without! Jesus endured. His church throughout the centuries has endured. And we today need to endure also!

The Bible talks about the need for us to endure. The very definition of endure, is: to suffer (something painful or difficult) patiently; to remain in existence, to last.

The Lord said, “But he who endures to the end shall be saved” (Matthew 24:13). Not only do we have to endure, but to the end! The Lord has given us His Presence, His Word and all that we need so that we can endure but we must do our part.

There is a parable in Matthew 7:24-27, where Jesus tells about a man who built his house upon a rock and another, who built his house upon sand. When a storm came, naturally the house built on the rock stood firm and the one built on the sand collapsed and even with a great crash. The Lord is telling us that the winds of life will blow and even blow hard and to build our homes upon Him. He loves us and wants us to endure through every storm.

There is no doubt that every one of us will face the storms of life. When Jesus is our true foundation, He is also our saving grace. In Christ, we are able to weather the storms of life and also its temptations, distractions, frustrations, challenges and all that comes our way. The Lord has all we need.

When become Christians, we are born-again. In the spirit, all is new. We still have the same bodies and natural minds, but now our spirits are in the Light and the Holy Spirit has come to live in us. Through His Spirit and His Word we have all we need, but it is up to us to grow and mature in Him. We must build a new life in Christ. Our past (and future) must be given to the Lord and how we view it must now be filtered by the Word of God (it is called the renewing of the mind - more can be read about it at Renewing The Mind). Instead of our lives being self-centered, we become Jesus-centered (from self-lordship to Jesus Lordship).

When we choose Jesus as Lord, He becomes our Rock. We must learn to rely on Him at all times. Additionally, we need to read, learn and apply His Word daily; even meditate upon it. We must pray and spend time alone with the Lord. We must worship Him and allow Him to minister to us. We need to be filled with His Spirit, seek His direction daily and heed His guidance as He directs us, etc.

By living life with the whole armor of God (you can read more about it at: The Whole Armor of God) and feeding our spirits upon His Word we can endure and be victorious. Through prayer and worship we can be filled in our spirits by the Holy Spirit who gives us strength. In the Lord, we grow and mature.

If we want to endure, including endure to the end, we must invest in our spiritual well-being for there is always a spiritual enemy out there looking for our demise. The apostle Peter recorded this in one of his letters:

• 1 Peter 5:8-9 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

Becoming a Christian is just the beginning. We must grow from there and separate from the people of this world and their music, parties, media, values, etc. and position ourselves properly. We must study the Bible for ourselves, surround ourselves with godly friends, feed our souls with positive Christian media, prayer, worship, etc.

• Matthew 10:38-39 "And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.”

In essence, if we want to endure, we must do our part. If we are wimpy Christians and barely making it, then it is due to something on our part. Perhaps we have neglected church, perhaps we are not personally feeding our selves on His Word or truly worshiping the Lord and allowing Him to fill us, or perhaps not seeking Him daily or not really applying His Word or even really believing.

If we plan on enduring to the end: we must make the effort to personally grow in the Lord. He has given us all we need to endure, but we must do our part!

Here are a few verses just for thought and meditation, in regard to being strong in the Lord, enduring and the benefits of doing so:

• Psalms 33:16-21 No king is saved by the multitude of an army; a mighty man is not delivered by great strength. A horse is a vain hope for safety; neither shall it deliver any by its great strength. Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy name.”

 

• Psalms 59:9a-10 You are my strength, I watch for you; you, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely.

 

• Psalms 119:9-16 How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to Your Word. I seek You with all my heart; do not let me stray from Your commands. I have hidden Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You. Praise be to You, Lord; teach me Your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from Your mouth. I rejoice in following Your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on Your precepts and consider Your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your Word.

 

• Isaiah 26:3-4 You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for in Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength.

 

• Isaiah 40:26-31 “Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these things, who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, by the greatness of His might and the strength of His power; not one is missing. Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel: "My way is hidden from the Lord, and my just claim is passed over by my God"? Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”

• Matthew 7:24-25 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock."

• Matthew 10:38-39 "And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.”

 

• Matthew 24:13 "But he who endures to the end shall be saved."

 

• Mark 4:14-20 "The sower sows the word. And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. - These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they stumble. - Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. - But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."

 

• Luke 4:4 But Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God."

• Luke 9:23-26 Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels."

• Romans 2:7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, He will give eternal life.

• Romans 12:12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

• Romans 15:5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had

• Galatians 6:9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

• Ephesians 5:15-20 Be very careful, then, how you live —not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

• Ephesians 6:10-18 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints--

• Philippians 4:13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

• 2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

• Hebrews 10:36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.

• Hebrews 12:1b-3 And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

• James 1:12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

• 2 Peter 1:5-9 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.

• Revelation 2:4-7 "Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place--unless you repent. But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God."

• Revelation 2:10b-11 "Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death."

• Revelation 2:25-29 "But hold fast what you have till I come. And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations-- 'He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter's vessels'-- as I also have received from My Father; and I will give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

• Revelation 3:4-6 "You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

• Revelation 3:11-13 "Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. And I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

• Revelation 3:19-22 "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

• Revelation 21:7-8 “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."

E. Cockrell