Build Strength

Proverbs 24:¹⁰ “If you fall apart during a crisis, then you weren’t very strong to begin with.” (The Voice, emphasis added).

If, makes it a conditional statement. You do not have to fall apart during crisis. But if you do, then you were not very strong to begin with. If you faint in the day of adversity, it means your strength is small. The New Living Translation puts it this way, “If you fail under pressure, your strength is too small.” (emphasis added). The Good News Translation puts it this way, “If you are weak in a crisis, you are weak indeed.” Did you notice from the scriptures that it is a crisis that determines whether you are weak or not? Everybody looks good when everything is okay. It is when crisis comes, that you know if you are actually weak or strong.

In times of crisis, some people jump ship. They are called fair weather friends. Fair weather friends abandon you when crisis comes. They are weak people. Some people bail out on themselves during a crisis. Some years ago, when I was going through a “crisis”, God said to me, “If you do not give up, I have not given up. I cannot give up on you, so do not give up on yourself. If you do not give up, you will be alright”. Most of the time, we think that if we can convince God not to give up on us, we will be okay. God wants you to know that He cannot give up on you so that part is sorted. If you do not give up on yourself, you will be fine. If you faint in the day of adversity, then you have a strength problem (your strength is small).

If you fail under pressure, if you are weak in crisis, then you are weak indeed. The issue is not the adversity. We often think that the lack of strength is a result of the troubles we are facing, or the scars we have sustained. God is showing us from scripture that it has nothing to do with the problem, trauma, or crisis. It has everything to do with the strength you have built, or the strength you are committed to building. The issue is not with the adversity, the problem is not with the pressure, or with the crisis. The issue is that your strength is small. So, do not blame the adversity, the crisis, or the pressure. See things for what they really are. You are weak, at least at that time. You need to build strength.

Many of us are trusting God for peace and happiness. And that is God’s heart for you. But guess what? You cannot have peace if you are not strong. What maintains and sustains your peace is your strength. You cannot have peace if you are not strong. You can only have peace when you are strong. For you to have peace, you need to develop strength.

Prayer: Father, please increase my strength physically, emotionally, spiritually, financially, and mentally, in Jesus Name. Amen!