LIVE LIFE STRONG

Once bathed in the scented oils of luxury, wealth, fame, and influence, Moses stood in the hot sun perfumed only by the stink of sheep and goats and his tragic fall from royal prominence.  His story seemed to end some 40 years earlier when he committed a murder fueled by flames of indignation at the sight of a fellow Israelite being beaten by a cruel Egyptian slave master.  He was forced to flee Egypt and strike out into the sun-parched eastern desert.  Taking the place of Pharaoh’s palaces built as dwellings fit for kings and gods-still evident today-the once prince of Egypt now sheltered in tent and caves of nomads wandering the wilderness. The memories of finer living erased by the desert sand. It may very well have seemed to Moses that his life was resigned in disgrace, failure, and loss.  All of that was about to change.

Suddenly, after decades of feeling lost and forgotten, he was face-to-face with God.  Actually, it was more of a face-to-burning bush conversation.  God spoke to Moses out of the flames and unveiled a stunning plan to liberate Israel from slavery in Egypt. You can just imagine Moses’ face after living so many years under the weight of his failures and consequences.  He was a crushed man.  When God tells him he will be His spokesman to the nation of Israel and also to Pharaoh, Moses bluntly says ‘No’ to God. 

Excuse after excuse, Moses said the children of Israel wouldn’t believe him.  He said he was too insignificant for Pharaoh to listen to.  Then he started to stutter and told God that he had this terrible speech impediment.  I’m surprised he didn’t tell God one of the sheep ate his homework.  He gave every excuse he could find to try and exile himself further from God’s destiny for his life.  Moses was terrified.  He was scared of failing again and losing his anonymity, his hiding place in the wilderness.    

Sometimes the places and habits we retreat to because of our failure, shame, and loss, can hold us captive.  We become comfortable with our captivity.  We think our secret life is a refuge, but it becomes a cage.  The initial escape for Moses was supposed to put distance between him and his fear, but all it did was make him so nervous he couldn’t even talk right.  Along comes God, and He says, You shall be My prophet and lead My people out to freedom.  Moses’ weakness did not intimidate God in the slightest. 

God has chosen you for something big.  First of all, He has chosen you to be His child and a special part of His royal family, but after that, God has called you to be strong in the power of His might.  Understand this: the burden and responsibility of making you strong are completely on God, your Maker.  You were created on purpose for God’s strength, and that means there is a manufacturer’s standard for your true identity.  God is intentional.  He’s very precise with His plans for your life to be able to shine and display His power. 

Moses seemed destined for failure from the beginning.  Even when things went right, they went wrong, until God spoke to him.  When God’s Word gains access to your life, your destiny aligns with His great plans for you.  Moses went from being a failure, a convict, and a forgotten man to being a great prophet of God, a leader of the most influential nation, and a man who helped set millions of people free from slavery.  He went from being very weak to very strong.  All because he dared to let God’s Words into his heart. 

That’s what this book is about.  God gaining access to your heart so He can get His Word and His plan into you.  Maybe you know what it’s like to fail—to disappoint others along with yourself.  You might feel the sting of shame and the rejection of those whose approval you once hoped for.  Feeling futile and weak in an area is a very vulnerable state.  Feeling broken in life is a very dark place to be.  God has a message for the weak and the broken.  It is a message of healing and restoration, but it’s also one of empowerment and strengthening.  He doesn’t throw you away, but rather, He saves you for a new citizenship in His kingdom. 

My story has a compelling bearing on this book.  I really am a statistical improbability to instruct on living strong.  Born to teenage parents, I was raised by a single mom on the poor side of the tracks.  Not floating in the Nile, but on the edge of danger within a family context of addiction and poverty.  Our mom was dedicated to pointing us to God’s Word as the straight edge for life and the source of hope, even when it looked hopeless.  I’m a testament to God’s grace and ability to make the weak strong.  Not strong in myself, but strength I mercifully enjoy every day inside of God’s plan.  Kind of like a weak man sitting on a powerful earth-moving tractor with all the most advanced hydraulics.  By myself, I could barely move the shovel of life, but in this supernatural earth-mover—living in Christ—I am able to move mountains by faith.  Yes, I can fully relate to your weakness, but I can also testify to the miracle of God’s power to make us strong.  God really wants this for you! 

Probably one of the greatest lies believed with regard to God is that He requires you to make yourself strong.  Not true.  God’s greatest desire is that you believe in Him and permit Him to put His strength in you.  Jesus reminds the people of what the prophet Isaiah had said about Him in Matthew 12:20.  He said, “A bruised reed He will not break.”  God doesn’t pile on your weakness and vulnerability, but when you allow Him to, He will heal, restore, and revive you to strength that is sourced directly from Him.  Yes, it is God’s will for you to be strong, but He assumes all the responsibility for that miracle. 

Throughout the pages of this book, you will be inspired by God’s power and might, touching every area of your life.  He works according to your knowledge of His promises.  You’ll learn, as I have, that Bible illiteracy is the curse that keeps too many of us floating in the Nile with the crocodiles.  The enemy looks for someone he can devour.  A lack of strength is never a situation where God can’t deliver, but it hinges on our capacity to receive.  I admit I’ve struggled in this area.  I’ve had bandwidth challenges.  My ignorance of God’s Word became enshrined in mental constructs, and I had an unwillingness to pay attention.  Let’s refuse to tolerate that behavior in ourselves. 

God used a simple burning bush to grab Moses’ attention.  The bush didn’t talk, but God spoke out of the flames.  Today, I believe God is grabbing your attention and wanting to encourage your heart as these pages exalt and amplify His Word.  Each chapter will conclude with a simple prayer guiding you to pray God’s Word for strength.  Praying His promises out loud is powerful, so don’t back away from voice-activating your faith. 

You will notice action steps closing out each chapter.  We all need the practical to help shape our habits and repetition.  Your repetition determines your persuasion.  You’ll also find a QR code to help quickly reference more bonus teaching, prayers, and even relevant worship songs.  All of these will, in some way, further expound on the topic at hand for your benefit. 

If you feel like your circumstances are too much to overcome, too bad to escape, and too lost to ever be found, then the pages you are holding right now are divinely ordered for you.  God sees you.  He longs to not only save you but also fill you with His anointed power and wisdom.  The question is, can you pay attention long enough for Him to impart His strength to you?  That’s truly the cost of being strong in the Lord.  

We all must let go of our failing ideology and focus our attention on His Word. Can your identity survive being wrong?  To grow strong, we must be able to rethink an opinion or even a core belief. I’ve learned that my weakness is swallowed up and made perfect in His strength.  God loves you!  Get ready, my friend, because I know God wants to empower you to Live Life Strong!  

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