If I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing...(1 Cor. 13:2b)

The following are some ways that God strengthens.

1. With the full armor of God, Ephesians 6:12-18. God wants every Christian to be "strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might" (6:10). This is possible when the believer trusts in the armor that God gives. If you want to be strengthened by the Lord, then put on the helmet of salvation, shod your feet with the preparation of the Gospel of peace, gird your loins with truth, take up the shield of faith, put on the breastplate of righteousness, take up the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God, and pray. Once you have stood firm against the temptations of the Devil, you will have God to thank.

2. The Word of God, Matthew 7:24ff. In the last verses of what is called the "Sermon on the Mount", Jesus says that the wise man who builds a house that stands against the storm is the one that "hears his word and acts upon them." It seems reasonable to conclude that everyone is building a house, and some people build upon a lasting foundation and some do not. The previous words in Matthew 7:13,14 shows that it is the majority who do not act upon his word because they are on the broad way that leads to destruction. By hearing the Words of Jesus, and acting upon them, it provides the material for a lasting structure. When the storms of life come and go, and you step out into the bright sunshine with a house that still stands, you can thank God for that.

3. God strengthens through His promises (see Matthew 5:3-12, Revelation 2:10, 1 Peter 1:4-6, etc.). When the Christians in Smyrna were facing persecution to the death, Jesus encouraged them to be faithful until death and they would receive from Him the crown of life. Christians know what is more valuable. It is more valuable to have treasures in heaven than to save ones' life here. "Whoever saves his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it." (Mark 8:35). God's reward helps the weak to have new courage. God also strengthens through relationships found in the church (Hebrews 10:24,25). God strengthens through prayer and providence. James shows that God gives wisdom to those who pray without doubting (1:5,6). He shows the importance of praying with pure motives (4:2,3) and if it is a righteous person who is praying, it is effective. God works His will and answers prayer to bless those that love Him. The Apostle showed that "God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Just knowing and trusting that God is working behind the scenes is a source of strength.

4. Let's give God the glory for the power that He works out in our lives. We are not asking for Him to take us over, to suspend out freewill, and make us stop sinning. That would be asking God to do what He does not do. How silly it would be for someone to pray, "strengthen me, Lord, so that I do not sin again." If our attitude is such that we still love to sin, God wil not make us stop. If we go on sinning, it is not because God has failed, it is because we have failed to trust Him. If we keep caving into temptation and sin, we have a lack of faith and trust in the will of God. It would be more productive in such cases to pray and meditate upon His word and then plan ways to put that into action. You will thank God for the newfound strength He has given.

5. And last, but definitely not least, the Gospel is the greatest power available to man. Paul was not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ because "it is the power of God to save..." (Rom. 1:16). Without this power, all mankind would be lost and destined to the punishment of hell. I imagine we can all identify with Paul who said, "Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?" (Romans 7;24). Thanks to God for the salvation that we have in Jesus Christ through faith! If we have confidence in Jesus' cross, we will strive to think on things above. Here's how Paul put it in Colossians 3: "Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God." In the previous chapter, Paul says that the Christians were raised in Baptism to walk in newness of life (Colossians 2:12). It is not likely that we will give in to sin if we have our eyes on Christ. That is all the strength we need.