Is Your Strength in The Lord?

Google the word strength or strong...now...do it now....What do you see? Images like these? Military men and women, flawless women lifting weights, a strongman competition, pictures of dumbbells and kettle bells being lifted.

Are you strong? Would you find yourself on a Wheaties box? Could you imagine conducting a Google search for “strong” and picture of your smiling face come up? Ya, me neither... (for myself, not youJ)

Let me tell you about Samson the Nazirite of the Old Testament (the Samson and Delilah story). He was of great strength and belonged to God. We are talking superman strength. Well, maybe not that strong but he had the strength to tear apart a lion with his hands, kill 30 men, break free of the ropes he was bound with and kill 1000 men with a donkey’s jaw bone, and push over the supporting pillars of the Philistines temple causing it to fall. Ok, pretty much superman!

Samson had long hair that he wore in braids and part of being a Nazirite was he was not to cut his hair, as his hair was the source of his strength. Samson's whole story can be read in Judges chapters 13-16. In the story (chapter 16), Delilah, the prostitute he ended up falling for, betrayed him by finding out where his strength came from and letting the Philistines know so they could rob him of it. When his hair was cut the Bible says in Judges 16:19, "...his STRENGTH LEFT him." After his hair was cut he awoke to fight and verse 20 says "...but he did not know that the LORD had LEFT him." There is a direct correlation!!! His STRENGTH left him and the LORD had left him.

               The Lord gives us strength because he IS strength. The LORD is STRENGTH.

LORD=STRENGTH

The psalmist David wrote, “The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust Him with all of my heart. He helps me…” Psalm 28:7

 It is who he is! Let God be your strength. Want to know what I think of when I picture strength? I see a person weeping, on their knees in prayer, a tear stained Bible, a person serving others when they have so many needs of their own to be met, someone turning the other cheek and keeping their mouth shut when they have so many reasons to burst. That is a strong person. Let God be your strength, not advice from friends, chocolate, your bed, wine, Netflix, exercise, reading, etc. Let God be your strength...Say to yourself, “The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust Him with all of my heart. He helps me and my heart is filled with joy.”

How do you let the Lord be your strength?

1.Read! When times are shaky, life gets you down, you could use a pick me up, open your Bible and read. Rely on the Word of God and it will be the best thing you have ever done.

2.Pray! Who better to talk to about the problems in your life than the one who holds the future? Gods wants to work things out with you, not jut for you. He is not a vending machine where you can chose what you want for life. He is your partner. Just like in a marriage, spouses rely on one another. They work things out together. We are Jesus's bride and He is our bridegroom! Work it out, talk it out!

3.Speak! Say it out loud you rely on God, that the Lord is your strength! By speaking it, even if you don't believe it yet, you are putting the enemy back a step. By saying it out loud you are speaking life that will turn into truth.

Proverbs 18:21 "The tongue has the power of life and death..."

Is your strength in the Lord? Or do you turn to something else? It can be hard to go to God and not the couch, Netflix, and a bag of Oreos. Please share with me your struggles and wins.