Latest / First15 Devotional / God Promises His Strength
Transcript
- 0:04[SPEAKER_00]: In today's first fifteen, we're continuing our series of taking hold of God's promises by looking at his promise of strength.
- 0:14[SPEAKER_00]: Every day I wake up, I'm reminded of my weakness.
- 0:19[SPEAKER_00]: No human has ever lived a perfect day, but the goodness of this promise lies in that God promises His strength when we are weak.
- 0:30[SPEAKER_00]: In His grace, you and I can live with the real, meaningful and powerful strength of our God.
- 0:38[SPEAKER_00]: Welcome to the first fifteen podcast.
- 1:03[UNKNOWN]: you
- 1:09[SPEAKER_00]: Our Scripture for today comes from Isaiah, forty-one, verse ten.
- 1:15[SPEAKER_00]: Scripture says, fear not for I am with you.
- 1:21[SPEAKER_00]: Be not dismayed for I am your God.
- 1:25[SPEAKER_00]: I will strengthen you.
- 1:27[SPEAKER_00]: I will help you.
- 1:29[SPEAKER_00]: I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
- 1:35[SPEAKER_00]: Creator God in His infinite wisdom and love chose to create mankind, knowing full well that we would choose our ways over His.
- 1:48[SPEAKER_00]: We're made with a terrible capacity to live out of our own strength.
- 1:55[SPEAKER_00]: As a result, we see in both the Scripture and our own lives in credible failures.
- 2:02[SPEAKER_00]: Examples of our collective weakness played out before our very eyes.
- 2:09[SPEAKER_00]: We see it in the declining morality of society.
- 2:13[SPEAKER_00]: We see it in the very lives of those around us that just can't seem to get it together.
- 2:21[SPEAKER_00]: weakness seems to be threaded into the very fabric of our world.
- 2:27[SPEAKER_00]: The world is plagued by the weakness of those who inhabit it.
- 2:34[SPEAKER_00]: But the Bible also contains incredible stories of the victories of God's people.
- 2:41[SPEAKER_00]: The list goes on and on.
- 2:43[SPEAKER_00]: Moses and the Egyptians, David and Goliath, Samson and the Philistines, and the early church spreading the gospel across the world despite insurmountable odds.
- 2:58[SPEAKER_00]: and all along with all the stories of victory.
- 3:02[SPEAKER_00]: Scripture also contains many stories of failure.
- 3:07[SPEAKER_00]: So what made the difference?
- 3:11[SPEAKER_00]: What separates the stories of success from the stories of failure?
- 3:18[SPEAKER_00]: The difference is found in the people of God allowing God to be their strength.
- 3:25[SPEAKER_00]: Success in Scripture came solely when God was made strong in man's weakness.
- 3:33[SPEAKER_00]: Psalm one o three verses thirteen and fourteen says, as a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear Him.
- 3:47[SPEAKER_00]: For he knows our frame, he remembers that we are dust.
- 3:54[SPEAKER_00]: God created us.
- 3:56[SPEAKER_00]: He knows our weakness.
- 3:59[SPEAKER_00]: He knows that apart from him, we can do nothing.
- 4:04[SPEAKER_00]: But the beauty of the Gospel is that as believers, we are no longer apart from Him.
- 4:12[SPEAKER_00]: Through the death of Jesus, we are now one with Christ, wrapped up in His story of redemption.
- 4:21[SPEAKER_00]: We have been saved from having to do life on our own, in our own strength.
- 4:28[SPEAKER_00]: Your heavenly Father says to you today, in Isaiah, forty-one ten.
- 4:33[SPEAKER_00]: Fear not, for I am with you.
- 4:37[SPEAKER_00]: Be not dismayed for I am your God.
- 4:41[SPEAKER_00]: I will strengthen you.
- 4:44[SPEAKER_00]: I will help you.
- 4:46[SPEAKER_00]: I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
- 4:53[SPEAKER_00]: Your God is the same God of David, Samson, Paul, and John.
- 5:00[SPEAKER_00]: The success that they had was the direct result of their choosing God's strength over their own.
- 5:08[SPEAKER_00]: Paul wrote in second Corinthians twelve nine, but he said to me, my grace is sufficient for you.
- 5:15[SPEAKER_00]: For my power is made perfect in weakness.
- 5:20[SPEAKER_00]: Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
- 5:31[SPEAKER_00]: Paul chose to boast of his weakness because he knew of the steadfast strength of God in his own life.
- 5:40[SPEAKER_00]: He knew that his success was solely by the strength of God.
- 5:46[SPEAKER_00]: Your Heavenly Father promises His strength to you today.
- 5:51[SPEAKER_00]: Just as He worked to help Paul spread the gospel.
- 5:55[SPEAKER_00]: Just as He helped David slay the giant Goliath, He desires to help you today in whatever lies ahead.
- 6:06[SPEAKER_00]: It knowledge your weakness, but at the same time, hold fast to the knowledge of the incredible strength of your Heavenly Father.
- 6:16[SPEAKER_00]: Deuteronomy thirty one success.
- 6:19[SPEAKER_00]: He will not leave you or forsake you.
- 6:24[SPEAKER_00]: The strength of God is always with you.
- 6:28[SPEAKER_00]: All you have to do is choose his ways over your own.
- 6:33[SPEAKER_00]: live in light of the revelation of your own weakness and God's strength.
- 6:39[SPEAKER_00]: And you will experience the power of the creator of the universe working directly in your own life.
- 6:48[SPEAKER_00]: Where do you need God's strength?
- 6:51[SPEAKER_00]: What area of your life seems to be plagued by weakness?
- 6:57[SPEAKER_00]: Ask God to work in your life and experience the fruit of co-laboring with your Heavenly Father today.
- 7:35[SPEAKER_00]: As we begin, reflect on your own weakness.
- 7:40[SPEAKER_00]: What situations in your life seem to be without the strength of God?
- 7:44[SPEAKER_00]: Psalm one of three verses thirteen and fourteen says,
- 7:50[SPEAKER_00]: As a father shows compassion to his children, till the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
- 7:58[SPEAKER_00]: For he knows our frame, he remembers that we are dust.
- 8:44[SPEAKER_00]: And next, meditate on God's desire to be strong in your weakness.
- 8:52[SPEAKER_00]: Think about stories of people in the Bible who did incredible things solely by the strength of God.
- 9:00[SPEAKER_00]: Second Corinthians chapter twelve verse nine says, but he said to me, my grace is sufficient for you.
- 9:10[SPEAKER_00]: For my power is made perfect in weakness.
- 9:15[SPEAKER_00]: Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
- 10:04[SPEAKER_00]: And last, ask God to be strong in your weakness today.
- 10:11[SPEAKER_00]: Ask the Spirit to guide you and work in any and every situation you find yourself in.
- 10:18[SPEAKER_00]: Ask him to guide your words, actions, mindset, and emotions that you might live entirely in his strength.
- 10:29[SPEAKER_00]: Isaiah forty-one verse ten says, fear not for I am with you.
- 10:36[SPEAKER_00]: Be not dismayed for I am your God.
- 10:40[SPEAKER_00]: I will strengthen you.
- 10:42[SPEAKER_00]: I will help you.
- 10:45[SPEAKER_00]: I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
- 11:31[SPEAKER_00]: How incredible is the heart of God that He would choose to share with us His own strength.
- 11:38[SPEAKER_00]: Your God cares for you so deeply that He desires to work closely and effectively in your life.
- 11:47[SPEAKER_00]: The very strength that formed the mountains parted the seas and sustained every living thing is available to you today.
- 11:58[SPEAKER_00]: Rest in God's promise that He is not distant.
- 12:03[SPEAKER_00]: You have a strong God who loves you and is for you.
- 12:08[SPEAKER_00]: Live today experiencing the peace and power of God's strength, make strong in your weakness.
- 12:32[SPEAKER_00]: Thanks so much for listening to today's podcast.
- 12:35[SPEAKER_00]: I'm Josh Miller with First Fifteen.
- 12:38[SPEAKER_00]: We'd love to hear how First Fifteen is making an impact in your life.
- 12:43[SPEAKER_00]: You can let us know by leaving a rating or a review or by sending us an email at podcast at First Fifteen.org.
- 12:52[SPEAKER_00]: and if you haven't already make sure to follow the podcast so you won't miss an episode.
- 12:58[SPEAKER_00]: Have a wonderful rest of your day today and may God bless you as you see Kim.