Strengthening Your Spirit

Proverbs 25:28—“He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down and without walls.” 

If you’re like me, then there are probably some areas in life that God has been putting His finger on and saying, “FULLY TRUST ME.”  Trusting God (also known as faith) is a lot like weight training.  The heavier the problem, the greater the potential for you to increase your faith.  The problem, however, is that walking in faith forces you to look beyond your senses and reasoning.  It makes you hand over control to someone else.  And when the potential costs are high, the strength of your faith is REALLY put to the test. 

 

Being a three part being, we can sometimes be pulled in all directions.  The flesh, with its experiences, and the intellect, with its reasoning, can sometimes push the spirit into fear and doubt.  God wants you to strengthen your spirit and discipline your body and mind accordingly.  So this now bares the question, “HOW DO YOU STRENGTHEN YOUR SPIRIT?” 

 

Mark 9:17-29 is not a story about casting out a demon.  It is about faith.  The disciples and the father both lacked it (vss. 19, 24).  Verse 29 tells us how to let our faith spring forth…PRAYER AND FASTING! This goes hand in hand with James 5:16.  It tells us there that this same word “prayer” has three parts…

• Restoring relationships through confession (God is all about restoring relationships, even if it means eating some crow!)
• Praying for others (The most freeing thing I have ever done has been to pray blessings and forgiveness towards those that have spoken or committed evil things against me.)
• Praying/Asking earnestly  (God’s a BIG God.  He can handle your requests and wants you to ask for things so big, only HE could bring it to pass.)