TIPS STAYING STRONG I write messages every day with the goal of encouraging someone even if it's just one person. The message I wrote on Sunday and I posted yesterday was actually for me. I didn't know it at the time but it came in very handy yesterday morning. I received a very hurtful email from a Christian friend who basically is rejecting my prayers and my help. I know he is going through a lot but his text still felt like I was being bitten for no reason. I felt like I was being punished for doing good things. I didn't reply. I closed my eyes and got into meditative prayer for a while. All I could hear was "Stay strong. You are stronger than you think." It's in moments like this that your faith is being tested and you find out what you are truly made of. There are great benefits to staying strong despite the storms. Let me share some thoughts that can help.
When you talk to me in person for the first time you might think that I have a soft shell. I am soft spoken and gentle-mannered I am told. I do have a shell like most people but it is not soft anymore. It looks like it is but under pressure it hardens. It's like a soft shell crab. It has meat inside. You might be able to break it but there is substance inside. All the substance comes from years of having to stand my ground and having to stay strong. You see, with the Lord we have strength. He is our strength. He gives us strength but it is up to us to maintain it and to keep it. Staying strong means refusing to give up. It means that even when things look and sound bad you keep on going. It is a choice. It's not easy but it's worth it. If you lack strength, go to the Main Supplier. Too many times we get so stressed out that we can't plug into the Lord's power. I got the bad text. It hurt. I thought about it but then I plugged in. I spent time in prayer. Then the strength was amplified.
Staying strong has great advantages. First it allows us to be obedient to God and to follow His will. There is amazing protection when we stay in God's will and we follow His directions. Staying strong enables us to develop the faith muscles I have mentioned before. Staying strong is like laughing at the face of the enemy and marking our territory. It's like telling him "Not today. Not tomorrow and not ever. I won't believe your lies." Staying strong is adding fuel to our spiritual tank. It helps us grow spiritually a lot more than we think. Staying strong is adopting a new perspective, God's perspective. Staying strong is hardening our shell so we can help and protect others. I am staying strong for my friend because in due time he will accept the help. When you encourage someone else, you build yourself help. If the only benefit of staying strong is to help others then it is well worth it. Stay strong and keep on going. You are stronger than you think!