Isaiah 26:1
“In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We
have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks.”
Isaiah said, “We have a strong city…” This verse looks
forward to the day when Christ sets up His kingdom. Yet, though this is
looking forward to that day, the principles of making your life a strong
city are still relevant for the present time. God shows us in this
verse what it takes to make your life a strong city.
First, you must make Christ the foundation of your life. This is
talking about two things. First, there must come a time when you accept
Christ for salvation. Your life will never have the total strength it
could have without settling your eternity. Salvation settles your
eternity, but there is a second thing that is implied. You must also
build your whole life around Christ. One of the reasons many people live
unstable lives is because they include God in their life instead of
building their life around Him. You will never enjoy the strength of
life you desire until you build your life around Christ. Don't build
your life around your work schedule, but build your work schedule around
Christ. Don't just include Christ in your family life, but make Christ
the centerpiece of your family. Making Christ the foundation of your
life is the beginning of making your life a strong city.
Second, you must make Christ the focus of your mind. Verse 3 says, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee…”
Too many people make everything else the focus of their thoughts which
only leads to unstable minds. Making money should never be the focus of
your mind. Yes, you need money to pay the bills, but you cannot make it
the focus of all your thoughts. Many people base all that they do upon
friendship, acceptance, peer pressure and status in life, but these
things will only lead to disappointment. Your mind must be stayed upon
Christ if you want to build a strong life. When your mind is focused on
Christ, then it gives you a stable mind because He never changes. It
gives you an unchanging horizon in life to focus upon which will gives
you a peace of mind.
Third, you must make Christ your source of strength for life. Verse 4 says, “Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:”
In other words, don't put your trust in anything else other than
Christ. When you need deliverance from trials, go to Christ and ask for
His strength to deliver you. When you need wisdom to make decisions, go
to Christ Who is the source of all wisdom. When you need finances to pay
the bills, go to Christ Who can supply all your need. When you need
comfort, go to Christ Who alone is the source of all comfort. When you
face the troubled waters of life, go to Christ Who has the power to calm
the raging seas in your life. Don't run to anyone else to help you
through life; instead, make Christ your source of strength.
My friend, Christ is truly all you need. When you make Christ the
centerpiece of all that you do, you will find that He will build your
life into a strong city that will not be shaken by the attacks of this
world. Don't listen to the lies that would try to get you to build your
life upon anyone or anything else other than Christ. Christ has been
tested, tried and proven to be the only One Who builds a strong life.