“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.” (Isa. 40:31)

When you are weak and weary

Sometimes things happen that cause you to feel weak. Sometimes it’s a sickness, or maybe it’s something else, such as the loss of a job, a relationship, or some kind of crisis that saps your strength, leaving you feeling weak and vulnerable. The Apostle Paul described an attack he received from persecutors who constantly followed him around and harassed him (2 Cor. 11:32), as well as being attacked by what he described as “a messenger of Satan,” he called “a thorn in the flesh” (2 Cor. 12:7). Five times in the chapter, he described the attacks as “weaknesses” (2 Cor. 12:5–10). And he said, “Three times I pleaded with the Lord to remove it. But God didn’t. Instead, He said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” This reminded Paul of something very important, and he concluded with, “Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, and in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:8–10).

Understand this

God’s people, especially when they are about to stand up for Christ, will get attacked by the forces of evil. But know that God has already supplied sufficient grace to deal with any attack or weakness that will come your way (you don’t have to ask Him again for what He’s already supplied!) And the more the enemy attacks you, the stronger the Lord will make you!

And God has given you many wonderful promises to equip you, such as the passage at the top that promises He will renew your strength when you put your hope in Him.

Therefore

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)

“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” (Isa. 20:49 ESV)

“On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased.” (Psalm 138:3)

“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” (Phil. 4:13)

“What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Rom. 7:24-25 NIV)

We’re all born with a propensity to sin 

Many years ago, when I was young and new in ministry, and as I still do today, I always stated boldly in my talks that everyone is born with a sin nature (Rom. 3:23) and must be redeemed by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, in order to be saved from hell and be transformed into a brand new creation (John 3:1-22). One day, after delivering my message, I was approached by a very angry pastor who took great exception to my message. He said, “You will never convince me that a brand-new little baby is born sinful!” My first thought when I heard him say that was, “Have you ever brought a new baby to your home? We have snd let me tell you, from the very moment they entered our home, they took over! And they cried every time they didn’t get what they wanted. They were totally self-centered and demanded their own way!” But I didn’t argue with him because he was completely convinced that he was right, no matter what the Bible said from cover to cover. By the way, I heard a story about a preacher who tried a little experiment to prove the sin nature in children. His wife ran a daycare, and she had a large backyard set up for about 15 children. One day, while the children were out in the backyard, he opened the back door and got all their attention. He said, “Children, don’t any of you spit on this yellow flower!” He pointed at a daffodil in a flowerpot next to the back door. Then he went back into the house, shut the door, and secretly watched them from an upper window. The children came over as a group and looked at the flower, which they hadn’t even noticed before, then went back to play. But over the next few minutes, one by one, they went over and spit on the flower. That’s because they had been told not to. It only made them want to do it! And that’s how sin works! Remember the story of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden? It’s exactly the same with all humans, today!

Everybody deals with temptation and sin!

• Jesus was tempted three times in the desert, yet He did not sin! (Heb. 4:15-16)

• Peter sinned three times even though he boldly swore to Jesus he would not. (John 18:25-27) 

• The Apostle Paul struggled with sin, and he wrote about its powerful pull on human beings and what to do about it (see below).

“For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Rom. 7:14-24 ESV)

Yes, the Apostle Paul struggled with sin, but in the next verse, right after all he said above, he gives the answer:

“What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Rom. 7:24-25 NIV)

Therefore

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” (Rom. 8:1)

“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” (1 Cor. 10:13)

“For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.” (Rom. 6:14) 

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

“For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.” (1 Cor. 12:12 ESV)

At the moment, I’m sitting in my usual spot in a coffee shop near where I live. It’s where I enjoy a cup of coffee and work on my daily Bible promises. A lot of others are constantly coming and going. I often see small groups of people, Bibles in hand, who are starting their mornings off with Bible study, prayer, and some fellowship. Many of these folks probably don’t know the other people. They probably belong to different churches in our community; we have lots of them. But God, of course, is definitely aware of them all. And I’m sure all of them give and receive a lot of encouragement from each other; there is strength, help, encouragement, and joy in fellowship with other believers. As I ponder all of this, I think of how discouraging, even dangerous, it is for believers to be alone without connection with other believers; they are sitting ducks; and vulnerable to attacks from the enemy! We do need each other!

Elijah fell into the “I am alone” trap!

In the Old Testament, in 1 Kings, chapters 18 and 19, we read an amazing story about the mighty prophet of God, Elijah. He called fire down from heaven and destroyed the false prophets of Baal. It was a mighty victory and demonstrated God’s mighty power. But after Queen Jezebel heard about what he had done, she became angry and threatened to kill him. He became frightened and ran away and hid himself in a cave. God then said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” Elijah complained to God and said, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” In short, Elijah was having a pity party! His big complaint to God was that he had been zealous for God and was the only one left and completely alone! But God had some wonderful news for Elijah. He said, “Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.” Elijah was not the only one left! There were 7,000 others he could fellowship with! Think of what a wonderful and and encouraging support group that could be, and what it could bring to all of them if they got together, especially to Elijah. Wouldn’t you love to be present at that meeting?

Therefore

“For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” (Matt. 18:20 ESV)

“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” (1 Thess. 5:11ESV)

“not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Heb. 10:25)

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” (Acts. 2:42 (ESV)

“The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness” (Isa. 61:3).

A few years ago, I was visiting a friend of mine, and he told me he often experienced deep depression and gloom. He described it as a kind of heaviness that often comes upon him without warning. As he was speaking to me, I remembered a Bible passage that said, “The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness” (Isaiah 61:3). And I told him the verse and said it sounded to me like God’s remedy for the spirit of heaviness, and I suggested he start praising God the moment heaviness comes upon him the next time, and he said he’d try it. I saw him again a few days later, and he greeted me with a big smile and said, “I did it, and it worked!” He was very happy that praise for God was so powerful and freeing. I told him I was happy too, but not surprised. There is an example of this happening in the Old Testiment, in 1 Samuel 16:23, when David played his lyre to console King Saul during his times of depression, and it drove the evil spirit away: “David took the lyre and strummed a tune. Saul got relief from his terror and felt better, and the evil spirit left him.”

One of David’s songs of praise, which he may have performed for Saul

“A Song of Praise. Of David. I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds, and I will declare your greatness. They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of your righteousness. The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made. All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord, and all your saints shall bless you! They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and tell of your power, to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. [The Lord is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works.] The Lord upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works. The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them. The Lord preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.  (Psalms 125:1-21 ESV)

Therefore

“Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! praise him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!” (Psalms 150:1-6)

“For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” (Prov. 23:7a NKJV)

You aren’t what you think you are, but what think, you are!

Zillions of success Books, how-to seminars, and motivational speakers across the planet, are telling you what to do to move your business to the highest level. Most of them are giving the same information, even often quoting each other. And, truthfully, what they say for the most part is generally true and will work if applied. But, and this is a huge “BUT,” these things will work or not work based solely on how you think deep in your mind! Therefore, if you want to change your life, you must change your thinking! That’s because it’s absolutely impossible to behave differently than your dominant thoughts! What you think about controls you; everything you do and say is the result of how you think. All of your decisions are there.

The real you 

The Bible passage at the top, our promise verse of the day, says that what you think about in your heart is the real you. Another passage says, “Out of a man’s heart, so he speaks (Matt. 12:34). And the following verse puts it this way: “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.” (Matt. 12:35 NASB).  

You must fix the mental governor in your head!

Many years ago, when our children were still at home, for our family vacation, we would rent a house on an ocean beach. One of the things we loved doing was renting motor scooters to ride alongside the crashing waves. The scooters had the capacity to go quite fast, but their speed was dramatically reduced by the use of a governor device on the engine. No matter how hard we stepped on the gas, the scooters would never exceed the fixed limit. The only way we could go faster is to adjust it or remove it (of course, we didn't). In the same way, everyone has a “mental governor” in their head that regulates their life and has the power to propel them forward or drag them down! The way to affect your mental governor is through memorizing Scripture with the help of the Holy Spirit. God can help you change the way you think, so ask Him!

“Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So, letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will.” (Rom. 8:5-7 NLT)

What to do

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” (Col. 3:1-4 NIV) 

What to think about

There’s so much negative and destructive information coming at us from every direction: from other people, from social media sources, and from all types of entertainment. As a Christian, God provides you with a checklist to guide your thinking.

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” (Phil. 4:8 NLT) 

“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” (Col. 3:2-3)

Tberefore

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” (2 Cor. 4:16 NIV)

“The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” (James 5:16 NLT)

What’s prayer got to do with it?

When I was a teenager living in a log cabin in the wilds of Alaska, I asked my mother if she ever prayed. She said, “Yes, honey, every time I get a fish on my line, I say, 'God, help me catch it!’” That was it! I never actually saw her pray about anything. Prayer was always a mysterious thing to me. I had lots of questions, but no answers. I wondered why anyone would pray. And would there actually be anyone listening if they did? And I didn’t even know how to pray in the first place if I wanted to.

It’s still like that today

I speak with lots of people, even many Christians, who don’t pray or rarely do. And if they do pray, it’s some kind of formula prayer that they recite before meals or say before going to sleep.

Even the apostles didn’t understand how to pray

The apostles were also confused about how they should pray and asked Jesus to teach them. So, He taught them the Lord’s Prayer (Matt 6:5–15; Luke 11:1–13). You hear it often recited at funerals and other serious events. But Jesus never meant it to be used in place of personal prayer to God (Matt. 6:7). It was meant to serve as a guide regarding eight things you should include when you pray. He said to pray “like this” not to pray this (Matt. 6:9).   1) Pray to your Father, who is in heaven. 2) Acknowledge that His Name is holy. 3) Invite His kingdom to come. 4) Ask His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. 5) Ask Him to supply your daily food. 6) Ask Him to forgive your sins as you forgive others. 7) Ask Him to keep you from temptation and away from evil. And finally, 8) Acknowledge His kingdom, His glory, and His power forever, Amen! Just keep these things in mind and apply them wherever you can as you pray. The main thing is to pray to God continually about everything! (1 Peter 5:7).

Don’t worry about getting it wrong!

The wonderful thing about prayer is that you have the Holy Spirit’s help with it! He’s your personal interpreter! The Bible even says that we don’t know how to pray the way we should, but that the Spirit helps us and will turn our imperfect prayer into exactly what we should be praying about! That’s right, He helps and corrects our prayers for us! (Rom. 8:26–27). That’s really wonderful because we often don’t have all the information we need when praying for someone. But God knows exactly what’s going on and will make our prayers perfect!

Prayer is your Christian privilege as a member of Gods family!

Prayer is simply approaching God in a conversational way about anything and everything you’re concerned about. It’s really that simple! Prayer became possible for you the moment you received Jesus Christ as your personal Savior; when you openly “declared that Jesus is Lord and you believed in your heart that God raised him from the dead,” you were instantly saved (Rom. 10:9). And you became “born again” (John 3:1–21). This process made you a member of God’s family and a joint heir with Jesus (Rom. 8:17). And God then gave you the right to approach him boldly in prayer (Heb. 4:16). That’s right, you can come right out and talk to God boldly about anything and everything, at any time. In fact, he wants you to (Matt. 7:7).

Therefore

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Phil. 4:6)

“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” (John 15:7)

“Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?” (Rom. 7:24 NLT)

Some people find it difficult to accept Jesus’ forgiveness for their sins!

They feel guilty and condemned all the time, are never at peace, are never victorious, and they continually beat themselves up over past sins and mistakes. This is not from God! But it is from the devil, who is a liar, thief, and robber who constantly attacks and condemns Christians (John 8:44). And he is the accuser of God’s children (Rev. 12:10).

More than enough!

What Jesus did on the cross was more than enough to forgive and cleanse completely from all sins and mistakes, both past and future!

“For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy.” (Heb. 10:14 NLT) 

“Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.” (Rom. 7:25 NLT)

“Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies;” (Rom. 8:33)

Therefore

“But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.” (2 Thess. 3:3)

“Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.” (Eph. 6:11)

“and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie.” (2 Thess. 2:10-11 NIV) 

Ever wonder why some people can lie with great conviction and sincerity?

Because they actually do believe the lie, and they actually cannot see the truth, no matter how much evidence contradicts it! How does someone get to the place where they become blind to the truth? The passage at the top states the reason clearly, “They refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie.” And in First Timothy 4:2, “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.”

We are beginning to see this deception everywhere!

We see it across all news platforms as commentators look directly into the camera and boldly lie. We see it on all social media platforms. We see educators from kindergarten through universities teaching lies to our children. And politicians of every flavor boldly lie without a conscience. Yes, it’s everywhere!

How to keep that from happening to you and yours

Look at that passage at the top again and then do the opposite; love the truth and be saved! That’s the absolute answer; get saved and become familiar with what God’s word (the truth) says on all matters!

Therefore

“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11 NIV)

“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.” (Eph. 4:15)

“It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus,who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.” (1 Cor. 1:30 NIV)

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 7:32)

“For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” (Acts 2:39)

There are thousands of promises for you and your children found throughout the Bible. But there are only two kinds which fall in one of two categories, either unconditional or conditional. Learn to recognize them.

1)    Unconditional promises: They are exactly what they are without any conditions attached to them, period. No matter what you do, they cannot be undone. For example, here’s God’s unconditional promise about Israel: “Whoever blesses Israel will be blessed, and whoever curses Israel will be cursed.” (Num. 24:9, Gen. 49:9, Gen. 12:3). You read this promise and then decide which side you’re on. It should be a no brainer!

2)    Conditional Promises: They are activated by your obedience. You recognize them because they include words like “if” or “but”. Or at some point in the passage God asks you to be involved in some way. Pay close attention! For example, look at the “if’s” in the following: “Then Jesus told them, ‘I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.” (Matt 21:21-22 NLT)

So, in view of the above, what kind of a promise is the following?

“This is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life.” (1 John 2:35). That’s right, it’s unconditional!

Therefore

“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” (2 Peter 1:3-4)