How can I be a stronger person?
I was raised to “be strong” and to be independent. Some of that “strength” was real and some of it was a coping mechanism to hide my vulnerable, self. A self that had not seen the light or love of God yet.
Have you ever acted strong and wished you were strong? I have.
The Bible tells us a story of how to have true strength in this passage in the book of Nehemiah:
Nehemiah 8:10
Nehemiah 8:10 New Living Translation (NLT)
“10 And Nehemiah[a] continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!”
Wow!
Focus on others and share what you have with them while celebrating a sacred day of the Lord. Choose to not be sad and remember the joy of the Lord is your strength!
How do we do that?
We remember that:
Seeking and following God and His Word will bring Joy as we believe and have faith! As we believe and have faith the Joy from the Lord gives us strength. So, rejoicing or having joy in the Lord in His great strength becomes our strength!
When we give our all to God He provides times of celebrating and victory and abundance.
How can we experience God’s Strength and Joy?
We experience God’s Joy through prayer, praise, gathering with others, celebrating and praising His goodness. This truth from God’s Word gives us great joy and strength as we put our Trust in God! It is also a call to put aside sadness and discouragement and enter in to the Joy of the Lord! We can make a choice to dwell on truth and not be stuck in discouragement and fear. We can trust and receive His Joy! This is how we become strong in the Lord.
But spiritually sometimes we forget….
Would you stop drinking water and wonder why you are thirsty? Yet we do that when we are too busy to seek the Lord!
Many times I have slipped into old ways of doing things in my strength, not on purpose, but just out of NOT renewed habits and then I come up dry and parched. Spinning my wheels, wondering why I feel “out of sync”, longing to hear the Voice of the Lord again. I realize I have been in that mode again! I must return to seeking the Lord in everything! I need to renew my mind on a daily basis…knowing His Truth.
He and He alone is the Spring of Living Water that refreshes my soul and gives my Joy and His Strength!
How you think being joyful in Jesus will give you strength? What can you praise the Lord for today? Choose to follow the One who loves you more than anything!
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