Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong.”    
1 Corinthians 16:13NLT


Today I want to finish a series based on 1 Corinthians 16:13!

God, please speak to us through Your Word and open our hearts and minds for Your Spirit to work in us! Thank You! In Jesus name, amen!
 


Be strong.

            When people look at me, do they say, “Wow, he’s a strong guy.”

            I’m not talking physically, because I think it is pretty obvious I’m strong – I’m a mix between Jackie Chan and King Leonidas. I know, it’s pretty cool. (make sure you watch that Jackie Chan video I linked his name to!)

            What I’m really talking about is people saying, “Wow, he’s a strong guy” and meaning it about my presence. Who I am. My character; my demeanor; my faith. When people look at me, I don’t think they say that.

Jesus – people definitely thought he was a strong guy. You can tell by their reactions they had in the Bible. Even now days – Jesus still gets the same reactions – and it’s because He is still alive and still very strong.

            Jesus Christ is in me! Every believer is in Christ and Christ is in every believer (John 14:15-20). Did you hear that? If you are a believer, in the family of God, Jesus Christ is in you. The Holy Spirit of God is in us! I believe the problem is that I often hinder Christ’s powerful presence from shining through me. I sometimes don’t follow His leading and sometimes don’t spend quality quite time learning from him.

I want people, when they see me, to say, “Wow, he’s a strong person. Wow, I can tell by his presence that He’s often in God’s presence.”

So, I’m going to make some changes. And if you feel the same, I encourage you to make these changes with me.

1)    Increase the quality of my prayer time

      + don’t rush it; spend time just listening to God

2)    Increase the quality of my Bible reading time
      + don’t read for quantity, but quality


3)    Increase the quantity & quality of my serving time
      + I’m starting at home: helping my parents/family and friends


4)    Increase my faith

      + I’m going to allow myself to become uncomfortable for God (an example of this could be spending time with the homeless, putting smiles on their faces)

 

These will undoubtedly increase my love for and faith in God. Spending this time with God will undoubtedly make me a more and more powerful person. I’m genuinely doing it to grow closer to God, because I love Him and know that the more powerful my presence on earth, the more glory He receives – because I’ll give it to Him.

What additional changes do you think would be good ways to increase the power of your presence?





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