Tag: strength

Pull It Together: Belt of Truth

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

“Oh what I would do to have
The kind of strength it takes to stand before a giant
With just a Sling and a stone
Surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors
Shaking in their armor
Wishing they’d have had the strength to stand”
One of my favorite songs by Casting Crowns. Voice of Truth.  Everyone in my world is a giant, at 5’0. But most of the giants that  tower over me are unseen. Huge.
What kind of strength would it take? To stand before a giant? For a young man named David, it looked like a lot. Saul made sure his armor was secured around him before going out to do what no other man would do, not even Jonathan (and he’s one of my favorite men in the Bible).
I imagine all that heavy armor, two sizes too big clanged against David like metal garbage cans.
And David knew he didn’t need it anyway. He stripped it off. Stood bare.
But did he? Stand bare?
Only a sling and a stone?
No.
He was girded with an unseen belt of truth.
“But the voice of truth tells me a different story
And the voice of truth says “Do not be afraid!”
And the voice of truth says “This is for My glory”
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth.”
The Voice of Truth.
A belt if you will. I’m still traveling at my own pace through Donna Pyle’s, Your Strong Suit, Bible study and this week she talked about the Belt of Truth. She says, “God’s truth brings our focus back to center and strengthens us.”
Since we talked about exercising our core last week (here), I thought how appropriate that when we get lost in the lies the enemy throws at us, such as these:
“But the giant’s calling out my name and he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times I’ve tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me
Time and time again “boy, you’ll never win!
“You’ll never win.”
We have the truth to remind us, we only need the armor of God–unseen to us but seen by the enemy– to fight. The neighbor mowing his grass smiles and nods, the stranger on the street pays us little attention but the unseen giants we face each day, those that may even manifest in circumstances and people who hurt us, see the belt of truth glittering like sunshine off Caribbean waters around our waist.
And they tremble.
We can’t physically see them shaking in their evil boots, but we can feel it–they turn up the heat in our lives trying to melt away the truth. Those fiery darts can fly swiftly when an enemy is frightened.
Ephesians 6:14, “Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth…”
To gird in the Greek is “perizonnymi.” It means “to equip one’s self with the knowledge of truth.” Equip, gear up….get ready…prepare…
Generally, in the Old Testament to gird up meant to ready yourself for service. We see this in the NT as well, when Jesus girded a towel around His waist and washed the feet of His disciples. An intimate display of servanthood. A glorious example for us.
What is truth? Donna says, “Living truthfully is really knowing God closely and intimately.”
Truth is Jesus, Himself. “I am the Way, the TRUTH, and the Life.” John 14:6
Truth in the Greek is, “Altheia” meaning, “What is true in pertaining to God and duties of man, moral & religious truth.”
Girding ourselves with Jesus Christ is strengthening ourselves with power we do not have. Hanes and Playtex can’t invent a girdle strong enough to fight our enemies. We can not do it in our own power.
We are but flesh, dust, vapor…weak.
But…
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13
 And flesh, dust, vapor, weakness moves mountains.
John 8:44 says (Jesus speaking), “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.”
“But the stone was just the right size
To put the giant on the ground
And the waves they don’t seem so high
From on top of them looking down
I will soar with the wings of eagles
When I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus
Singing over me”
He cannot stand in Truth because he has to bow at the feet of it. Of Him. He’s been defeated. At the cross. But we…we get to stand, ladies and gents.
“Greater is He that is in me, than he that is in the world.” 1 John 4:4
“I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth.” 
Are you a belt person? How many belts do you own?

Keep Going

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

This past week has been what I call a huge headache. My blog was disabled because the blah blah blah read a false positive and blah blah blah which means it thought my blog–my precious baby–was a SPAM blog. Gah! Then after the wonderful Bonnie Calhoun talked me off the ledge and had the IT guys at Blogger fix it, my email was hacked. I wasn’t in Madrid (wish I had been, but not stranded).

The security at yahoo asked me for my answer to the question. I don’t even remember using that question. So after 3 tries of answering, it locked my account up for 12 hours. Hopefully, today, I have it all fixed–but in the meantime, my website designer was supposed to send me links to the pages and whatnot. So…I set up a gmail account just to get by on Saturday. Is that sad? Do we rely on technology too much? Meh, I don’t really care and this post isn’t to ponder that. 

My point is. I had a crazy week.

But God is so great and so faithful and I just love Him to pieces. After all the drama went down on Saturday morning, I opened up my Word For You Today devotional and fell in love with the words. So much I’m sharing them with you today. This is the moment I wish I had a scanner. Nope. I’m typing it all in. For you. Be grateful. *wink wink*

“…In each of us there is a lesser self and a greater self struggling for supremacy. Your lesser self says, “Not enough people believe in me. I’ll never make it.” Your greater self says, “My faith in God and in myself is enough; I can make it.” Your lesser self says, “It’s taking too long to realize my dream.” Your greater self say, “Dreams are realized one day at a time.” Your lesser self says, “Enough is enough! I’ve taken too many hits. “Your greater self says, “I’ve come too far to give up now.” Your lesser self says, “I don’t have the strength to hold on to my dream. “Your greater self says, “Hold on a little longer; the darkest hour is just before the dawn.” ….Where does that kind of strength and tenacity come from? God! The assignment God gives you will never be greater than the grace He provides. So draw on His strength, keep pressing ahead, pursue your goals and you will prevail.” 

Whether your past week was above the clouds or shoddy (Not to be confused with Shawty–the melody in your head) God is faithful. And this, my dear friends, is a brand new day of a brand new week. Hacked, not hacked. Disabled, not disabled. Rejected, not rejected. Grace abounds! So keep going. And I will too, if I’m not stranded in Madrid and needing some fast cash. I’ve already sold my gold. 

In one more week….my new online home will be ready. I expect you all to shout, “Move that curtain!” And the unveiling will happen. Seriously. Shout. 

What do you like to do when the going gets tough and you need to de-stress? 

Core Strengthening: 4 Must-Do Exercises

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch
The human heart fascinates me. I’ve watched surgeries (on tv), I’ve researched procedures for a book. How God fashioned us, is truly amazing. This week while moving through the Bible study, Your Strong Suit, by Donna Pyle,  she led me to a verse in the book of James.Chapter 5. Verse 8. “Establish your hearts for the coming of the Lord is at hand.”
After the movie clip from Clue bounced out of my head–you know where J. Edgar Hoover shows up and tells them the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand then Mrs. Peacock slams the door in his face and calls him a beatnik–the word “establish” stuck with me.
What exactly does it mean to establish your heart?
The Greek word for “establish” is “sterizo.” It means “to make stable, to strengthen, to render constant.”
I’m working on strength for this year. You can read about it, HERE. Not just physical strength but in every area of my life. So, I wasn’t surprised to find the word “strength” in this little nugget that God flicked at me.
This Greek word, “sterizo” is a derivative of “histemi”–which happens to be a Greek word Donna Pyle comes back to often in her study, because it means “withstand” and Your Strong Suit is all about the armor of God and withstanding in the evil day. I had to smile about that, how God is using her study to minister to me and then pinging other scriptures off of that for my life. He works like that often.
My question was, “Lord, if you want me to strengthen my heart, I’m down with that, but what exactly do you mean?”
In the Bible, the word “heart” isn’t always meant as an organ. The Greek word for “heart” is “Kardia.” I bet reading that you immediately related it to our English word, “Cardio.”  That’s where we get it. Don’t feel bad if you didn’t. No one is judging!
“Kardia” refers to the actual organ, but also denotes “the centre and seat of spiritual life.”
The center. The core.
Strengthen the center, the core, 
of your spiritual life.
Last year, I did P90X. I’d like to tell you how fit and trim I am, but the truth is the minute I stopped doing it, the muscle tone fell away. Quickly. But I learned something of importance in this program.
It’s all about the Core. 
In an article on core fitness, Elizabeth Quinn states, “To build a strong core you need to exercise a variety of muscles…The core muscles also make it possible to stand upright and move on two feet. These muscles help control movements, transfer energy, shift body weight and move in any direction.”
Interesting since my study is talking about wrestling, standing, and withstanding.
To establish a heart, means to build strong spiritual muscles (by exercising various muscles), thus creating balance, (controlled spiritual movements), and the ability to move in any direction–(flexibility) when God asks you to step out and do something you might be uncomfortable doing.
As I looked at the passages above this particular scripture,  I found some exercises that can help build core spiritual muscle.
  1. 4. Be generous with wealth and remember where your true treasure lies.
    1. James Chapter 5:1-6 talks about fattened hearts–those who have been corrupted by their wealth. Nothing wrong with wealth, as long as it doesn’t turn you into a selfish monster.
 3. Include God in all your plans
James Chapter 4:13-17 talks about boasting in what you will or will not do, never considering that tomorrow may never come, after all we are but a vapor in the wind. Instead, we need to say, “If the Lords wills we shall live and do this or that.”  Now, that doesn’t mean every time we make plans for the next day, we tell our BFF, “If the Lords wills, we shall have lunch.” It means, don’t go about planning life and forget who holds our destiny. Include God. Even in a shopping trip! You never know when you’ll just “stumble” upon a deal. 😉
                    2. Do not Judge 
James Chapter 4:11-12 talks about speaking evil or backbiting. It’s not our place to condemn. Jesus has much to say concerning us, but it is the time of seeking and saving what has been lost. But one day–or night–He will come. As Judge. Until then, we should get on board with the program and “snatch souls from the fire” not send them there behind their backs. Ouch! I know. I got the whammy first, so…
         1.  Go Low
James Chapter 4:7-10 talks about submitting to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, He’ll draw near to you. Be sorry for your sins. Weep over them. Sometimes, we focus so much on mercy, we forget to be repentant for our sins. Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. I find when I go low, God soars in my life. And if I work my core muscles, I can squat for days, not just over nasty public toilets.
These are just a few exercises, but they have to be done daily. More than just your #30minaday. It won’t be easy by any means, but what real in-depth workout is? If it was easy, we’d all look like Jillian Michaels. I was going to say Billy Graham, but…whatever, you get my point!
What do you think is tougher: Working out physically or spiritually? Why?

I’m hosting at Living By Grace today! Come by and chat or offer some encouragement to others!

WWF: It’s Real!

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch
“How do you assess the strength of something? By testing it.”
This was a quote out of my devotion. We’ve all done this. Barely stood on a wobbly bridge and applied some force, pulled on rope to make sure the swing wouldn’t break and the list goes on.
In Donna Pyle’s  study, Your Strong Suit, she says, “Wrestling not only tests our strength, but provides a way of building it…repetition increases our strength and endurance.”
The verse she’s talking about is Ephesians 6:12 
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ESV
WWF: Wrestling With the Foe
She went on to describe wrestling, how close two opponents are to one another and I began thinking about the kind of wrestling Paul was speaking about in Ephesians. He’s using an analogy that they would understand. Greek wrestling… maybe even Greco-Roman. 
If he’s comparing our wrestling with the unseen enemy, then I think it would be wise to know exactly what it looks like. Don’t you?
Here’s what I found: (quotes are taken directly from Here)
“Wrestling to the Greeks was not only part of a soldier’s training regime, but also a part of everyday life.”
“Wrestling was taught under an instructor.”
“Greeks understood wrestling was a development of grace and symmetry in a vigorous activity that demands a high degree of skill and physical fitness.”
We can study wrestling matches by listening to the testimonies of other victories! We overcome by the blood (of Christ) and our testimonies! (Rev. 12:11) We can study the Word and take lessons through those men and women who wrestled.
But here’s something I found fascinating. When the Romans conquered Greece, they didn’t much care for the way the Greeks wrestled. They were much more “interested in brute strength and violence.”

They held the “Pankration, (meaning all-powerful) a no-holds-barred form of wrestling. It was so violent, it included kicking, joint dislocation, bone breaking, hair pulling, strangling and more. The sole object was to force an opponent into defeat to make him give up. The loser often ended up maimed or even dead.”

Our unseen enemy doesn’t have an appreciation for fair play or even sport. He’s interested in using his brute strength to wreak violence in our lives. He will resort to whatever measure he can to accomplish his mission.
I know there’s an area of my life that I’m constantly allowing the enemy to win. I’ve felt doubt and pity over this area, but I’ve never been angry because I haven’t looked at it as the enemy pulling my hair, biting, and even strangling me.
Maybe it’s time you and I get mad. Like little boys when they play wrestle, but one goes too far and then it’s on for real. Why? One little boy got mad.
Maybe it’s time to get mad and get even. Maybe it’s time to see the wrestling match for what it is and take back our hair, our dislocated bones, our broken skin from biting, and our breath. No more strangling.
Praise the Lord, my Rock, who trains me for war, who trains me for battle.  Psalm 144:1

Maybe we should brace ourselves and scream to the top of our lungs all the things we are.

I was planned for. (Jeremiah 29:11)
I am loved. (Deuteronomy 7:7)
I am forgiven. Guilt free. (Ephesians 1:7) (Romans 8:1)
I am cared about. (1 Peter 5:7)
I am a special treasure. (Deuteronomy 7:6)
I am new. Washed clean. (2 Corinthians 5:17) (2 Peter 1:9)
I am unique and designed with purpose. (Romans 8:28) 
I am a child of light. (Ephesians 5:8)
I am a  good soldier. (2 Timothy 2:3)
I am more than a conqueror. (Romans 8:37)

 What we can do.

I can do all things. (Philippians 4:13)
I have resurrection power working through me. (Philippians 3:10)
I can move mountains. (Matthew 17:20)
I can be free. (Galatians 5:1)
Why we’re victorious.
I am covered by the blood of Jesus Christ. (Revelation 1:5) (1 John 1:7)
I have the Holy Spirit guiding me. (John 14:26)
I have a High Priest praying for me. (Hebrews 7:25)
I have God working on my behalf. (Romans 8:28) (Psalm 66:5)
With every maneuver of scripture and prayer, not out of pity…out of righteous anger…
we fight.

The Lord is powerful; 
he gives victory to His chosen one. 
Psalm 28:8
Which verse or verses
 can you claim today?
Come by Living By Grace on facebook and let’s chat! Also, I’ll be guest posting at Robin’s Nest tomorrow! I hope you’ll stop in as I talk about Snow Days and how they relate to Christians.

A Very Present Help

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear…be still and know that I am God…” Psalm 46:1-2a; 10

This year my One Word is Strength. I just finished up lesson 1 of Donna Pyle’s Your Strong Suit. On day one, Jan. 1, I popped in the DVD to watch the first teaching and I cried all through it. Why? Because what a first day to kick off talking about strength, and that’s what she did. She talked about being strong in the Lord, and why his strength.  She talked about the enemy and how he strategically plans out his attacks. He’s methodic.
I encourage you to skip over to her website and purchase the study for yourself. Not because I love Donna and she’s a friend, because the teaching it amazing and sound. During the first lesson, while digging into the Word, I ran across the verse above and something struck me. Had I read it before? Yes.
But this time, the word “very” hit me. Maybe it’s because I’m a writer and the thought, “‘Very’ isn’t necessary here. God, you could really tighten your writing by omitting it.” I’m sure His heavenly brow arched as He said to Jesus and the Holy Ghost, “You two hearin this? The student is trying to school the Master.”
And after a slight grin, I decided if it’s in the Word, it’s for a reason. And I want to know why?
God isn’t just my present help, He’s my very present help. “Very” in the Hebrew is, “ma’od” and it means, “exceedingly, much, might, force, abundance, to a great degree.”
Hang with me, I’m going to break it down in just a minute.
God is our REFUGE, shelter from rain, storm, danger, or even falsehood (lies)
God is our STRENGTH, from material, physical, personal, social, political trouble.
A very PRESENT help, “matsa” to find, attain to, secure, to meet, encounter, to come upon, to fall in with, to be gained to hit, to happen upon.

In time of TROUBLE, “tsarah” meaning “straits, distress, vexed.” From the root word, “tsar” meaning, “narrow, tight, adversary, foe, enemy, oppress, hard pebble.”

What this verse is trying to convey so powerfully is, When we are hurt physically, emotionally, materially (finances), when lies threaten us from others from the enemy (we do not fight flesh and blood but powers and principalities)socially–when friends betray us, do not stick by us, doubt us, leave us, offend us…
We can find an exceedingly, abundant, source of assistance. A refuge to protect us when we get into tight spaces when the enemy throws hard pebbles at us. Pebbles are small to God the Rock, but when thrown at simple flesh, they cause much pain.

God wraps us in His loving arms, securing us, wiping away every hurt. Every hurt. And pebbles bounce off Him, shielding us.

We have no need to fear. We have a strong place to find assistance.
“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10.
The word “still” in the Hebrew means “to relax, drop it, abandon.”
Whatever has hurt you, whatever you’re afraid of, stewing over, concerned about, stressing over can be dropped and abandoned in the refuge and shelter of God.

Relax.

Know He is God.
Some of my favorite verses to read  when I’m feeling helpless, alone, frightened, uncertain, when I know I need to relax and remember who it is and what it means to be God is from Job, as He reminds him how small Job is and how big God is.
38-39. “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?…Or who shut in the sea with doors, when it burst forth and issued from the womb; when I made the clouds its garment, when I fixed My limit for it…when I said, ‘This far you may come, but no farther, and here your proud waves must stop!’…Have you commanded the morning since your days began and caused dawn to know its place?…Have the gates of death been revealed to you?…Have you entered the treasury of snow, or have you seen the treasury of hail, which I have reserved for the time of trouble…Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades, or loose the belts of Orion?…Does the hawk fly by your wisdom?…

40:9-10

“Have you an arm like God? Or can you thunder with a voice like His? Then adorn yourself with majesty and splendor and array yourself with glory and beauty.”

Our strength isn’t in these flesh tents we drag around each day. It’s in a God Who defines might, strength, protection, and solidity.
A God this strong who knows how to caress us as if with a feather, yet fight for us and protect us with fierce love…and strength.
Relax.
He’s got this.

Do you struggle with relaxing–being still? What are some things you can do to try and “be still”?

Come by Living by Grace, the facebook devotional community for women and let’s talk! You never know when your words will encourage someone else who might be lurking!


One Word in 2012: Strength

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

Monday was my silly–not too serious–writer post but today is my devotional post. And I’m serious. 🙂 

I read a post back in December by Beth Vogt at My Book Therapy Ponderers blog. You can read it here. She said, “consider this invitation: Don’t make any New Year’s resolutions this year. Instead, pick a word. Just one word. And then focus on embracing that word, living that word, for the next 365 days starting January 1, 2012.”

Something about her post struck a major chord in me. I felt like God wanted me to do this. But what was the word? I pondered on it and prayed about it for weeks. I never seemed to get it, but I knew I would and I knew it wouldn’t be too late.
One morning, in late December–right before I was completely awake– the Lord spoke my word to me. 
Strength.
I’ve had some issues with my trapezus muscles. And I went from running a 5K to barely being able to jog one mile, simply because I haven’t stayed consistent. Obviously, my mind went straight to physical strength, but then as I thought…emotional strength, continued strength in my relationship with God…but that wasn’t exactly what He was saying.
On December 22nd, 2011, I got up and read my small Word for Today devotional. I had no real direction that morning. I flipped open my Bible and glanced down (this happens occasionally) and my eyes met Psalm 84:5-7.
“Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca they make it a spring; The rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength; Each one appears before God in Zion.” 
The Lord whispered to me, “These are your life verses for 2012. Study it. I’m not simply talking about exercise, but you’re not getting out of that.” 
Poo. 
 I pulled up my study tools  and realized there’s much more to what God wants from me than what I thought on my own. 
In the KJV, the verse is: “Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee, in whose heart are the ways of them.”
The Hebrew word for strength in verse 5 is, “oz” and it means, “might, strength–material or physical, personal, social, or political.” Political also means influence.
“Whose heart is in thee” in Hebrew is “lebab” and this phrase means:
1. In the midst of things
2. heart (of man)
3. soul
4. mind, knowledge, thinking, reflection, memory
5. resolution, determination (of will)
6. conscience
7. moral character
8. seat of appetites, emotions, passions
9. seat of courage
Strength in all of these areas. 
“Are the ways of them” in Hebrew is, “mecilalah” and it means, “highway, raised way, public road.” Pilgrimage is the word in NKJV.
A journey…a road to travel…one people will see
Verse 6 says, “As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a spring.” Baca means weeping.
The pilgrimage will be difficult; it’ll involve weeping (as least God is honest up front) but in those times, if my heart is with Him, those difficult times of weeping, can become times of refreshing…springs…pools…
V. 7  “they go from strength to strength.” This word isn’t the same Hebrew word as in verse 5. It’s “Chayil” and it means, “ability, efficiency, wealth, army.”
This road, this journey will take me from strength to strength, it will give me the ability to perform Kingdom tasks, not just writing for Him, but in all things He asks. I will be efficient, and my soul will become prosperous…I will be a soldier…
I won’t lie and say I’m not afraid. 
Strength is my weakness.
But I serve a mighty God, who loves me.

In fact, so much that a couple of days after this, I said to Him on the way to work, “Lord, I need a new Bible Study. I’m not writing one and when I’m not, I need one!” I planned on  hitting Lifeway after the holidays. That night, my good friend, my godly friend and Bible teacher, Donna Pyle sent me a message. “I need your address, I’m sending you my new Bible study w/ DVDS!”

Thank you, God! When I got it in the mail a few days ago, I read the title.

“YOUR STRONG SUIT” 

Get out! Nope, that’s the kind of God we serve! Donna had no idea about my ONE WORD! Visit her site (blog) and by all means, order her Bible Study! I know God has plans to speak to me through this study.

Let God give you a word. We’ll work on them together.
I’m writing this today as an encouragement to you. God has plans for you this year. He wants to develop you in every area of that one word, just like He wants to develop me in this area. And I’m writing it to keep an online journal of this journey. I’m sharing it. Publicly. 
This year, each Wednesday, I’ll be doing a devotion based on something God has spoken to me about strength. Join with me. Keep me accountable! And share with me what you’re learning and how you’re growing. 
A special thanks to Beth Vogt for sharing her post about one words. 
May God bless you for it, Beth.

Also another special thanks to Melanie Moore for giving me my Strength blog button for FREE! Check it out at the sidebar! Her one word this year is giving, and she’s begun by offering customized ONE WORD blog buttons. How sweet is she? Thanks, Melanie! 

I’m hosting at Living By Grace today. Come over and chat, encourage someone, be lifted up!

What about you? Do you have a goal, one word, an area you plan to grow in this new year? Care to share?

In the Word Wednesday: Get Your Strut On, because it’s all about pace Part 2

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

“There are three things which are majestic in pace, Yes, four which are stately in walk: A lion, which is mighty among the beasts and does not turn away from any; A greyhound…” Proverbs 30: 29-31

Last week we began looking at four unique things that Agur found majestic and stately. First the lion, which you can read about here.  The lion represented:

Knowing who you are in Christ

Today we’ll pick up with the greyhound. We are NOT talking about the bus. And guess what? We’re not talking about the dog either! This is what I love about the Word of God!

You will always find nuggets of hidden treasure if you’ll search it out!

Now we can take an example from the Greyhound. They’re agile dogs that move at fast and powerful paces. Once you give them a target, they’ll lock in, focus on only that and take off full force. We ought to be that way as well. Focus in on God and pursue Him without abandon. Yes, Greyhounds are to respected.

In this passage, Agur’s wisdom is off the chart.

The word “greyhound” in Hebrew is “mothen.” It means “loins” or “hips” and it could mean an extinct animal–the exact meaning is unknown.

Can I just say, I was hesitant to google images of loins. I stared at the screen for a good long time before I did it. I never found what I was looking for. Did find some things I wasn’t.

What’s so majestic about loins? And how do they walk stately? This makes no sense…or does it?

Loins in the Bible generally represents the seat of strength. Accompanied with “loins” is the phrase, “gird up” meaning to be ready. 

 Exodus 12:11; 1Kings 18:46; 2Kings 4:29 Job 38:3

You’ll find when they were instructed to get ready it was by “girding up their loins”…prepare! The journey would take enduring strength. Even in Job, it took strength to stand before God to hear correction.

Why is enduring strength needed? For service.

Many times, they were to gird up their loins and then required to follow God and do something He commanded. Don’t you know it takes strength to serve! We are commanded today to serve in the body of Christ. There is something you can do. Something God has asked you to do. It will take preparation. 1 Corinthians 12

Proverbs 31:17. You know this woman. The one we dislike to read about because we feel so inadequate (us women anyway). She girds her loins with strength and strengthens her arms. She is ready for a full day of service to God and to her family.

Service is hard. It may require you to give something up. Matthew 19:21

You may have to go where you do not want to go. John 21:18
You may have to wash your betrayer’s feet. John 13:2-5
And it may cost you your life. 1 John 3:16

Enduring service and the strength and preparation required cannot be done on your own.

Even when Elijah girded his loins, the power of the Spirit came upon him to enable him to serve with power and strength.

“And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

Like a lion, know who you are in Christ
Gear up, prepare yourself through the Word and time with God for enduring service

Next Wednesday, we’ll look at the male goat.

Question: What’s playing on your iPod, MP3, or CD player right now? (I know, it has nothing to do with the subject. So what!? I wanna know!)