Over and over again in the scriptures, God reveals that those who were truly committed to him, those who served him with their whole hearts, those who sought his face continually were strong in him.  They were courageous, full of faith, and victory in the ways of the Lord.  God’s strength became their strength to live, to pray, to minister, and to do mighty exploits in His name.  God used them to do great things to bring Him glory in the land. But none of it came without a price.  Every generation that saw God’s hand move mightily to bring healing, deliverance, salvation, and victory over the enemy was a generation that turned to the Lord with all their hearts and sought God’s face continually.

You say so much is happening to you? Everyday new demands are placed on you? You are tired of being tired? You feel like giving up? You say that there is even fighting within yourself; that sometimes it is a fight just to stay saved; that there is just no more strength to hold on? You want to know why does it seem like God lets the enemy come in when you are at your lowest and your weakest? Why does God allow you to experience the greatest trial of your life when you have nothing – no strength – to face it with? Beloved, these things will continue to come until you learn without a shadow of a doubt that the battle is not yours but God’s. They will come and continue to come until you learn that you can do all things through Christ who is your strength. These things are going to continue to come until you learn to have way down in your soul the peace of God that passes all understanding. Paul in his darkest hour, a prisoner headed for Rome on board a ship, in the midst of a great storm at sea, will tell you that God will give you the strength you need to go through. Acts 27:20 And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.

There is no way Paul could have gone through all that he went through on his own strength, on his own power.  By his own testimony: II Cor. 11:24 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. 25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 In journeying often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 In weariness and painfulness, in watching often, in hunger and thirst, in fasting often, in cold and nakedness. You can make it through all that you have to go through. Do not give in to self not to the trials that you have to go through. God will be your strength. God will see you through. You are never alone.

It is almost like God orders our trials to show us how weak we are. He wants us to cling to Him. His purpose is to bring us to a place where we entirely depend on Him for all things. His purpose is to bring us to a place where we no longer depend on our own strength to overcome in this world but by faith depend upon Him to supply us with the strength we need, when we need it. How many times, since you have been saved, have you said, “help me Lord”? How many times have you said, “Father, I can not take anymore? How many times, since you have been saved, have you stood at your end not knowing that this is where God wanted you all the time…not knowing that your strength must decrease before God’s strength could increase in you?  As long as you have the answer, God can not impart to you His answers.  As long as you are using your strength, God can not impart to you His strength. So He waits. And He waits. And He allows you to go through; but in so doing you begin to see that what you have is not enough…can’t be used… won’t work against the wiles of the Devil.

Everything that God has said in his word concerning you can be established in you by your believing and faithfully agreeing with and saying what God has said. When the word of God is established in you, the world, circumstances, sin, trouble, trials, and Satan are no longer in control of your life. When the word of God is established in you, the word of God is in control of your life by the power of the Holy Spirit. You no longer bend with every wind that comes along. As the Word of God is, so are you. Psalms 119:89 reveals that God’s word is already settled in heaven. “For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven.”  Now let us settle and establish it in our hearts/spirits on earth. How? By daily speaking forth the word, meditating on it day and night. In so doing, you move to a new level of Christian maturity, and you take on the image of God and enter his divine purpose for your life.

Four things God held before Israel.  Four things that he required of them if he was to move on their behalf and heal the land.  He said, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall 1) humble themselves, and 2) pray, and 3) seek my face, and 4) turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” II Chron. 7:14. If Israel would do this, God would move.  If Israel would do this, God would heal the land.  If Israel would do this, God would heal, restore and renew.   Now don’t you know of someone who needs healing today?  Don’t you know of someone whose life is broken all to pieces?  Don’t you know of someone who is in a state of despair? Don’t you know of someone who is at their end?  Don’t you know of someone who has just lost their soul?  Don’t you know of someone who needs a breakthrough? God is saying to the Church: If my people, who are called by my name would do what I have called them to do. If the Church, my body in the earth today, would do what I have called them to do, then will I hear them when they call and will answer them and will heal, restore and renew.

Faith in God is what you need. It is what you have to have to believe and trust Him to have His way in your life.  Mark 11:22 …”Have faith in God”.  For Matthew 19:26 “…with God all things are possible”, and regardless of the situation John 11:40 “…if thou would believe, thou should see the glory of God”.  Only do not tell God how to bring the victory in your life.  Do not try to direct God into granting the kind of victory you want or think you need.  Just trust Him.  Trust God and have faith in him to bring the victory you need in every situation.

Since the days of the Apostles we have learned of the great warfare against the saints of God. In fact, all who unconditionally surrender their lives to God and wholly commit themselves to follow the leading of His Spirit are constantly under some kind of attack. We can see it in the life of Paul the Apostle and we can see it in our own lives. However, God gives us the peace, joy, strength and grace we need to endure. You have in you what you need to overcome. You have in you what you need to make it. You have the Word of God, the Spirit of God and Faith.  God said, in His word, Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”  He said, in 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.”  He said, Isaiah 54:17 “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper;” These are God’s words to you. His word is the sword of the Holy Spirit, given for your victory in the earth. You will overcome by the word of God and the Spirit of God.

The same Spirit that was in Jesus Christ when He walked the face of this earth is now in you.  Think on this.  Think what it means to have the same Spirit in you that Jesus, the Son of God, had in Him. Let this truth penetrate to your inner most being. Seek God for the manifestation of this reality. You want to live it day by day.  Everything will change. The way you do things changes.  The way you walk changes.  Your witness for Christ changes.  God the Spirit comes to dwell inside of you, to fill you with His presence, nature, likeness, and character.  He will, if you let Him, take full control of your spirit as you yield to Him. He will cause your spirit and His Spirit to become one.  In fact, it is His will that you be one in spirit with Him. This kind of yielding is a day by day, moment by moment yielding that manifest itself in obedience as you understand with your mind what it is God wants you to do or say.

Your surrender to the work of the Holy Spirit in your life is very important.  Because God knows you better than you know yourself, He allows the Spirit to go deeper and deeper into your life.  Why?  Because the roots of the world run deep into you, and in all who say that they love the Lord.  God allows the Spirit to work many deaths into you to prove that you are dead to the world and to make sure that you have forsaken all.  All of this so that God will have no hesitation in manifesting His life through you, His anointing, power, faith, and word through you.  It will take many deaths but only one resurrection!