I don’t depend on my own strength to accomplish this…

This idea of strength was particularly important a few years ago when we needed to get in the back of a car to save someone's life but the door wouldn’t open.

I was driving from Formby to Liverpool and came across an accident involving several cars. I stopped my car and got out to see if anyone needed my help. There was an elderly gentleman in the car. He wasn’t conscious and I needed to help him. And this is where I needed someone to get in the back of the car.

Out of the crowd that was now starting to build came a man who wanted to help, so I told him what I needed him to do. But he couldn’t open the back door of the car. This chap, though, was built like a tank. He asked me if anyone would mind if he damaged the door to get in. The car was already written off, so I couldn’t see a problem with it. So he literally pulled the door off the car. I’ve never seen anything like it.

It was incredible strength, a strength I didn’t have - but the strength we needed at that point in time that’s for sure.

We all like to feel strong, don't we? To know that we have the strength, when it is needed to deal with whatever is in front of us - whether lifting a weight from the floor, pulling a car door off to help a dying man or even the strength of character that we need to face the battles in life.

Our strength is small

This is what we call an ouch verse!

I don't know about you - but I have faltered in times of trouble. And that's because my Strength is small. And that’s our key problem, isn’t it? We want to be strong but often lack the strength that we need.

Our strength is small.

Paul realised this too. He knew that he couldn’t depend on his own strength… (Phil 3:13)

His strength was small.

Have you ever thought to yourself, or said to people the following:

• I don't have the time to do that...
• I wish I could do...
• I don't have the skills to do...
• What if I fail?

Our default is to think about the limit of our own abilities and strength. The alibis we often create are as a result of measuring tasks according to the strength and abilities that we have, especially when it comes to the mission of God.

Dad and son, working together

Think of a young boy that needs to lift something heavy, but he can't. It is too heavy for his own strength. The young boy's strength was small. His Dad can see him getting frustrated and so comes alongside his young boy and lifts the item with him. Together they do it, and as they do there is a great sense of pride and satisfaction on the boy's face. He knew he was strong enough, he just needed a bit of help from Dad.

Sound familiar?

Reply that scene in your mind, and notice that they lift the weight together. Dad didn't lift the weight by himself. He could of, and it would have been easier. But the point is the son. Yes, God can do stuff without you. But the story of the Gospel is he wants to do this with you.

Work hard

Resting in God's strength is not an excuse to be lazy. God lifts the weight with you. Paul did work hard. But his effort was in some way, not his. He knew his strength was small and that he needed God's help. Here he calls that help Grace.

Back in Phillipians, Paul talks about living in hardship. He talks about living in abundance. He has these amazing highs and incredible lows in life, with complex challenges that he faces. Yet in the midst of it, he talks about finding true contentment and finally comes out with one of the most quoted Bible verses ever:

Notice that the key to doing all things is the strength of Christ.

I can fulfill the purposes of God. Face hardships. Live in abundance. Find contentment in life. Deal with whatever happens, and not fall to pieces in a trial as long as I learn that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

How do I grow in His Strength?

So how do I grow in His strength? How do I do all things through Christ who strengthens me? How do I rely on His strength to get the job done? Well, you do what anyone who wants to build strength does - you start to LIFT some weights. We have an acronym for you in the word LIFT.

LIFT

• Lack
• Involve & Instruction
• Faith
• Thankfulness
  

Lack

I think the first place is acknowledging that we lack the strength that we need. Now I know people that spend all of their time talking about their weaknesses and never really move out of them. They live in them. They become their identity. And it’s a shame because that is not the Gospel.

But for me, I have the opposite problem. I am not quick to acknowledge any kind of lack. I am quite a capable guy and I often put my head down and just keep going. I can find acknowledging lack a hard thing to do. That’s called pride. It’s not a good thing!

Eventually, something will happen and I come to the painful and obvious conclusion that I have been trying to make something happen out of my own strength and it didn't get me very far.

So we acknowledge lack. And then we move to the next step.

Involve & Instruction

Specifically, I am to go to Him in prayer and in His word to get His promises, His instructions. I want to take time here to do this because often I have rushed this phase and not really got God involved. Some people can spend years in this phase and never really move, but I often rush it and I have just assumed God is involved without taking the time to understand His instruction.

So spend the time needed, involve God and get His Instruction.

Faith

So, I have admitted my Lack. I have got God involved and understand His promises and His instructions. I am now at a crossroads. I can take a step of faith and act like what He said is true, and trust that He will strengthen me as I go or I don't.

John Piper, a Christian theologian, and teacher noted about this topic:

When Peter says, “Whoever serves, let him serve as one who serves by the strength that God supplies” (1 Peter 4:11), we do this not only by praying for that supply but by trusting in the promise of the supply in specific situations. Paul says that God supplies the Spirit to you “by hearing with faith” (Galatians 3:5). That is, we hear a promise and we believe it for a particular need, and the Holy Spirit comes to help us through that believed promise.

So we step out in faith, trusting God will supply strength in that situation.

Thankfulness

And finally - when all is said and done, I need to go to God with a thankful heart, thankful for all that He is doing and all that He gives me because thankfulness is the voice of faith. It's OK to have questions, but frame those questions in thankfulness.

...and thank him for all he has done...

That’s an amazing promise, but notice how peace is tied to prayer AND thankfulness. People that are peaceful people are thankful people. If I don't have peace, I often don't know what to be thankful for...and that is a sure sign that I am probably doing things in my own strength.

If I am it is time to LIFT. But if you remember rightly, you will notice that I said that you needed to LIFT some weights.

So what are the weights?

It's a funny thing about strength, you need resistance to grow it. You don’t build strength by lifting light weights. You grow strength by lifting heavier and heavier weights. How many of you know that strange thing that God does - when you pray for strength and grace He often allows difficult situations to bubble up. Anyone else find this confusing at times?

That's because strength needs weight and resistance to grow.

You know, there was a point in my life where I didn't have enough money to even buy a meal. I had decided that I would get out of debt and that I wouldn't borrow any more money - and I remember on a few occasions, that meant I didn't have food. I had to pray for food, that God would supply me that food. That was almost 30 years ago.

But now, if I am honest, I don't really remember that last time I had to do that. I have a company, I have income and God has always provided enough for me to buy food without really thinking about it. This is both good and bad. Bad in the sense that I easily take it for granted. But good in the sense that I have grown in the things of God and in His strength. Now I pray that God would strengthen me in what I do as I have to find around £40k each month to cover salary bills.

Things have changed, my strength through the resistance has grown and now I can deal with bigger things as God leads me into them. But the principles are still the same.

I remember hearing Peter Daniels - who is a Christian businessman - say that“if you don’t have any problems in your life, you should get on your knees and ask God why He doesn’t trust you anymore.”

This has always stuck with me because it’s in the resistance that our strength grows. God help me to know your strength working in me as we work together to grow and expand the Kingdom of God.

Signs that I am not functioning in the Strength of God

There are two signs that I am not functioning in the strength of God as I should be doing.

1. I am stressed out, too busy and not really being fruitful as I have mentioned.
2. I am comfortable. Getting comfortable can be a sign that I am resting on my own strength because you are not doing anything that requires faith. Comfortable is not having any major issues in life. I am not rocking the boat because I like the apparent calmness of life.

What about you? What are the signs that you are not resting in the strength of God as you perhaps should?

Jesus is not surprised by you

The amazing thing about Jesus is that he understands our weaknesses.

He knows what it is like. He knows you - all your strengths and all of your weaknesses. He came as a man and faced the same tests that we face. He knows what it is like to be you.

He is not surprised by who you are and what you do or don’t do.

And God, as a man, put himself in a position to know your weaknesses and in that place took your weaknesses at the cross so that you and I could do life fully supported by the strength of God.

Jesus was crucified in weakness, but now he is alive in the mighty power of God.

He knows who you are, and He knows what you can be when we allow Christ to help us and strengthen us. So He died for us, in weakness, but rose from the dead in strength and gives us a purpose and a calling and then gives us the strength and passion we need to pull it off.

Sounds like a good deal, right?

In other words, it is not about me and what I bring to the table. My education is great, but it is not about my education. My talents maybe limited and few but it is not about my talents. I’m a capable guy but it is not about my capabilities. My weakness maybe high and my strength low. But it is not about my weakness or my strength.

It is all about Jesus, and what He did for us on the cross so that whilst education and talents are great, life can be faced head on in His strength.

So again, the questions is: Is the strength of Christ in you enough? You bet it is.

No wonder Paul wrote:

And a few verses later wrote:

Questions for Discussion

1. Where are you doing something in your own strength, but you are fast running out of energy?
2. What have you put off doing because you don’t think you have what it takes?
3. Which area of the LIFT idea challenges you the most?
   1. L - Lack, specifically acknowledging that you lack the strength you need, and you need His strength to fulfill Christ’s call on your life.
   2. I - Involve / Instruction, specifically, do you know the promises of God for you in the area you need His strength?
   3. F - Faith, specifically - what acts of faith are you taking right now?
   4. T - Thankfulness, specifically - are you thanking God (around his promises) on a regular basis where you need his grace and strength?
4. Strength needs resistance to grow. What do you understand by this phrase?
5. What are the signs that you are not functioning in the strength of God as you should be? (Eg for me: stress, or being comfortable are the two key ones).