What Kind of Christian are you (5)

What Kind of Christian are you (5)

Just as Physical strength is required to finish a race or finish well or first, so also is Spiritual strength that must be built up by meditating on and having Faith in God's Word, that one has come to understand, as well as the willingness to live it out.

In Proverbs 24:10 it is written that, if one falters in the time of trouble, how small is ones strength.

If a person hesitates or stumbles due to doubt or the likes the only remedy the person has is toincrease in strength so he will not vacilate or fail next time.

The admonishment that Nehemiah gave in verse 10 of chapter 8 of his book, that "the joy of the Lord is our strength" is indeed the only cure for fear, temptation or any other inadequacy that can cause a man not to fulfil God's mandate for himself per time.

So what does it mean?
How can the simplicity of one delighting in the Lord be a source of strength?

Let's begin with the basics. Joy in the Lord is a unique state of mind unlike happiness that is erroneously used interchangeably with it.

Happiness comes from the word happenstance and it is a blissful state of mind that is always as a result of ones prevailing circumstance at that material time, while having the Joy of the Lord, that is, delight in God, usually in unfavourable situations is as a result of the truth of the Word of God that you know concerning the final outcome of what one is faced with or is going through, that causes one to be calm and hopeful in the midst of uncertainty, trouble or any other unpleasant circumstance. 

In 2 Corinthians 12:7 to 10 apostle Paul encouraged the Corinthian church by the challenge he happened to be facing, that he described as a thorn in his flesh, a messenger of Satan, that was tormenting him.

He intimated them that God's response after his several plea for divine intervention was simply this word of encouragement, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

While Gods response may seem inadequate or mean even though one didn't know what the apostle was specifically inflicted with, he made these profound assertions, that we would do well to take into cognisance in our own lives:

1.Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 
2. ..., 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.

In a nutshell, what Paul was saying was thatwhere his strength fails is where God's supernatural empowerment begins to manifest in his life.

Are you erroneously trusting in your own acumen, strength or ability to accomplish something?

Know that God will share the glory due Him with no man. 

If a Christian is convinced that natural endowments are sufficient for him to succeed in life without God's intervention per time, then you can be sure that such a person will not get too far before he is proven to be absolutely wrong.

When we acknowledge our inadequacies in the strength and abilities we personally have, that God may be glorified in our lives, He complements our faith in His Almightiness to endow and empower by giving us supernatural strength and ability to come out on top, no matter how difficult or impossible the situation we may be facing may seem to be.