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Be constant in this!

2 Timothy 2:1 (Amp) says: “So you, my son, be strong [constantly strengthened] and empowered in the grace that is [to be found only] in Christ Jesus.” To be strong is to have physical, moral or intellectual power. It also means: one who is not mild or weak; intense and extreme. Paul told Timothy to be strong and constantly strengthened in the grace that is ONLY FOUND in Christ Jesus! Notice that it says that we are to be strengthened constantly! It’s a daily discipline. We need to be intense and extreme in our pursuing the strength that is found in His grace! It’s time to go all in. Become a radical disciple of Christ. Let the world see Jesus in you! Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might (Ephesians 6:10). When the storms come, they won’t overwhelm you. When the fire comes, it won’t burn you. When the flood comes, it won’t drown you. Why, because you are strong in His grace. And where do we find this strength and grace? Well, it’s like Paul said. It’s only found in Christ Jesus!

2 Timothy 2:1 “So you, my son, be strong [constantly strengthened] and empowered in the grace that is [to be found only] in Christ Jesus.”

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The problem is not the storm!

Have you noticed that when the storms come, it also rains upon the righteous and the unrighteous. Storms hit us all. Jesus said in Matthew 7: 24-27, that the storm descended upon those who built their homes upon the rock and upon the sand. Everyone experiences storms. So the correct mindset is to always be prepared for the storms, not to hope that we never encounter storms. How we respond to storms determine whether or not the storm will destroy us. Jesus taught that those who build  on the rock are the ones who will not suffer destruction. Building on the rock consists on being rooted in the solid bedrock of God’s principles. As we abide in His principles, it creates a barrier of protection around us. When the enemy comes in like a flood, our faith will continue to be immovable. Contrast that with the one who builds on faulty principles, when the storms come, it will destroy them. In this parable, it wasn’t the home or the storm that allowed destruction. It was the decision to either build on rock or sand. So if you have suffered loss in the past, determine where you built your previous home, (beliefs, actions, mistakes, errors, failures), ask God for forgiveness, and begin again. This time however, build your future on the rock (His word, His principles, His love, His grace, His forgiveness). Next time the storm comes, you will be able to endure and overcome anything the enemy throws your way.

Matthew 7: 24-27 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”