STRENGTHENING YOURSELF IN THE LORD!
1 Samuel 30:1-6
INTRODUCTION: As we go through our lives, we can become infected by certain unhealthy attitude, infectious sins, and inflamed by unhealthy attitudes. We can easily succumb to anger, anxiety, depression and discouragement. It is wonderful when friends can encourage us but one of the most important lessons we can learn is how to encourage ourselves in the Lord.
- FINDING STRENGTH IN OUR LORD!
Jonathan was David’s friend who God used to encourage David: 1 Samuel 23:14-18. Friends like that are priceless. But sometimes our friends cannot be with us to strengthen us in the Lord. Later that happened to David: 1 Samuel 30:1-6. The art of strengthening our self in the Lord is the greatest of all the spiritual disciplines. Psalm 62:5-8; Psalm 103:1-5. In those passages, the writers weren’t praying to God. They weren’t talking to their readers. They were addressing their own souls: All the Bible heroes did this: Lamentations 3:21-25. Jeremiah preached to himself and we must learn this discipline in order to be able to strengthen ourselves in the Lord.
2. LEARNING TO STRENGTHEN OURSELVES IN THE LORD!
The greatest of all the secrets to personal resilience is learning to strengthen ourselves in the Lord. So how do we do it. We must learn the promises of God’s Word that apply to us: There are over 6,000 promises found in God’s Word that we must learn how to preach to ourselves and to others. When we begin looking at things as our God does, which is the essence of wisdom, our hope returns: Romans 15:13. That not only renews our hope but it will overflow so we can become like Jonathan. Instead of rehearsing our problems to our friends we will learn how to diagnose or problems, treat our problems and the Lord will bring healing to us. Isaiah 33:6.
3. BE YOUR OWN BEST FRIEND!
We must learn the Word of God and be always prepared to use the Word of God to operate on our own hearts. Our primary tool to operate on ourselves is the sharp two-edged scalpel that penetrates even to the dividing of soul and spirit: Hebrews 4:12. We need to learn the Word of God so when it is time to operate on ourselves we can turn to God and ask Him which verses to use to heal our hearts. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18. We need to learn to change our focus from the temporary to the eternal. We must change our perspective to God’s perspective of our troubles. This is what it means to encourage yourself in the Lord. We must learn how to renew our minds so we can know what God’s will is: His good, pleasing, and perfect will is: Romans 12:1-2. Scriptures learned by memory and applied by the Holy Spirit to our lives, are the most powerful medications in the world. Our God has placed a specific promise in His Word for every problem He will ever allow into our lives: 1 Corinthians 10:13. When we learn how to encourage ourselves in the Lord we will be taking a huge step in Christian maturity and becoming more like our Lord Jesus: 1 Peter 1:3-4. So, learn God’s promises and then begin to operate on yourself to be like Christ!