Stay Strong by Jerry Elder

What is it about strength that we are amazed by. We are always amazed when someone can pick up 600 pounds and put it over their head, or maybe They have the stamina to run a marathon or now some of these ultra marathons.

It seems that in this world around us there are people saying, “young people and young adults are leaving the church!“ I’m not quite sure of the accuracy of that statement, but I will say that when one leaves the church it is a tragedy.

What do we do to keep our faith strong in the Lord so that we and others may remain faithful to Him!

Let’s discuss three ways that we can stay strong in our faith to the Lord!

• 1. Remain Faithful for the long run.
  • “Be thou faithful until death” is what John wrote in Revelation 2:10
  • In the old testament one of my favorite characters is Caleb of Joshua and Caleb two the the twelve spies that went into the promised land early for Moses. We remember they were convinced that they could take the land at that moment however they were out numbered from the other spies. Hence another 40 years of traveling in the wilderness.
  • After Joshua was commissioned the leadership of the children of Israel by Moses and after they crossed into Canaan The conquering of the land took place, at the end of all the conquest Joshua begins to disperse the land.
  • How fitting that Caleb is the first to go to Joshua. Joshua 14:
  • One of my favorite passages is when Caleb goes and visits with Joshua. They are both well into their years, but Caleb goes and makes a request of Joshua. He said, “give me the mountain“ he says, “I am as strong today as I was the day that God spoke to Moses. Caleb was ready to defend and show his strength to take care of the children of Israel well into his years.
  • I believe one way we can help other generations is to show them our faithfulness each and every day. It’s important to look at others when you are young who had been faithful to the Lord who have remain strong through trials and tribulations. To see their strengths and overcoming when things have hurt.
• 2. Stay Strong in the Spirit.
  • To keep our spirits strong means we need to have a daily dose of spiritual food to feed the soul. Just like you would eat a meal to give you nourishment for your body you need spiritual food from the word of God from encouragement from other Christians from your times of worship to your times of devotion and prayer to feed the spirit. Just like anything else if it is not fed it will dry up and fail and die. Don’t let that happen in your life.
• 3. Be Consistent in Staying Strong.
  • A weight lifter will lift weights daily to maintain his strength, one that runs a marathon will run daily to maintain their strength. One that studies the word of God will study daily to enrich their life and enrich their soul. Be consistent in your time of study, and in your time of prayer. Make it a part of your daily life. Don’t miss out on one of the greatest opportunities to build your strength up in the Lord!