Day 5 - Finding strength

For the joy of the Lord is your strength. -Nehemiah 8:10

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This week, we have spent time considering the STRENGTH God gives us when we seek His presence.

Strength in weakness as we look to God to be our strength.

Strength in temptation as we put on the armor of God.

Strength in courage as we know that God is with us.

Strength in testimony as we remember the wondrous works of the Lord.

Throughout our lives, as we seek the presence of the Lord and the joy that comes from being in His presence, we are made strong. As today’s scripture says, the joy of the Lord IS our strength!

We are made strong knowing the person of Jesus, our savior. It is only Jesus that satisfies the longing in our hearts for freedom. The longing in our hearts for joy. And the longing we have for strength in our weakness.

The strength we find in Jesus is unlike any other. Remember to continue to seek Jesus and His presence in His Word, in prayer and fellowship. Find freedom, joy, and strength as you look to Him. He loves you. He is with you.

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Today’s Prayer:

God, I praise and worship You today for who You are. Thank you for saving me, for bringing me to this moment in my life where I can look to You again to be my strength. Help me continue to seek You and Your presence all the days of my life and to find freedom, joy, and strength in You alone. In Jesus’s name, amen.

Day 4 - Strength in testimony

Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually! Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered…  -Psalm 105:4-5

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How quickly we forget the good things God has done in our lives. The little ways He shows us He is with us, and the mighty works He has done throughout history to demonstrate His strength, His power, and His love for His people.

But we are called not only to SEEK the Lord, but to REMEMBER the wondrous works he has done! We can easily begin to feel defeated, afraid, lonely, and hopeless when we forget the God we serve is mighty, personal, and loving. We must look back and remember the works God has done. Look to scripture to recall His miracles, His promises fulfilled, the life of Jesus Himself as He gave Himself up for us.

Take time to consider your own personal testimony. Your story with God—how has he saved you, redeemed you, strengthened you, restored you, answered you, and loved you? The faithfulness and goodness of God in each person’s life is their testimony. It is what this scripture calls, “the wondrous works he has done.”

Today, set aside time to write down and remember your own story. How has God worked in your life? How has He worked lately? Let this strengthen your faith as you recall the glory of God in your life.

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Today’s Prayer:

God, as I look back, I don’t want to forget the ways you have worked in my life. I want to remember the wondrous things you have done. Help me recall the ways you’ve answered my prayers, set me free, and worked mightily in my life. Help me to speak of You and your works for all of my life and live to bring you glory. In Jesus’s name, amen.

Day 3 - Strength in courage

Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” -Deuteronomy 31:6

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If you see a small child holding their dad’s hand while crossing the street, there is no fear for that child because they are protected by the presence of their father. Or if a child is standing on a ledge, but they are held firmly by a loving father, there is no fear of the child accidentally slipping and falling. The father is there, ready and aware of dangers that the child is most likely unaware or ignoring completely as they take in the world around them.

It’s not a child’s job to keep himself safe, worrying about every possible danger that could harm him—that is the father’s job. It is the child’s job to listen to his father and obey him.

In the same way, we can trust in our strong, loving heavenly Father to care for us in any and all situations in our lives. We need not fear. We don’t need to summon up courage and strength in ourselves. We can be strong and have courage by simply looking to our Father, knowing He doesn’t ever leave us. Our courage doesn’t come from our abilities or resilience. It comes from our trust in God.

We can be strong, without fear, when we remember Who is holding us in His hands. He is near.

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Today’s prayer:

Thank you God for never leaving me. Thank you for walking with me and allowing me to rest knowing You are in control. Help me remember you are with me when I am feeling afraid or alone. Help me live my life with courage because You are with me. In Jesus’s name, amen.

Day 2 - Strength in temptation

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. -Ephesians 6:10-11

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Be strong in the LORD and in the strength of HIS might. When God tells us to be strong and courageous, it is never meant to summon our own strength and courage. Rather, as the above scripture says, it is HIS might and strength that we need to stand against the devil’s schemes.

Because it is not our own might and strength that help us to be spiritually strong, God has given us spiritual armor that all comes from HIM to both protect and guard us but also to defeat the attacks of the enemy against His Church.

The strength of the armor is not in the one wearing it;  armor is useless if it is never put on. Just because God has given us His strength and power to stand against darkness does not guarantee our victory in every battle we face. We must choose to put on the armor of HIS strength.

God’s armor (which you can read more about in the rest of Ephesians 6) includes salvation, righteousness, truth, faith, readiness for the gospel, the Word of God and prayer. These are all freely given to the believer but if we never put our faith in Him, we will be fighting unprotected in our own might.

Be encouraged today that if you feel you’ve been fighting your battles alone and losing, God has given you everything you need for life and godliness and wants you to be armed with HIS strength and might! Put your trust in Him and the armor He’s given us to guard your heart and mind in Jesus.

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Today’s Prayer:

Thank you God that you don’t want me to fight my battles alone. Thank you for the armor you’ve given me, and help me to remember to lean on You and Your strength when I am facing opposition in my life. I pray that you would guard my heart and mind as I put my faith in You, today.

Day 1 - Strength in weakness

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. -2 Corinthians 12:9

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We don’t need to hide our weakness. From God or from those around us. In fact, in the passage above, the apostle Paul said he boasted gladly of his weaknesses! The reason for this being that when people knew how very weak he was, they would know that it was God working in and through Paul when they saw the great things God did in his life.

When we spend time in the presence of God, pursuing Him, we inevitably become more aware of our own weakness. We may feel strong and capable, totally in control—until we sit at the feet of Jesus and realize that He is the One holding our very lives in His hands. It is in this place of honest self-reflection that we are able to see our utter need for God’s strength in our weakness.

It is when we recognize our need for the power of the Holy Spirit within us, that we are able to see God work in and through us as He created us. When we insist on going at it in our own strength, apart from surrender to Jesus, we will burn out and run out eventually.

So praise God because we are ALL weak without Him! And we don’t need to pretend to be any other way. God loves weak people. And He uses us to show the greatness of HIS glory at work in our lives.

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Today’s Prayer:

God, I thank you today for reminding me that I am weak without You. Help me to remember to stop trying to control things on my own and to surrender to You. Help me see my need for Your strength and to turn to You when my strength fails. I need you. Thank you that I can sit in Your presence and be reminded of Your great power and love for me. Thank you for Your love. In Jesus’s name, amen.

Week 3 - Strength

As we enter our final week of the 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting, our focus this week is on STRENGTH. We are all weak in and of ourselves. You may have found yourself more aware of this as you’ve taken time to fast and pray. But God promises us that when we are weak, He will show Himself to be strong. We don’t have to rely on our own determination, our own efforts and energy. God Himself will supply the strength that we need to follow Him, to live in obedience to Him, and to walk in the plans He has set before us!

“But they who wait for 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.” Isaiah 40:31

When you find yourself lacking strength, remember that when we wait on the Lord and put our trust in Him, God promises to renew our strength! As humans, we continually need to be going to the Lord to RENEW our strength because we will always find our own strength running out. This is why this promise is so encouraging! We don’t need to feel bad or shameful when we find ourselves feeling weak and tired. Just remember to turn to God and spend time in His presence where His Spirit can strengthen you. It is in that place of surrender that we find God gives us the strength that only comes from Him.

This week, we will be looking more closely at what the Bible has to say about the STRENGTH we find when we pursue Him in our daily devotionals, so follow along by clicking the links below.

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Week 3: Strength

“But they who wait for 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.” Isaiah 40:31

Click here to read Day 1 - Strength in weakness

Click here to read Day 2 - Strength in temptation

Click here to read Day 3 - Strength in courage

Click here to read Day 4 - Strength in testimony

Click here to read Day 5 - Finding strength

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Join us for our COMMUNITY PRAYER AND WORSHIP NIGHTS each Friday throughout the 21 Day Fast where we will focus on the theme for that week and spend time in worship and prayer together. This week’s gathering is hosted by Coastal Chapel at 1510 High Ridge Rd. Lake Worth Beach, FL 33461 Register and join us Friday, January 27th at 7pm.