" Go in the STRENGTH of the LORD GOD "

Psalm 71   " In YOU, O LORD, I put my trust; let me never be put to shame. Deliver me in YOUR righteousness, and cause me to escape; incline YOUR ear to me, and save me. Be my strong habitation, to which I may resort continually; YOU have given the commandment to save me, for YOU are my rock and my fortress. Deliver me, O my GOD, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man. For YOU are my hope, O LORD GOD; YOU are my trust from my youth. By YOU I have been upheld from my birth; YOU are HE WHO took me out of my mother's womb. My praise shall be continually of YOU.

I have become as a wonder to many, but YOU are my strong refuge. Let my mouth be filled with YOUR praise and with YOUR glory all the day. Do not cast me off in the time of old age; do not forsake me when my strength fails. For my enemies speak against me; and those who lie in wait for my life take counsel together, 'saying GOD has forsaken him; pursue and take him, for there is none to deliver him.'  O GOD, do not be far from me; O my GOD, make haste to help me !

Let them be confounded and consumed who are adversaries of my life; let them be covered with reproach and dishonor who seek my hurt. But I will hope continually, and will praise YOU yet more and more. My mouth shall tell of YOUR righteousness and YOU Salvation all the day. For I do not know their limits. I will go in the strength of the LORD GOD; I will make mention of YOUR righteousness, of YOURS only. O GOD, YOU have taught me from my youth; and to this day I declare YOUR wondrous works. Now also when I am old and gray-headed, O GOD, do not forsake me, until I declare YOUR strength to this generation. YOUR power to everyone who is to come.

Also YOUR righteousness, O GOD, is very high, YOU WHO have done great things; O GOD, who is like YOU ? YOU, WHO have shown me great and severe troubles, shall revive me again and bring me up again from the depths of the earth. YOU shall increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side. Also with the lute I will praise YOU--And YOUR faithfulness, O my GOD ! To YOU I will sing with the harp, O HOLY ONE of Israel. My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing to YOU, and my soul which YOU have redeemed. My tongue also shall talk of YOUR righteousness all the day long; for they are confounded, for they are brought to shame who seek my hurt. "

     Going in the strength of the LORD, what does that really mean ?  If you notice in the Psalm above, strength is spiritually given when we stop trying to do things in our own strength, our own way. See also Psalm 138:3 which reads - In the day when I cried out, YOU answered me, and made me bold with strength in my soul.........and also in Ephesians 3:16 states - that HE would grant you, according to the riches of HIS glory, to be strengthened with might by HIS SPIRIT in the inner man.........and also in 2nd.Timothy 4:17 states - But the LORD stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear. And I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion....... and we cannot ignore the Apostle Paul's plea for the " thorn in the flesh to be taken away in 2nd.Corinthians 12:9 & 10 which states - And HE said to me, "MY grace is sufficient for you, for MY strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of CHRIST may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for CHRIST's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

     Once we have been Truly Born Again by GOD's SPIRIT, WHO then indwells the new Believer / Christian, we have access to a strength and power that few understand or rely on.  As a Christian, we have been saved by GOD's grace, and by HIS strength and power alone, we live the Christian life.  Yes, we can be a Christian and live without ever accessing this power and strength, but we live as weak, non-effective, carnal Christians always trying to do the work the LORD has for us to do, but impotently, in our own strength. How do we access this kind of strength to do the work GOD has given us to and do it HIS way ? PRAYER, PRAYER, PRAYER, PRAYER.......everything that GOD gives us to do, HE will give you the means, strength and ability to do it, but you have to give it over to HIM in prayer. When you get up in the morning, ask HIM that whatever HE has for you to do that day, whether at work, in the grocery store, caring for that elderly or sick family member, or even doing a blog about the wonders of HIS WORD, give it over to HIM. I used to work for a company that was very exasperating to say the least. The work was not hard but I am a perfectionist when it comes to working for someone, and you know what I would run into if you have ever worked outside the home for even a week. I worked for the same company twice, the first time I was not saved, did not have the LORD in my life and I was able to stay about 10 years. I always tell people that I took an 11 year sabbatical and then started working for them again, this time I was living for the LORD and looked at the job with different eyes.  On the days that I talked to HIM before starting my day, the days went well but on the days I was in a hurry, my old sin nature reared its ugly head and I did not reflect my SAVIOR as I should have.

     GOD never intends that HIS children live the Christian life outside HIS will or HIS strength, because to do so is a life lived nearly fruitless, spiritually.  But now, to those who are not Christians, who have never accepted or believed the fact that you as a sinner have NO CHANCE at an eternity outside of a devils hell.  I give you a gift, a gift called the GOSPEL.  We are ALL born sinners, we sin because we are born sinners and as sinners we are completely separated from the GOD of all creation. Only forgiven, blood washed people have a place reserved for them in heaven (John 14).  We just celebrated the birth of our LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST, who as GOD the SON, came to earth in the form of a human baby.  HE was the only completely sinless baby who was born for one reason and one reason only, to die on a Roman cross to pay the price for YOUR sin and for mine. This HE did willingly, because HIS love for us was greater than the shame and humiliation of dying on a Roman cross. After HE gave up HIS SPIRIT, they buried HIM in a tomb(cave)and on the third day HE arose from the dead. HE had to raise from the dead to show that HIS FATHER was satisfied by HIS SON's sacrifice for our sin. Now you have 2 choices - 1.) You can ignore what I just wrote and go about your life anyway you want & die and go to a devils hell to be tormented for all eternity because you refused the GREATEST GIFT that GOD the FATHER could give to pay for your sin and redeem you to HIMSELF, HIS ONLY SON, the LORD JESUS CHRIST. or 2.) You can bow your head in prayer to the LORD JESUS and admit to HIM that you know that you are a sinner and that you know and believe that HE died and rose again to pay the price for your sin, and ask HIM to come into your heart and life to save you - AND HE WILL !!!  HIS WORD says that TODAY IS THE DAY OF SALVATION,  you may not have another chance except the one you are now reading. PLEASE accept HIS most precious GIFT OF SALVATION today !!!
Your servant in CHRIST,

Julie