Today’s Reading: Isaiah 40:25-31
Isaiah 40:29 — He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.
God promises to give us power. In my neighborhood, I often see advertisements for fitness centers with photos showing muscular young men posing in their underwear. They have spent many months or years developing their physiques, and they appear to have some physical strength. But do they have spiritual power and strength?
When trials and tribulations and temptations come, spiritual power and strength are needed. Even physically fit young people can be diagnosed with deadly cancer or face the loss of a loved one. Tragically, some celebrities with very attractive, strong-looking bodies end up dead from suicide because they did not have spiritual strength to handle difficult situations.
Our God, the Holy One, declares that He is so mighty and strong that He holds together the universe that He created by His power. This great, everlasting God offers to give us His strength and power. On our own, we are weak and we face some powerful enemies that would ruin our lives.
We cannot defeat our own selfish, sinful nature, the flesh. That is impossible. Fighting my weakness makes it stronger. My “good” flesh fights my “bad” flesh and seems to win, but good or bad, my flesh still controls me. I have only exchanged “bad” sins for “good” sins, and I have deceived myself into believing I am in control, but I am not.
It is God who must be my strength. Jesus was crucified in weakness, but now He lives by the power of God. My old self has been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I—that old self—that live, but Christ lives in me. The power of the resurrected Christ is given to me so that I have spiritual strength to face every trial, tribulation, and temptation.
Let the Holy Spirit take control of you today so that you will have strength in weakness.
…08/15/2024
Devotional
“When trials and tribulations and temptations come, spiritual power and strength are needed.”
It is true.
I cannot defeat my own selfish, sinful nature, my flesh. That is impossible. Fighting my weakness makes it even stronger. I have deceived myself into believing I am in control, but I am not.
“My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Galatians 2:20 NLT
The power of the resurrected Christ is given to me so that I have spiritual strength to face every trial, tribulation, and temptation.