When you face adversity. When you face a challenge. When you face a giant, you realize (if you’re honest) that that giant is bigger than you are. The Israelites were afraid to go into their Promised Land, because the giants in their land were bigger than they were. Goliath petrified a nation, because he was bigger than any other soldier.
Not everyone wins. Not everyone conquers. People lose their marriage. People lose a battle against cancer. People lose their job. People lose financial security. So that is why we worry or fear. Deep down we know that we can’t control the situation, and we can’t make it happen in our own strength.
This is what I have had to wrestle with. Cancer is greater than human strength. It can bring the strongest of the strongest to their knees and ultimately take anyone’s life. Yet there’s a fight that rises in my heart. We will win!
At the end of my first appointment with the neurosurgeon. I looked him in the eye and said, “We will win!” His response was, “well, that’s always the goal.” I said, “No, WE WILL WIN.” He had some interesting things to say about the power of a positive perspective. Which I agree with completely.
We can try to arise in our only our strength. I will beat it. I am strong. I am amazing. There’s a pride that’s ultimately just about me. A positive self-affirming attitude is better than a defeated negative attitude. Here’s an important distinction. It’s not my strength. It’s God’’s strength in me.
The source of my strength isn’t me, it’s Christ in me. I am MADE STRONG day by day. I tap into a power that never runs dry. I don’t want people to look at my life and be impressed with God not me. That’s why the phrase “WE WILL WIN” has been meaningful to me.
We, being God and me. We, being my family and friends and me. We truly need each other in life. We aren’t made to conquer on our own. I get overwhelmed. We conquer together.
Three things I’ve learned from the Apostle Paul through my adversity.
1) God gives us more than we can handle.
We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. (1 Cor. 2:8 NIV)
Paul and the boys were in the tank. Their circumstances had them completely overwhelmed. They literally thought they were going to die. God will set us up with adversity that is greater than we are in our own strength. Why?
2) So that we rely on HIm.
But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. (2 Cor. 1:9 NIV)
We tend to rely on our strength and ability to solve any and every problem. When we’re overwhelmed, we realize “I can’t do it on my own.” That’s when we cry out to the Lord. Lean on God’s strength. Tap into a source greater than ourselves.
3) We can always hope in HIm.
He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, (2 Cor. 1:10 NIV)
He did it before. He’ll do it again. Therefore, we set our hope on HIM completely. He will continue to be there for you. He’ll keep you in peace during the storm. He’ll walk with you. He’ll strengthen you. He’ll never leave you nor forsake.
You are MADE STRONG. Each and every day, God is right there. He brought you to this point. He’ll get you through it. May you look your biggest giant in the face today and say, “Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world. We will win. I am MADE STRONG.”