Strength

October 23rd – 2 Corinthians 12:9

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2 Corinthians 12:9

Have you ever prayed for something with all your heart, only to have God say no? Maybe you prayed for a door to open, a situation to change, or for something you desperately wanted to work out, but it didn’t happen the way you hoped.

It’s hard to understand sometimes, isn’t it? We wonder why God didn’t answer the way we wanted Him to. Especially when our hearts were so invested in the outcome. Paul knew what it was like to ask God for something and not receive the answer he wanted. But God reminded him that His grace was sufficient and His strength was made perfect in weakness.

Sometimes God’s answer is no, not because He doesn’t love us or hear our prayers, but because His purposes are bigger than what we can see. And sometimes, instead of changing our circumstances, He gives us the strength to walk through them.

I’m learning that faith isn’t just trusting God when He says yes. It’s trusting Him when the answer is no, too. We may not understand His reasons today, and we may still feel disappointed. But we can rest in knowing that His love for us never changes. When God says no, His grace is still enough, His strength is still available, and His love is still holding us.

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October 11th – Colossians 2:6

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Colossians 2:6

Have you ever noticed how it can be easy to trust Jesus with our salvation yet struggle to trust Him with the everyday things we face? We believe He loves us, yet we worry about tomorrow. Or we try to figure everything out on our own, and forget to invite Him into the little things that make up our days.

But just as we received Christ by faith, we are called to keep walking with Him by faith. That means trusting Him when we don’t have all the answers, seeking His wisdom when we don’t know which way to go, and letting His Word guide the choices we make. It means talking to Him throughout our day, not just when we’re in trouble. And learning to depend on His strength instead of always trying to handle everything ourselves.

Walking with Jesus doesn’t mean we’ll never stumble or have days when our faith feels weak. It means we keep turning back to Him, allowing Him to teach us, correct us, and help us grow. We don’t have to have everything figured out today. We just need to keep walking with the Lord, trusting that He knows the way and will help us take the next step.

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October 7th – John 15:4

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John 15:4

A branch doesn’t have to work hard to produce fruit all by itself. It simply has to stay connected to the source that gives it life. That’s what Jesus is asking us to do. To make our home in Him and stay connected to Him.

In today’s world, that can be hard. We have so many things competing for our attention. Our phones are constantly calling for us, social media fills our minds with other people’s lives, and the worries of everyday life can leave us feeling pulled in a hundred different directions. We can get so busy trying to keep everything together that we forget we were never meant to do life apart from God.

But Jesus also says, “and I in you.” We aren’t simply trying to stay close to God while hoping He notices us from a distance. He remains in us. Through His Spirit, His truth, His love, and His presence, He works within us. He changes our hearts, shapes our character, gives us strength when we are weak. And produces fruit in our lives that we could never produce on our own.

So today, let’s stay close. When life gets busy, stay close. When you’re discouraged, stay close. When you don’t understand what God is doing, stay close. When you’re joyful and everything seems to be going well, stay close. Remain in Jesus, and He will remain in you.

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October 6th – Isaiah 58:11

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Isaiah 58:11

Have you ever felt like you were running on empty? There are seasons when life leaves us tired, discouraged, and wondering how we’re going to keep going. Sometimes our circumstances feel like a drought, and our hearts become dry from carrying too much for too long.

But thankfully, God doesn’t just give us enough strength to get through one difficult moment and then leave us on our own. He continually guides, sustains, and nourishes us. Because He isn’t a well that eventually runs dry. He’s the never-ending source of living water for our souls.

I love that Scripture compares us to a watered garden. A garden doesn’t stay green because it received water once. It needs to be continually nourished. In the same way, we need God every single day. And just as a garden can still grow through a dry season when its roots are connected to a steady source of water, we can continue to grow even in difficult seasons when our roots are firmly planted in God.

Maybe today you feel strong, or maybe you feel completely worn out. Either way, the invitation is the same. Come to the Source. We don’t have to save up yesterday’s strength for tomorrow. God will meet us with fresh grace and everything we need for the day ahead. He knows when our hearts are thirsty. He knows when we need refreshing. And He promises to be faithful.

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October 4th – Psalm 119:11

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Psalm 119:11

God tells us to hide His Word in our hearts. But what does that mean? It doesn’t mean reading our Bible and closing it when we’re finished. Instead, it means to take His truth with us. To remember it, meditate on it, believe it, and allow it to become part of who we are.

We do that by reading His Word and thinking about what it means. By memorizing verses so that whatever our need, God’s truth is already there. And by praying His Word, writing it down, and looking for ways to live it out in our everyday lives. Because the more we fill our hearts with Scripture, the more naturally His truth begins to come to mind when we face difficult moments.

We don’t hide God’s Word in our hearts just for the sake of knowing more Scripture. We hide it there because the seed we plant today can become the strength we need tomorrow. And it gives us an absolute truth to stand on when our feelings and the world try to lead us somewhere else.

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September 24th – 2 Corinthians 12:9

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2 Corinthians 12:9

The world teaches us to hide our weaknesses. And to act like we have everything together. We don’t want anyone to see that we’re struggling or have things we can’t handle on our own. But Paul tells us something completely different. He says, “I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses.”

Why would anyone boast about being weak? Because our weakness is where we discover just how strong God really is. For it’s when we’re on our knees realizing we can’t do this on our own, that we’re finally in a position to say, “But God can.”

Maybe you’re in a season where you feel tired, overwhelmed, or broken. Or maybe you’re looking at something in your life and thinking, “I don’t have what it takes.” And you may be right. You might not have what it takes. But God does.

We don’t have to pretend we’re strong when we’re not. We can bring our weakness to Jesus and let His grace meet us there. For His grace is enough for the struggle, for the waiting, for the uncertainty, and for whatever today holds.

So don’t be ashamed of the places where you’re weak. Those may be the very places where God wants His power to shine the brightest. Because our weakness doesn’t make us useless to God. It gives Him room to show His strength through us.

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September 23rd – John 15:5

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John 15:5

Sometimes we think growing means trying harder, doing more, and being strong enough to handle everything on our own. But Jesus gives us a very different picture. A branch doesn’t struggle to produce fruit by itself. It simply stays connected to the vine.

We have to let go of the need to control everything, fix everything, and depend only on ourselves. And to stop trying to grow through our own strength and learn to remain connected to Jesus. Because when we’re connected to Him, He changes us from the inside out. He grows patience where there was frustration, peace where there was anxiety, faith where there was doubt, forgiveness where there was hurt, and strength where we once felt weak.

Sometimes the very thing God is asking us to let go of is what has been keeping us from growing. That’s why we need to stay close to Jesus, trust Him, and allow Him to do the growing in us. So today, let go of self-reliance. Let go of control. And let go of trying to do it all on your own. Stay connected to Jesus, and let Him grow something beautiful in you.

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September 3rd – Isaiah 41:13

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Isaiah 41:13

Life is hard. We live in a broken world where we face battles, disappointments, heartache, temptation, and uncertainty. And Scripture reminds us that we also have an Enemy who prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. He wants us discouraged. He wants us afraid. And he wants us to believe that we’re fighting our battles all by ourselves.

But here is the beautiful truth for those who belong to Jesus. We don’t have to do life alone. God tells us in Isaiah 41:13, “For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.”

How awesome is that! The God who created the heavens and the earth reaches down and takes hold of your hand. When your knees are shaking, He holds you. When you don’t know which way to turn, He leads you. And when you’re exhausted from the battle, He gives you strength to keep moving forward.

The Enemy may try to frighten, discourage, and convince us that we’re alone, but he can’t take us out of God’s hands. Because no one can remove us from the loving hands of our Father. So whatever you’re facing today, don’t try to carry it all by yourself. Reach out your hand and take hold of His. You may not know what tomorrow holds, but you can rest in knowing who holds you. And that’s our God, our Helper and our Strength.

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September 1st – Hebrews 12:1

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Hebrews 12:1

You’d never see someone who’s trying to win a foot race purposely strap on heavy ankle weights. Because they know those weights will slow them down and make the race harder than it needs to be. Yet sometimes as Christians, that’s exactly what we do.

When running our race we strap on the weight of fear, worry, bitterness, unforgiveness, guilt, past hurts, and even relationships or habits. Things that slow us down and keep us from becoming who God has called us to be.

Our faith journey isn’t a 50-yard dash. It’s a life long marathon. And God wants us to go the distance, finishing strong. But we can’t run freely if we’re determined to carry everything along with us. Some things have to be laid down. Other things have to be surrendered. And still others have to be released into God’s hands.

We don’t have to run someone else’s race, and we don’t have to finish it perfectly. We simply need to keep our eyes on Jesus, keep moving forward, and refuse to give up. So today ask yourself, “What am I carrying that God is asking me to lay down?” Maybe it’s time to take off the weights and run freely toward Him.

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August 31st – Jude 25

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Jude 25

Every day God keeps us, loves us, forgives us, and gives us grace, even though we fall short of Him in so many ways. We don’t earn His love by being perfect, and we certainly don’t deserve the mercy He continually pours over our lives. Yet He loves us anyway.

There are days when we say the wrong thing, think the wrong thought, make the wrong choice, or simply fail to be the person we know God has called us to be. And still, He doesn’t abandon us. He patiently picks us up, forgives us, and continues the work He began in us. That alone should humble our hearts.

We can give God thanks not because we have everything figured out, but because He is faithful even when we are not. His grace meets us in our weakness, His mercy covers our failures, and His love refuses to let go of us.

So today, let’s take our eyes off ourselves and put them back on Him. For the Lord is the One who keeps us, strengthens us, restores us, and carries us when we cannot carry ourselves.

All glory belongs to Him. For every answered prayer, every unseen protection, every second chance, every moment of mercy, and every day He gives us, thank You, Lord. May our lives continually point back to the One who loves us far more than we could ever deserve.

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