The Source Of Your Spiritual Strength And How To Maintain It

My Utmost For His Highest

“The everlasting God…neither faints nor is weary.” —Isaiah 40:28

“Exhaustion means that our vital energies are completely worn out and spent. Spiritual exhaustion is never the result of sin, but of service. Whether or not you experience exhaustion will depend on where you get your supplies. Jesus said to Peter, “Feed My sheep,” but He gave him nothing with which to feed them (John 21:17). The process of being made broken bread and poured-out wine means that you have to be the nourishment for other people’s souls until they learn to feed on God. […] But be careful to replenish your supply, or you will quickly be utterly exhausted. Until others learn to draw on the life of the Lord Jesus directly, they will have to draw on His life through you. You must literally be their source of supply, until they learn to take their nourishment from God. We owe it to God to be our best for His lambs and sheep, as well as for Him.” CHAMBERS

I heard Dr. Howard Hendricks speaking at a conference in 1993.  He said that in terms of Christian growth and having a consistent walk, everyone needs a Paul to build into their life, a Barnabas to keep them accountable and a Timothy in whose life they can build.  A Paul … not your pastor, but another Believer, who encourages you and teaches you practical spiritual truth, a Barnabas who challenges you when you start to drift .. when you are behaving in a way that does not honor God in some misguided way, and a Timothy that God leads to you that you become a “Paul” to.  We all need people like that in our lives. And we all need to be a Paul, Barnabas, and Timothy to other people.  But, as Chambers said, that can be spiritually draining. Ecclesiastes 4:12 “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

That is why your relationship with Jesus and your attention to His Word is so important.  He must always have primacy in your focus and devotion.  What you have to offer to others is spiritual … to “recharge” you must go to the Source … Jesus Christ.  Think about this, do you trust your friends more then God?  Who do you turn to when you have trouble, when you need strength? Would you go to your child and ask them to drive you to the store?  Be careful that you don’t rely more on human relationships than your relationship with the Lord.  Matthew 22 says “love God first” and the love for others will blossom from that primary relationship.  It is an easy thing to abandon God and put your friends first.  Although it may "feel" right, it is a big mistake!  Trust God! ELGIN

Bondye Beni Ou (God Bless You)