DFO GN36: WHAT IS "STRONG"?
Comp. 9/89
DFO
1. If you don't stay close to the Lord, God can't use your gifts, your genius. If you don't dedicate it all to God and have it absolutely bathed in prayer and the Holy Spirit, God can't use your talents!
2. "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth Me, that I am the Lord! He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord!"--Jer.9:23,24; 1Cor.1:31.
3. This was the main difference between David and Saul: David relied on the Lord and gave Him all the glory. He knew he was nothing, and that if it weren't for God he'd just be a shepherd boy out in the fields somewhere. It was God Who made him what he was, and he knew it.
4. In the beginning, Saul knew that too, that he was nothing. He was very shy. When Samuel came to anoint him, the Bible says he was so shy that he went and "hid himself amongst the stuff," even though he was head and shoulders above his brethren. (See 1Sam.10:21-23.)
5. The trouble was that he soon forgot that it was only the Lord, and it went to his head and he thought it was Saul who put him where he was. He got to thinking it was his own arm that had saved him, that it was his own brilliance that had made him king. So God said to him, "When thou wast little in thine own eyes I did highly exalt thee."--1Sam.15:17. But when he became exalted and lifted up in his own eyes, God had to greatly abase him.
6. Saul is a good example of someone with a lot of "natural" strength and ability: He was a big man, a man of talents, a man of ability, a great leader, a good organiser, a tremendous king.--And God was with him and God blessed him as long as he was yielded and obedient to the Lord. But when the day came that Saul thought he could get along without obeying the Lord, without heeding God's Word or obeying His Prophet, that he could do things his own way, that was the beginning of his end!
7. Saul got so smart, he became a smart-aleck. He thought he knew better than God, that he knew better than the Prophet!--And he became rebellious and disobedient and went his own way and wrecked everything!--Including smashing his own career and destroying his own family.
8. Saul's problem was that he began to trust in his own strength and his own wisdom and his own arm instead of the Lord. Look where it got him! What a sad, sad story!--But what a good reminder to all of us that none of us are smart enough or strong enough in ourselves. We need to constantly cling to the Lord and continually seek His guidance.
9. Although he was called, ordained, designed and gifted by the Lord, because of his unyieldedness and disobedience, he became a brittle, unbending, unyielded, unusable tool who kept going his own way and kept going further and further astray till God had to choose a little shepherd boy out of the field, a little nobody, to take his place.
10. To be truly "strong in the Lord," you've got to be strong in faith--which Saul obviously wasn't. It was his lack of faith in God and God's Word that caused him to disobey and go ahead in his own strength. He lacked faith because he didn't heed the Word of God! (See 1Sam.13:8-14.)
11. No matter how talented you are, how great you are, how terrific you are, what great ideas you have, if they're not God's ideas, you'll fail, like Saul did!--You'll go the way of all flesh instead of the way of the Spirit!--The way of Saul instead of the way of David. Saul tried to do things in his own strength, and he found he wasn't strong enough. David learned you have to let God do everything!
12. "It is the Spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing!"--Jn.6:63. Regardless of all of your gifts, talents and strengths, without the Lord's anointing and inspiration, you'll never be as greatly used by God as He wants you to be!--What makes you and your accomplishments really great is the greatness God gives--His Spirit, His inspiration.
13. Like Saul, many churches today are another example of seeming strength and might.--They appear to have everything. But they're one Hell of a failure because they've lost the Spirit!--They have no anointing or power, no real emotion.--The fire's gone!
14. What good is a furnace when its fire goes out? It's cold and dark and useless! It's still all there--just no fire. Regardless of all of its intricate parts and wonderful abilities and marvellous design, without the fire, it's dead, cold and dark!
15. So all that to say, whether your talents and strengths are many or few, to truly be used of the Lord to bring His life, light and warmth to others, you must be yielded and obedient to Him!--That's the key!
16. So what is strength?--True strength, Godly strength, strength that God can use for His glory?--It's the result of believing God's Word, yielding to God's Will and obeying His plan and humbly fulfilling the role He has for you! God bless you as you yield to Him and let Him have His way in your life! Praise the Lord!
TALENTS & GIFTS, STRENGTHS & WEAKNESSES!
DFO Comp. 8/89
1. I'm sure that every one of you can look back on your life & see how God's hand was upon you all along, how He was preparing you for the job He was going to call you to do one day. Even before you were saved He was already preparing you, taking care of you & protecting you so that you could one day serve Him.
2. "The preparations of the heart in man are from the Lord. A man can receive nothing except it be given him from Heaven."--Pro.16:1; Jn.3:27. The Lord made you & designed you, prepared you & gifted you for the work He had for you, even if the Devil got ahold of you & kept you busy in his field for years before you found the Lord! Thank God, you finally got saved & are now putting your talents, experience, training, etc., to use for God's glory!
3. God is the great Master Craftsman Who chooses, ordains, designs & creates specific tools for specific purposes. Take my own Mother, for example: Even before she was saved she had a marvellous vocabulary & grasp of the English language, as well as an outstanding ability to express herself & dramatise things. Then when she got saved & yielded her life to the Lord she became a very useful tool that He could really put to work. When she received messages from Him, interpretations, etc., they flowed just beautifully!--And her sermons were gripping & eloquent!
4. In a sense, I have a similar gift that God uses, the gift of gab--a knowledge of words, vocabulary, etc. Well, that's my main job, to get out God's message in words, so why shouldn't He use the natural talent or gift with words that He's given me? As long as we give Him the credit & the glory, & use the gifts & talents He's given us for His purposes, He's happy to use them to the full!
5. When God has given people certain outstanding gifts, He doesn't hesitate to use them! --That's what He gave them to them for! (Jam. 1:17.) He frequently uses people who already have quite a bit on the ball, who have a lot of drive & aggressiveness. Look at me! He usually uses fighters! Let's face it, some people would have a lot of push & a lot of drive even if God didn't anoint them!
6. In many cases, He simply takes people who've already got that natural drive, & He takes their gifts & their talents & their strengths & their drive & vigor & fervor & fight & He uses it for His glory!--In fact, He enhances it & inspires it even more & gives them even more strength to accomplish His results & to glorify Him!--Providing they've learned to put their will on God's side & to let Him take control of their lives & actions! PTL!
THE STRENGTH OF WEAKNESS!
7. Of course, a lot of the time most of us don't feel very strong & we feel sort of lacking in gifts, strengths, talents or abilities. Well, that's when we can encourage our faith by remembering that God specialises in taking & using people who seemingly have little or nothing in themselves.
8. He says, "For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the World to confound the wise: & God hath chosen the weak things of the World to confound the things which are mighty: And base things of the World, & things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, & things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in His presence!"--1Cor. 1:26-29.
9. His Word even says, "Out of the mouth of babes & sucklings God has ordained strength!" --Psa.8:2. Why does God purposely choose weak people, even "babes & sucklings," of all things?--Because the weaker we are, the more strongly God can manifest His power & show what He can do! It's in our weakness that He is able to manifest His mighty power & His strength to overcome our human frailties & carnal limitations, in order to perform miracles! "We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God & not of us!"--2Cor.4:7.
10. When you're so weak that you don't feel capable or sufficient for the task God has set before you, then He has a chance to take over & do things to suit Himself! In fact, the weaker you get in the flesh, the stronger you can be in the Spirit! He says it's "not by (thy) might, nor by (thy) power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord!"--Zec.4:6. When you're weak, then you're strong because that's when His strength comes in. (2Cor.12:10.)
11. The very fact that you don't feel like you can do it & you feel so incapable is one of the best things possible!--Because then you will seek the Lord, & God will manifest Himself! When you don't even know what to do, then the Lord has a chance to work.--And He will, if you will let Him! "For it is God which worketh in us, both to will & to do of His good pleasure!"--Phil.2:13.
12. The weaker you are & the more incapable you feel, the more you will depend on God.--And the more He likes it & the more things He likes to do for you & the more He likes to help you.--Because then you will thank Him & give Him all the glory & credit! The Lord likes for us to be dependent on Him, He likes for us to know that we need His help, He likes for us to ask Him for it, to look unto Him & cry out to Him for the strength which we lack. It's then that "the things that are impossible with Man become possible with God!"--Luk.18:27. PTL!
13. The times when I was weakest in the flesh, I was strongest in the Spirit because I just had to completely throw myself on the Lord. You don't know how you're going to make it, & that's when He can make it through you. It's then that you trust in the Lord, & through your weaknesses you find His strength.
THE WEAKNESS OF STRENGTH!
14. The biggest temptation for people who have a lot of natural talent, drive, dynamism & abilities is to just boom, boom, boom, push things through in their own strength! Such natural human force has its limits. "Men of force are men of faults," & their biggest fault is when they keep on going in their own strength, their own force, instead of letting the Lord work through them!
15. Having so much natural ability, strength & drive is often the very thing that stands in the way of the Lord showing His strength. It's more difficult for such people to just depend on the Lord because they've got so much natural strength that they're used to leaning on.
16. Like I said, my own Mother had a lot going for her in the natural, a lot of God-given natural talents, abilities, drive, personality, looks, etc. But look what the Lord had to do to her before He could really use it all! He practically had to almost kill her--put her in bed & in a wheelchair for five years! God had to break her back in order to break her will & finally get her down to where she had to just trust the Lord. She didn't have anything else left!--That's when God was able to really use her. Of course, she still had the natural talents & strengths & abilities He'd originally given her, but she learned to lean on Him & let Him use them, & to then give Him all the glory for whatever got accomplished.
LEARNING TO LEAN ON JESUS!
17. Of course, all of us lean on the arm of flesh to some extent at different times. And a very big part of our Christian life is to learn to lean on the Lord & to not do things in our own strength or depend on our own natural abilities & talents. The Lord wants us to rely on Him & His strength.--The kind of strength that is strictly from the Lord. You get it mostly when you're just down & out or almost dead! It's at times like that when you realise how much you need it & you turn utterly to the Lord.
18. This is something you must learn before He can ever fully use you: That you're never going to be able to do what the Lord wants you to do by yourself or by your own will & own strength & self-control & determination or merely making up your mind that you're going to do thus & so. It's going to take prayer & faith & trust & utter reliance & dependence on the Lord!
19. I don't think I personally ever felt like I had very much natural strength, & I think that's why it's easy for me to depend on the Lord.--I had to! I've always known I had to because I felt like I was nothing & that I had nothing. All I had was Jesus!--And I knew I could never do anything without Him & His help. Because the Lord was all I ever had to lean on, I think it was really easy for me to depend utterly on Him & His strength.
HOW TO WIN SPIRITUAL VICTORIES!
20. It's been said that, "Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees." Well, that certainly is the truth, because when you're weak in yourself, that's when you can be "strong in the Lord & in the power of His might!"--Eph.6:10. However, the Devil might not tremble so much if you're one of those who thinks that you're such a "strong" saint.--If you think you can make it on your own & you feel self-confident, that you're so strong, that in itself is a major spiritual weakness! (See 1Cor.10:12.)
21. But if you'll just give up on yourself & completely throw yourself on the mercy of God & just depend on the Lord, & realise you have nothing left but God, that's when He will mightily empower you & give you strength that you know not of! As Martin Luther wrote,
"Did we in our own strength confide,
Our striving would be losing!
Were not the right Man on our side,
The Man of God's Own choosing.
--Dost ask Who that may be?
Christ Jesus it is He!
Lord Sabbaoth His Name,
From Age to Age the same,
And He must win the battle!" PTL!
22. We cannot strive in our own strength--we must look to the Lord, & He must win the battle! You don't have to try to win victories by your own striving, struggling & working in the flesh! Just do your part by putting your will on God's side, & God will do the rest, which is virtually everything! PTL!
OVERCOMING WEAKNESSES!
23. It's one thing to admit & confess your weaknesses, but it's another thing to just complain or murmur about them. You need to go on the attack & praise the Lord for the strength you do have! And once you've confessed weaknesses, you've got to "fight the good fight of faith" (1Tim.6:12) & strive to overcome them with the Lord's help. When you make the right choice, the Lord will step in & help you to overcome your weaknesses, & will manifest His strength through you.
24. Of course, some people don't want to overcome their weak areas. They'd rather excuse all their faults & weaknesses by saying, "Well, I'm just that way, that's just me, I can't help it! My dad was that way, or my mother was that way, & it's just born in me, I can't overcome it. I've got that weakness, that personality trait, it's my star sign, my sun sign" blah, blah! Phooey! That's just not so! God's Word says, "Be not conformed to this World, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind!"--Rom.12:2.
25. If necessary, God can completely transform your personality despite any & all natural influences!--You've just got to do your part by putting your will on God's side, & then depending utterly upon the Lord!--On His Love, His power, His Strength, His Spirit & His Word, which are stronger than anything the Devil can muster!
26. You've just got to really look to the Lord in very earnest prayer for His strength & Spirit & inspiration & power to pull you through!--Otherwise, you'll never make it. He says, "Without Me, ye can do nothing!"--Jn.15:5. If you don't really trust the Lord & rely on Him to carry you through, but you just keep struggling & pushing in your own strength, you're apt to wear yourself out & be headed for a nervous breakdown before you know it!
27. "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, & in the power of His might! Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the Devil!"--Eph. 6:10,11. Don't let the Devil take an inch! "Neither give place to the Devil!"--Eph.4:27. Don't allow any little chinks in the wall to let him in, but resist him & he will flee if you really fight! PTL!
28. Bless & strengthen them in the power of Thy might, Lord, not their own flesh. Not in their own strength, but Thy strength.--Not their own self-confidence, but confidence in Thee! Bless them, Lord, & keep them humble, close to Thee, totally dependent on Thee & Thy Spirit.
29. Bless & strengthen & keep each one. Give each one the faith & strength to stand against all the fiery darts of the Enemy! Help them to put on all the armour of God so that they will be able to stand against any onslaughts of Satan.
30. Help them to know that without You they can do nothing, they cannot do the Master's Work without the Master's power. Strengthen them, Lord, by Thy Word & by the Sword of Thy Spirit that they may be able to fight the Enemy & defeat him by Thy power!
31. We know that You always provide the strength & the wisdom & the power for the tasks & challenges before us as we lean hard upon You & Your Word, so help us all to continue doing that. In Jesus' name, amen!
32. God bless you & keep you & encourage you & comfort you, strengthen you, help you & love you with all His might! Praise the Lord! Amen? I love you!
MORE THOUGHTS FROM GOD'S WORD ON STRENGTH & WEAKNESS!
Comp.8/89
We Are to Trust in God's Strength, Not Our Own:
Psa.118:8 It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in Man.
Jer.17:5,7 Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. (But ...) Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.
Jdg.7:2 And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many (32,000) for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against Me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me. (The ranks were consequently purged down to a measly band of only 300!)
Psa.33:16 There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength.
Reliance on Our Own Strength (Pride) Usually Precedes a Fall:
Pro.16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, & an haughty spirit before a fall.
1Cor.10:12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. (Peter's self-confidence prior to Jesus' arrest brought him to shame. "When pride cometh, then cometh shame."--Pro.11:2.)
Mat.26:33,35 Peter answered and said unto Him, Though all men shall be offended because of Thee, yet will I never be offended. ... Though I should die with Thee, yet will I not deny Thee. (Shortly thereafter, Peter "followed afar", denied Him thrice & wound up weeping bitterly once he realised how miserably he had failed in his own strength.--See Mat.26:58, 69-75.)
Paul's Example of Being Weak in the Flesh, but Strong in the Spirit:
1Cor.2:3-5 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of Man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
2Cor.10:10 For his letters, say they, are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible. (See also 1Th.1:5.)
2Cor.12:9,10 And He said unto me, "My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in (your) weakness." Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
The Lord Is Your Strength!
Psa.68:35 The God of Israel is He that giveth strength and power unto His people.
1Chr.29:12 Both riches and honour come of Thee, and Thou reignest over all; and in Thine hand is power and might; and in Thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.
Psa.18:32 It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.
Psa.37:39 The salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: He is their strength in the time of trouble.
Psa.68:28 Thy God hath commanded thy strength: strengthen, O God, that which Thou hast wrought for us.
Be Strong in Faith & Grace in the Lord!
Eph.6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.
Rom.4:19,20 (Abraham) being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God.
2Tim.2:1 Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
Psa.71:16 I will go in the strength of the Lord God: I will make mention of Thy righteousness, even of Thine only.
Eph.3:16 That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man.
Call Upon Him, & He Will Strengthen You!
Psa.105:4 Seek the Lord, and His strength: seek His face evermore.
Psa.119:28 My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen Thou me according unto Thy Word.
Psa.138:3 In the day when I cried Thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.
Psa.27:14 Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.
Isaiah 40:29-31 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Isaiah 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness!
LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE!
DFO 9/88
--A Talk to David & Techi on Staying Positive!
--By Maria
1. If we get too attached to things, then we don't get desperate enough with the Lord or attached enough to Him. If anything else became more important to us, then the Lord wouldn't be so important, & we wouldn't have to cling so desperately to Him.
2. With all the things that happen in your life, just count them as good experiences that the Lord's given you. Even though something might seem bad, it's an experience the Lord's using to teach you, so it's good because it's from the Lord, or the Lord allows it in some way. With all the experiences you go through in life, some are more exciting, some are less exciting, some you maybe learn more lessons from & others you learn less lessons from, but the Lord uses them all.
3. Even if you don't get to do something at all, thank the Lord for that, because the Lord has His reasons. And if you do get to do something, then just enjoy it to the full as long as it lasts, even if it lasts only for a short while. And when it's over, don't negate all the fun that it was by saying, "Oh, it's so awful to have to stop now & not be able to continue having all that fun!"
4. Instead, think of it in the positive: "Look at the wonderful experiences I had & the nice time I had & all the lessons I learned! Even if it was only for a week, it was really a lot of fun, we got to do things we never did before," instead of negating the whole thing & making the whole thing a sad experience by saying, "Oh boy, I couldn't even stay!--It's all over!" Look at it in a positive way, at what a good experience it was: "Well, maybe it only lasted a short while, but it was such a good experience!" Or, "Maybe I didn't even do so great, but I learned a lot of good lessons from it."
5. It's much better to get positive lessons out of things instead of spoiling them all by murmuring at the end & saying, "Well, yes, it was nice, but I had to leave." A lot of people do that & then they spoil all the good that it was & the nice experience that it was by making it negative & by making it bad.--"Well, it was nice but it didn't last & I wasn't able to enjoy it for very long." That really spoils it, because then you're emphasising the negative instead of looking on the good. "Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, & if there be any praise, think on these things!" --Phil.4:8.--Amen?
6. Every experience should be treated positively. At the end of it you shouldn't say, "It was nice living here, but oh dear, now I've got to leave my kitties & my garden." Instead you should say, "Praise the Lord, it was really nice living here, & I'm so thankful I had my kitties & my garden! Those will be so nice to remember, & I learned so much about gardening & taking care of pets," & just look at it in the positive. That makes it a good experience & that's the way the Lord wants us to look at it.
7. But so many people do just the opposite: They say, "Well, yes, it was good, but now I have to leave it. I had this great game I was playing but I couldn't finish it, so what good was it?" Well, you had fun playing part of it, didn't you? If you get called out in the middle of something fun you're doing, well, you enjoyed part of it, even though you didn't get to finish the rest.
8. That's the positive way to look at things! The way to get the most out of life is to look at the good things that you've had instead of all the things you're going to miss or you didn't have! So even if you don't get to do something, you can think of all the good things you had here & all the good things you're going to have in the next place & the fun times you're going to have, different experiences in life. Right? Or if you just got to do something for a little while, well, that was fun, you had a really good experience, & thank the Lord He let you do that much, but now we're going to do something else. Don't you think that's a better way to look at it?
9. It was hard leaving the last place, but you soon forgot about it, & you found something better, & now you don't even miss it. You have kitties here, even nicer kitties than you had there. So the Lord gives you better things along the way. You have your own little garden here that you didn't have at the last place. And you've had different experiences & the Lord's given you different things along the way to grow you up.
10. In your experiences here you learned a lot of lessons. Maybe you even learned some of the benefits of backsliding. If you'd just been perfect & good all the time, you might not have learned so much. You really learned a lot, the benefits of backsliding too!
11. Maybe you learned even more than you would have if you'd been so good! Sometimes we learn a lot more when we're bad than when we're good. But next time around, please try to be good, okay? All right? PTL!
12. So you want the Lord's Will, right? Techi, you said there are so many different options, so many different alternatives. And what did you conclude?--That you'd be happiest in whatever the Lord wanted you to do, right? So that's really good. PTL!
13. Amen, Lord, You help them to know whatever You want them to do, with Godly counsel & with the right feelings & with Thy Word, to make the right decision. Or Lord, if the decision has to be made for them, help them just to be thankful & happy in whatever it is, "in whatsoever state they are, therewith to be content."--Phil.4:11.
14. Thank You, Lord, for the good lessons You've been teaching them here & the good time that they've had to learn different lessons. Lord, if it's Thy time to teach them a new set of lessons now in a different environment & with different people, well, You can do that too. Sometimes we need changes to teach us different lessons, so if they've learned these lessons & been faithful, maybe You want to give them a chance to learn another set of lessons & give them a new challenge.
15. So help them, Lord, & have Your way, whatever it is, & give them happy, contented, thankful spirits in whatever they need to do. Wherever they are, whatever they do, help them just to press in & learn as much as they can from it & be thankful, in Jesus' name. TYL! Amen, TYJ! Amen?--Are you thankful? GBY! (--In Jesus' name, amen.--D.)
Note: GN 609 ("Safe in the Arms of Jesus!") was DFO GN 35.
Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family