“But God has shown me that he doesn’t think anyone is unclean or unfit.” (Acts 10:28 CEV)
My husband Mike has dementia and much of the time he is in his own world. Times are few and far between that I get a glimpse of the man I married and still dearly love. He is so precious to me, and I am devoted to him. We still do everything we can together.
My sister’s son-in-law was being ordained in Little Rock, Arkansas. We planned on driving and taking my parents to the celebration. My sister informed me that Mike and I were not welcome because of Mike’s dementia. My parents had already asked me for a ride so went on and drove them. We dropped them at the door, dressed in our best Sunday duds. I had hoped that my sister would change her mind. My niece ushered my parents in and sent us away with , “Thanks for bringing them. Bye.”
During the return trip, I began to wonder if maybe we were a bother to our new church. They had been very nice to us. I questioned how they really felt. When my own blood sister excludes us from a family event and a makes us feel so unwelcomed, makes one a bit self-conscious.
Soon after our return, we were at our church’s “Prayer and Praise.” A lady who I had seen before but had not had the pleasure of meeting came up to me. She sweetly hugged me and said, “We are so thankful to have you at our church. We are blessed watching you take care of him. We love watching him dance when he worships.” I thank God that our church loves us like Jesus.
God is so good. He answered my question with His love and the love of my church family. This is not unusual. He answers and speaks to me so often. I am always amazed and exceptionally appreciative, but never surprised!! God loves his children!
“The crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God and healed those who needed healing.”(Luke 9:11 NIV)
I enCOURAGE you to love unconditionally like Jesus.
“Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” (Romans 15:7 NIV)
(Josephine is an incredible sister in Christ and wife to Mike. Her love for Mike is a beautiful thing to see. The Lord led our prayer group to her through a miraculous chain of events. As a group, we have prayed, and are believing for the healing of Mike’s mind. Please join us in praying for them.)
(I have asked a few pray-ers to be my guest to share their testimony where they invited God in and He showed up and out. Gina was the first brave sister to step up. I am so excited to share her story.)
by Gina Suiter December 6, 2021
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;” (Isaiah 43:2-3)
“I can’t Lord” is what I said. I can’t do this without you! I can’t be everything in this season that life is demanding of me without you! I can’t bear the pain of seeing the people I love hurt, struggle, grieve … without you! I trust YOU LORD with them and with all of me.
God knows our needs, has a plan in place, and is waiting for us to ask! The Lord answered the needs of my family in a MIGHTY way.
The Lord prompted me to reach out to a family member about a difficult season our family has been walking through. We needed to convert a portion of our free-standing garage to a small apartment. I shared with him what I felt were our needs. From that point, everything fell into place. Our answer was his response, “Don’t worry about anything. We are going to take care of it and make it as easy on your family as we can.” We were blown away by the kindness of four incredible young men with hearts to serve, who stepped into our lives to help meet the needs of our family. When there seems to be a shortage in everything, God supplied all we needed without delay. The Lord also made provision through an incredible woman, to provide a place for them to stay while they worked on our conversion!
They all have sacrificed for us! They have given their time, skills, and time away from their own families to help meet the needs of our family. We are blown away by God and by these young men (and woman)!
“I CAN” is what I heard the Lord shout into my heart! The love the Lord has shown us, His provision and the hearts of these men have reminded our family that WE CAN…“with GOD all things are possible”. (Matthew 19:26)
I enCOURAGE you to trust God in all things. He has your answer. You “can” with Him.
(Gina is a sister in Christ that I met at church on Prayer Team. Our lives have traveled similar paths. God wove our lives together in an uncanny way. We have common interests, callings, and have experienced so many similar things thought our lives. We ar together for “such a time as this.”)
“‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’” (Jeremiah 33:3 NKJV)
Forgive me? On December 1, 2021, at the Complete in Him encouragement, I wrote:
“I enCOURAGE you to not do life without Him. Invite Jesus and all His wisdom into every area of your life. It will be miraculous. It’s Him in us “who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.” (Ephesians 3:20 NKJV). Stay tuned tomorrow for some real-life examples of how Jesus stepped in and saved the day.”
I wrote this encouragement the same day but forgot to post on December 2nd. Again, forgive me? This is the story of how Jesus multiplied my time and saved the day. It is a great follow up to yesterday’s post!
We have a flexible spending account, a debit card with pretax dollars loaded to use for medical expenses. It is a great idea until one has to justify the charges on the account by matching “Explanation of Benefits,” collecting receipts, and submitting, itemized doctor charges, especially when the physician’s charges do notexactly match the EOB. I have had to do this in the past and it is a pain. Last year, it took me hours of gathering on the phone with doctor’s offices, insurance companies and the FSA company. It took four to eight hours to put all the pieces of the puzzle together and submit the justification. To be honest, this year I ignored the justification request for months and it has laid in a neat pile waiting my attention! I designated one whole day as “deal with it day.” When I finally went to work on this project, I was missing a piece, the physician’s itemized billed. I had it on top of my file, but it was nowhere to be found. It had been there less than a week ago, calling out my name. I could have become very upset, but I had prayed for wisdom before I started. This arduous task had taken me all day to accomplish in the past. I was determined to wipe this project off my to-do list in a day.
Thankfully, I only had five charges at one doctor, not multiple charges at multiple doctors. I went to the doctor and was quickly given the itemized five-page bill. This was not going to be simple. It was going to be like looking for a needle in a haystack.
BUT GOD…I had invited Him in earlier with the request for wisdom. I had not lost my cool in the delay. HE SHOWED UP. Not one, but two of the financial advisors gave me the same advice, “Submit your explanation of benefits and your itemized bill and let them match up everything .” What? Was this possible? Had God miraculously answered my call for wisdom?
I went home and did as instructed. It may have taken thirty minutes to upload and submit my justifications, probably less. The next day, I looked online at our account, and all holds on our account were GONE! The Holy Spirit had stepped in and saved the day. God multiplied my time. He answered my prayer and I declare it was a miracle! You have no idea what a headache it has been in the past. I feared doing it because of the difficulty. I faced the fear and God showed up with the answer. GLORY TO HIS NAME.
I enCOURAGE you to invite God into the middle of everything!!!! I am about to open some doors that I have kept closed to Him. I will let you know how that works out, too. I believe it will be life changing. If He does this for me in a little problem, I can’t wait to see what He does when I surrender everything, and I mean everything to Him. Stay tuned!
Salvador Dali Clock Persistence Of Memory by Nicolay Homenko
by Tammy Phillips December 4, 2021
“To everything [there is] a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:” (Ecclesiastes 3:1 NKJV)
We say we do not have time to do this and that. The word of God says there is “a time for every purpose under heaven.” The word season implies a stated or appointed time. The word “purpose” is the Hebrew word, hepes,meaning, delight and pleasure. In light of these facts, Ecclesiastes 3:1 could read like this:
To everything there is a season, an appointed, stated time, A time for every purpose, delight, and pleasure under heaven.
When we say we do not have time, that is a fallacy. Everything has an appointed time. The truth is we do not make time. We run around like “a chicken-with its-head-cutoff.” We let time manage us instead of us managing and stewarding the time we have been given by God. We have been given…
“A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck [what is] planted;
A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up
A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away;
A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak;
A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace.” (Ecclesiastes 3:2-8 NKJV)
Life is monotonous and filled with “and’s.” All we have is time and time and time, until our time “under the sun” runs out. We have an appointed time to be brought into this world and to leave. We have time. What are we doing with our time? Are we managing it well? What “and” would you add to King Solomon’s list? Christmas shopping? Time with your spouse or children? Time with the Lord praying or reading His word? Life is the same cycle over and over again, but we have time to do whatever we want or choose to do.
We cannot waste our time and stay in any one place too long because we might miss the appointed time. Why do we squander our time confessing how sick we are? The Bible says there is “a time to heal.” There is an appointed time to mend. Step into it. There is a time to weep and mourn, but don’t stay there too long; we all so have an appointed time to laugh and dance. Move into it. God…
“He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11 NKJV)
God made “everything beautiful in its time.” I would add, and not so beautiful past its time. When we leave something in the oven too long, it burns. Milk past its date sours. Men past their God given time to choose Jesus as Savior equals death, eternal separation from God and an eternity spent in the lake of fire. God “has put eternity in their hearts.” Eternity in the heart of every man is looking for more than the monotonous routine of life. Man is looking for eternity and man is seeking more time. It can only be found in Jesus.
I enCOURAGE you to invite Jesus into every area of your life. He will give you more time now, and for eternity. With the time God gives you, Holy Spirit will “instruct you and teach you the way to go” (Psalm. 32:8), IF you call on Him. And when it’s time to go and leave the “under the sun,” He will welcome and escort you into eternity. “There is a time for everything.” Don’t miss your time.
“Many a man lost his soul, as Saul did his kingdom, by not discerning his time. Esau came too late; so, did the foolish virgins. If the gale of grace be over-past, the gate shut, the drawbridge taken up, there is no possibility of entrance.” (John Trapp)
December 1, 2021 Sunrise in Clarksville, Tennessee from our driveway
by Tammy Phillips December 3, 2021
“I explored with my mind the pull of wine on my body – my mind still guiding me with wisdom — and how to grasp folly, until I could see what is good for people to do under heaven during the few days of their lives.” (Ecclesiastes 2:3 CSB)
Solomon grasped that life under the sun is just a few days. Some days seem like they last for an eternity, but really, they are a blink of an eye in light of eternity. Solomon contemplated the meaning of life throughout the book of Ecclesiastes. I think it is funny that the same man who wrote, “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones “ (Proverbs 17:22 CSB), in the next book of the Bible questioned what does pleasure really accomplish? He implies the following in Ecclesiastes 2.
PLEASURE IS EMPTY (Ecc. 2:1-3) Laughter makes you look like a fool. What does it accomplish?
POSSESSIONS ARE EMPTY. (Ecc. 2:4-11) Solomon had everything “under the sun.” He had…
houses
vineyards
gardens and parks
every kind of fruit tree
reservoirs to irrigate
male and female servants
slaves who were born in his house
livestock -large herds and flocks - more than all in Jerusalem
mass amounts silver and gold
the treasure of kings and provinces
male and female singers
many concubines, the delights of men
became great
surpassed all in Jerusalem
had wisdom, wisdom, wisdom
all that his eyes desired and did not deny himself
did not refuse himself any pleasure
“When I considered all that, I had accomplished and what I had labored to achieve, I found everything to be futile and a pursuit of the wind. There was nothing to be gained under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 2:11 CSB)
The wisest and the richest man who had gained everything “under the sun” proclaimed it all to be empty and nothingness. In America we are conditioned to believe that we can have it all. We are driven to believe that more, more, and more will complete us. Solomon begged to differ. His wisdom knew that there was more than what is “under the sun.”
WORK IS EMPTY (Ecc. 2:18-26) Solomon hated all his work that he labored at under the sun because he had to leave it behind in death. He questioned, “what does a person get with all his work and all his efforts that he labors at under the sun?”(Ecclesiastes 2:22 CSB)
He spoke the truth when he said workdays are filled with grief and sorrow. Like many workers He also talked about not being able to leave his work at work. He stated, “even at night, his mind does not rest. This too is futile.” (Ecclesiastes 2:23 CSB)
Ecclesiastes 2, Solomon, the man who had everything “under the sun,” concluded pleasures, possessions and work were all empty nothingness. Pleasure for pleasures sake, possessing just to possess and working just to work brings nothing. However, he believed, “There is nothing better for a person than to eat, drink, and enjoy his work. I have seen that even this is from God’s hand because who can eat and who can enjoy life apart from him?” (Ecclesiastes 2:24-25 CSB)
Life, meaning, and enjoyment are only found in and from God. Without Him it is all for nothing!
“For to the person who is pleasing in his sight, he gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy; but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and accumulating in order to give to the one who is pleasing in God’s sight. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind. “ (Ecclesiastes 2:26 CSB)
If we do for doing sake, it brings naught. It is futile and a pursuit of the wind. How do you think Solomon became so wealthy? He gained the spoils of those who did not honor nor listen to God.
I enCOURAGE you to make your life count in the few days that we have under the sun. “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31 CSB). It will bring meaning to life. Otherwise, you will continue to wade in the see of futility. Do you ever ask yourself why you are doing what you are doing? Life has meaning and it is not found in work, possessions nor pleasure. It can only be found in doing all we do for Jesus. We are only complete in Him.
“[What is] crooked cannot be made straight…”(Ecclesiastes 1:15 NKJV)
When our boys were little and misbehaved, we would direct them to “straighten up.” They might manage for a while and then we would have to issue the instruction again. They were boys and they were messy. Straight would last a bit but not for long.
Solomon said, “I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all [is] vanity and grasping for the wind.” (Ecclesiastes 1:14 NKJV). He saw the world through the eyes of man. In all his wisdom he saw chaos, disorder, and incompleteness. He discovered the crooked, perverted, bent, twisted, and bowed down could not simply autocorrect itself. Adam and Eve bowed down in the garden. They ignored the voice of wisdom and embraced the lie. When they did this, it messed up the world and they could not fix it. They could not bring worldly order out of the disorder they had created.
They could not straighten nor mend things up. It was just not in their power.
When man sinned, he bowed down to the words of Satan and turned his back on God. Thank God, He had a plan to straighten everything out, Jesus. Isaiah through faith-washed eyes saw things from God’s perspective. He heard…
“Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:” (Isaiah 40:4 KJV)
“And I will bring the blind by away [that] they knew not; I will lead them in paths [that] they have not known I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.” (Isaiah 42:16 KJV)
“I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron:” (Isaiah 45:2 KJV)
Isaiah saw the coming Messiah as a change agent to make the “crooked places straight.” Solomon realized all the wisdom under the sun was futile, empty, and could not bring the needed eternal straightening. He concluded, “For in much wisdom [is] much grief, And he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.” (Ecclesiastes 1:18 NKJV). He was discouraged. The more he learned, the more he realized he didn’t know. The more knowledge gained about life under the sun, the greater was his sadness and hopelessness. Turn your back on God and this is where life will lead.
I encourage you with the words of John recorded by Luke, “Every valley will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be made low; the crooked will become straight, the rough ways smooth, and everyone will see the salvation of God.” (Luke 3:6 CSB). God had a plan to “level the playing field.” It was and is the salvation of God! His name is Jesus. Can you hear Him calling? “Straighten up, kids! I will lead the way and be your example.” He is the only way. He is the only wisdom that can clean up the mess that we have made in the world and our lives. Men cannot autocorrect, but Jesus can and will straighten up the “crooked places” in the world. It is why He came to straighten the mess man made. Don’t be discouraged. We have hope in Jesus. Invite Him and watch him straighten things up.
“’Vanity of vanities,’ says the Preacher; ‘Vanity of vanities, all [is] vanity.’” (Ecclesiastes 1:2 NKJV)
“’Meaningless! Meaningless!’ says the Teacher. ‘Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.’” (Ecclesiastes 1:2 NIV)
“’Absolute futility,’ says the Teacher. ‘Absolute futility. Everything is futile.’” (Ecclesiastes 1:2 CSB)
Ecclesiastes is written by Solomon. 1 Kings 4:31-34 tells us he was famous for his wisdom in all nations. He spoke three thousand proverbs: and wrote 1005 songs. He spoke about everything from trees to fishes. All people came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, including from all kings of the earth. He collected knowledge and was wiser than all men. Ecclesiastes begins with “the words of the Preacher.” Preacher literally means “collector of sentences,” and an “assembler together.” Solomon knew a lot and shared a lot. He studied a lot, actually everything “under the sun .” He uses this phrase often throughout his book.
He begins Ecclesiastes with His conclusion. After studying everything and gaining immense wisdom about everything on earth. Solomon in all his wisdom comes to a great conclusion that can be summed up in three words, “All is vanity!” The word vanity means that which vanishes. It is a vapor. It is a breath. It is “poof”, and it is gone. It’s nothing. It’s an emptiness. It is meaningless. It is useless. It is futile.
This is His view. It is world view. This is not an eternal view. He is right. Man alone is nothing and can do nothing. However, “with men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26 NKJV). Solomon didn’t talk about life with God. He talked about just life sans God. Again, he was right. All is vain, empty, worthless, having no substance, value, or importance…when God is not in the middle of it.
In Ecclesiastes 1:3-9, he discusses the cycles of life. He states, “That which has been [is] what will be, That which [is] done is what will be done, And [there is] nothing new under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 1:9 NKJV). We say it like this, “What goes around comes around.”
“Is there anything of which it may be said, “See, this [is] new”? It has already been in ancient times before us.” (Ecclesiastes 1:10 NKJV)
The cycle of life is empty and futile. We get up, go to work, eat, go to sleep and do it all over the next day. There is no hope of things changing, except Jesus. Add Jesus to life and He changes everything. He is Spirit, Breath and Life. He fills the empty and broken spaces in our lives. He completes us and gives us purpose. He gives meaning to this crazy life.
I enCOURAGE you to not do life without Him. Invite Jesus and all His wisdom into every area of your life. It will be miraculous. It’s Him in us “who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.” (Ephesians 3:20 NKJV). Stay tuned tomorrow for some real life examples of how Jesus stepped in and saved the day.
“Whereas you do not know what [will happen] tomorrow. For what [is] your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” (James 4:14 NKJV)
“But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober and watch unto prayer.” (1 Peter 4:7 KJV)
When we think of the word sober, our minds usually conjure one meaning. Don’t get drunk. Why do “we”get drunk? “To lose our minds” from the bombardment of the day and to kill the pain. However, pain has its purpose and can be numbed in a better way, sober prayer.
In the original Greek “sober” appears twice in 1 Peter 4:7. Each word has a little different meaning. Translated 1 Peter 4:7 could read, “Be sober(1) and sober(2) unto prayer.” A double encouragement to be sober.
The first sober we see in the verse is the Greek word sophroneo. It means be of sound mind; self-controlled; without excess of any kind; moderate and discreet.
The second sober in the 1 Peter 4:7 is the Greek word nepho. It originally had a physical meaning, opposed to drunkenness and to be free from the influence of intoxicants. It is a derivative of the Greek word sophron (see above) meaning, of sound mind, sane, in one’s senses, curbing one’s desires and impulses, self-controlled, temperate, calm, impassionate, exercise of cool reasoning. The root words of sophron are sozo, meaning, saved, whole, healed and phren meaning mind or understanding. Hence, we can deduce being sober is having a saved mind, a whole mind, and a healed mind.
“Ellicott, on 1Ti 3:2,11, distinguishes between the two words by regarding sophron as pointing to the outward exhibition of the inward virtue implied in nepho.”– H. E. Jacobs
Excess clouds the mind. Excess divides the mind and our attention. Excess distracts and diverts our focus.
What does 1 Peter 4:7 mean to me? I hear:
BE SOBER. Be self-controlled. Don’t lose you mind. Save your mind. Don’t get drunk. Don’t get drunk on alcohol. Don’t get drunk on drugs. Don’t get drunk on sex. Don’t get drunk on food. Don’t get drunk on power. Don’t get drunk on money. Don’t get drunk on fame. BE SOBER. BE ALERT. BE AWAKE. Stay calm, cool, and collected. Save the mind. Don’t get drunk. BE SOBER in the place of prayer.
I enCOURAGE you (and me) to be sober. We are blessed. It is so easy to step or slip into excess and “lose our minds.” We are called to be sound minded and self- controlled in all things.
1 Peter 4:1 tells us to arm ourselves with the same mind as Christ. This is not possible if we are drunk with the things of the world.
“Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of [his] time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. For we [have spent] enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles–when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries.” (1 Peter 4:3 NKJV)
Remember, as followers of Jesus,“We have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:16 NKJV). We don’t want to lose it! Be sober.
“And Jesus answered and said to them: ‘Take heed that no one deceives you.’’’ (Matthew 24:4 NKJV)
I prayed and asked the Lord what He has to say today. I did not have anything stored in the treasury vault waiting to be spread abroad. I was hoping to lead off the week with an upbeat, encouraging word of blessing or exhortation, instead I got “warning.” I could not run away from, so here we go.
In Matthew 24 the disciples pulled Jesus aside and asked Him what would be the sign of His coming, and the end of the world? His first response was, “take heed that no one deceives you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.” (Matthew 24:4-5 KJV)
Jesus warned them and us.
Take Heed
Watch out
See
Be aware
Beware
Continually watch
That no one
No man
No woman
No person
Nothing
Anything
Anyone
Something
Someone
Anything ordinary
Anything extraordinary
Deceive
Roam about
Go astray
Err
Seduce
Wander
Be out of the way
Lead aside from the right way
He warns us again later again in Matthew 24:4, “For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”
Thank God for the warnings. I love that He says, “if possible” in the verse above, meaning that it is impossible for the fake to deceive the True Lord.
Sadly, I have fallen for the ploy of the devil. I have deceived and I have been deceived. I have allowed my mind to be misled. I have believed what is false and disbelieved what is true. I have been deluded. I have deceived to “protect ” my family. What a lie from the pits of hell. Satan’s mission is to deceive and that is why God hates the lie. Well, I have fallen for the deception, but we do not have to. I take Jesus’ warning very seriously. I watch and am looking continually for the truth in all things. If we do not take that stance, we will be deceived.
How do we avoid the deception?
“Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This [is] the way, walk in it,” Whenever you turn to the right hand Or whenever you turn to the left.” (Isaiah 30:21 NKJV)
And one of my all-time favorite guiding scriptures,
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.” (Psalm 32:8 NKJV)
The only way to way to wade through this world of deception is to follow Jesus.
I enCOURAGE you. I share strength with your mind and spirit. I warn you again with the words of Jesus, “TAKE HEED THAT NO ONE DECEIVES YOU!”Ask God, seek, watch, get into the Word of God, He will show you the way to go. Trust Him! He will guide you in all truth so you will not be deceived, but you have to watch continually and that is work. It is not idly standing by.
“Behold, God [is] my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; ‘For YAH, the LORD, [is] my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.’ “” (Isaiah 12:2 NKJV)
I might need to turn on the television more often. I was watching football and another ad caught my attention. It was a Fitbit ad where one overweight man was preparing for a marathon, another to block soccer goals, another pushed themself on the bench press, and another rolled on a stage in a wheelchair. It ends with a woman climbing out of a tent, suspended in midair at a 90-degree angle to the side of rocky mountain wall, and her ascent up the wall. The Fitbit user’s question, “What’s strong with me?” before they conquer their fears or disabilities to show their own strengths. Finally, Fitbit questions the consumer, “What’s strong with you?”
From the ad, I learned as we are challenged to overcome fears and failures, we should not ask, “what is wrong with me?” Instead, we should dig deep, find our inner power, and ask “What is strong with me?”
WHAT IS STRONG WITH YOU?
“For we walk by faith, not by sight:” (2 Corinthians 5:7 KJV)
We walk strong. We walk, tread all around, make progress, trample, crush with the feet, encounter successfully the greatest perils from the machinations and persecutions of Satan, strike with a sting and hit as if by a single blow. This is how we walk in Him.
“Run in such a way as to get the prize.” (1 Corinthians 9:24 NIV) And “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,”(Hebrews 12:1 NIV)
We run strong. We prepare for the marathon. God gives us the endurance and encouragement. Our flesh might fail, and we might be weary, but God gives us the strength to keep going. He increases the power of the weak. He gives us hope, renews our strength. He makes us soar like eagles. We will run and not grow weary! We will walk and not be faint, stumble or fall.
“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement…you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 15:6 NIV)
“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (Psalm 73:26 NIV)
“Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:31 NIV)
We block strong. If we have to “block soccer goals,” or any other obstruction that Satan throws at us, the Lord is our strength and our defense. He is the one that saves us; it is not ourselves. We have to be on guard. Stand and be brave. How do we block the greatest offenses coming at us? With great defense! We do everything in love in and do not take offense.
“The LORD is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.” (Exodus 15:2 NIV)
“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.” (1 Corinthians 16:14 NIV)
We lift strong. We push ourselves on the “bench press” of life. Pressure and temptation will come, but we lift and throw everything to Him. We push through. We press on to take hold of what Christ Jesus took hold of for us. (Philippians 3:12) We press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:14)
“So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV)
“Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.” (Psalm 55:22 NIV)
“After we have suffered a little while, God himself restore us and make us strong, firm, and steadfast.”(1 Peter 5:10)
We roll strong. Satan thinks if he knocks our legs out from under us, and even paralyzes us that he has won. The fall does not define us. Being paralyzed does not define the person in the wheelchair. If we have to “roll on the stage in a wheelchair,” we roll strong, fearless, and brave. God gives us the peace for pain and fear. He gives us His joy in all circumstances. It is our strength. This is how we roll. This is how we overcome.
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NIV)
“Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10 NIV)
We climb strong. If we are called to do the impossible, like climbing out of a tent suspended in midair at a 90-degree angle to the side of rocky mountain wall, Jesus says that all things are possible. Believe. God will give us the strength we need to climb strong…”feet like deer.”
We climb strong knowing He goes before us, stands beside us, and covers our rear end. Not to mention, He hold us in His hand.
“Jesus said to him, ‘If you can believe, all things [are] possible to him who believes.’” (Mark 9:23 NKJV)
“The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to tread on the heights.” (Habakkuk 3:19 NIV)
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10 NIV)
We are clothed strong. “She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.” (Proverbs 31:25 NLT)
We go strong. “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9 NIV)
I enCOURAGE you with my answers to what is strong with me. We are only strong in Him. In Him we walk, run, block, lift, roll, climb, dress, and go strong. In Him we can do all things. You are complete in Him, but you have to discover and believe this for yourself. “What is strong with you?”
“That is why, 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.” (2 Corinthians 12:10 NIV)
Complete in Him 