Spiritual Weight Lifting
Nehemiah 8:10
"Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our LORD: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength."
One activity that many young men like to do is lift weights. The purpose of lifting weights is to gain strength. Strength is important for many parts of life. A strong body is a healthier body. However, just like our physical bodies need strength, our spiritual bodies need strength as well. If you are going to be spiritually strong so that you can fight off the attacks of Satan and the world, then you need to be sure that you are spiritually strong. God shows us three things that are like spiritual weight lifting for the Christian. If you will do these things, then you will find that you will gain strength.
The first way to gain spiritual strength is to make God happy. The verse above says, "...for the joy of the LORD is your strength." You will notice this verse is not talking about the Christian being joyful, rather, it is talking about the LORD being joyful. Though I believe a Christian who is joyful will add strength to their life, this verse is dealing with the Christian giving God joy. In other words, the Christian gains strength by giving God joy.
You may wonder how you can give God joy. The best way to give God joy is to live right. It pleases God when you do right. Therefore, by doing right you give the LORD joy. Living right will not only keep you from having to suffer sin's punishment, but it will give you strength in your Christian life. This is one reason you need to stay away from sin. The more you stay away from sin the more strength you will gain to fight the Devil.
The second way to gain spiritual strength is to wait on the LORD. Isaiah 40:31 says, "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." Notice that waiting on the LORD gives strength. Waiting is serving. When you go to the restaurant, the waiter is your server. God is teaching that when the Christian serves Him, it is like adding weight to a barbell to gain strength. Yes, living right will give you strength, but serving the LORD will give your strength as well.
The third way to gain spiritual strength is to rest in God. Psalm 28:7 says, "The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him." Going to God for protection and comfort in times of struggle and heartache will give you strength. Christian, when you face hard times, run to God. He alone will give you the strength you need to make it through your tough times.
Furthermore, if a weight lifter wants to gain more strength, then they will add more weight to the barbell. Likewise, if the Christian wants to gain more spiritual strength, then they need to do more of these things. There comes a point in your Christian life when you need to get rid of more sin. There comes a point in your Christian life when you need to do more for God. By doing more for God, you will find that you will become stronger as a Christian.
I challenge you today to start your spiritual weight lifting program. Start by laying aside sin, and replacing that sin with serving God. Then, when you face tough times run to God and ask Him for His help. These three things will add strength to your Christian life.