THE DISCOVERY OF STRENGTH

 There are always those times when it seems that Satan is getting the best of us.

 Sometimes its hard to maintain our level of faith and trust in God, when we are really being put to the test by the trials and temptations in life.  Its easy to live for God and trust Him when all is going well.

 DISCOVERING THE SOURCE OF OUR STRENGTH Isaiah 40:29-31 [ 29] “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. [30] Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; [31] 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.”

 Real spiritual growth happens when our faith is put to the test – and we PASS 1 Peter 1:5-7 “ … who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. [6] In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. “ cont.

[7] These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”

JAMES 1:2-4 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, [3] because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. [4] Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

 So the test is on! The question is not one of just survival, but whether you will PASS or FAIL. …If you pass, your FAITH will grow stronger

I. LEARNING TO TRUST GOD  The longer I live, the more I realize that everything is in God’s hands.

 LIES WHICH SHORT-CIRCUIT MAN’S DISCOVERY OF THE UNLIMITED POWER AND STRENGTH OF GOD. (1) “Mankind can work it out by himself” Isaiah 2:22 “ Stop trusting in man, who has but a breath in his nostrils.…”

JEREMIAH’S PRAYER Jeremiah 10:23 “I know, O LORD, that a man's life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps.”

LIES… (2) “ Mankind has the weapons and resources to overcome.” Isaiah 31:1 “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the LORD.”

Hebrews 13:5,6 “…God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.“ [6] So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"

LIES… (3) “Riches and material possessions solve the riddle of our lives.” Proverbs 18:11 “The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it an unscalable wall.”

Materialism… Living The Lie Of A Divided Heart Matthew 6:21 “…where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (vs.24) " No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”

LIES… (4) “I can handle this myself” Hosea 10:13 “But you have planted wickedness, you have reaped evil, you have eaten the fruit of deception. Because you have depended on your own strength and on your many warriors,…”

THE LORD’S SUMMARY OF MAN’S FOLLY AND GOD’S REMEDY Jeremiah 9:23,24 This is what the LORD says: "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, [24] but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight," declares the LORD.

II. In Recognizing our human frailty, the way is paved for the DISCOVERY OF STRENGTH which transcends our natural resources. 2 Corinthians 4:6,7 “For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness,“ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. [7] But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. “

1 CORINTHIANS 4:7 “ For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?”

 In many cases we are not set up to discover the reality and wonder of God’s strength because we’re served a daily dose of self reliance. Psalms 44:6-8 [6] “I do not trust in my bow, my sword does not bring me victory;…” cont.

[7] “…but you give us victory over our enemies, you put our adversaries to shame. [8] In God we make our boast all day long, and we will praise your name forever.” Selah

Isaiah 40:31 “…those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.”  The prophet’s point is, that God is the source of strength whereby HUMAN WEAKNESS IS INFUSED WITH POWER.

 Under the glorious New Covenant, we have the indwelling of deity as an ever present source of strength. Ephesians 3:16 “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, …”

1 John 5:3,5 “This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, [5] Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”  When the Bible speaks of faith, it involves a relationship with the living God through faith in Jesus Christ.