The
Spirit of the Lord is saying, “It is time for more spiritual
strength and capacity.”
Are you willing to do what it takes to develop spiritual muscle?
The Spirit of the Lord is saying, “It is time for more
spiritual strength and capacity.” I’m sure this is a
welcomed prophetic announcement for Christians with a desire
to receive all that Jesus has planned for them. This may
even be a confirmation for those with gifts and anointing
who realize they need more preparation in order to properly
carry their ministries.
The truth is a desire for greater capacity alone will not
suffice. Every believer must determine to do whatever it
takes to develop inner strength and spiritual capacity so they can be strong in
the Lord. That spiritual strength and capacity will enable
you to fulfill your destiny in the face of any and every
obstacle.
What exactly is spiritual strength? Quite simply, spiritual
strength is the ability to carry an enduring heart that
follows after God even when His calling or message is not
popular at the time (Numbers 14:24). It is the capacity to
live in hard spiritual climates when those around you give
up, break rank and run from their faith in God. It is the
capability to cart the fire of God’s glory according to His
will and not your own. Spiritual strength is the endurance
beyond the “norm” of moderate Christian living that comes
out of pressing into Jesus for more of Him. Jesus said,
“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after
righteousness for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6,
emphasis added).
Along with spiritual strength and capacity comes the
willingness to pioneer fresh scriptural truths when others
want to settle in the cellar of musty religious tradition.
Spiritual strength and capacity will result in an enduring
steadfastness that goes way beyond the typical
“bless-me-only” passive charismatic posturing of some
believers. Such lack of resolve is not healthy for God’s
people because it produces an apathetic complacency. The
effect of spiritual oxidation always hinders positive change
and spiritual maturity.
Many believers have spiritual gifts and a strong desire to
grow spiritually. They practice being doers of the Word,
praying in tongues and seeking the Kingdom of God and His
righteousness. They hunger and thirst after righteousness
and they are filled. Others have the same spiritual gifts
without that fervent pursuit and find themselves shipwrecked
among the rocky reefs of ministry.
The latter group loves the Lord as much as the former, but
by not seeking first the Kingdom they do not have the
spiritual capacity needed to carry a ministry. Could it be
they mistakenly chased blessings, gifts, crowds and charisma
instead of investing time into the spiritual preparation
required of a vessel fit to carry God’s true blessings,
gifts and anointings?
We can compare our spiritual development to the construction
process of a high-rise office building. When constructing
multi-towered buildings, for example, the general
contractors spend significant time preparing a foundation
for the massive weight of the building. If the foundation is
not adequately prepared, then it could crack under the
weight of the finished building. Any structural engineer
would tell you that a cracked foundation is cause for
serious concern about a building’s stability.
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So it is too with our spiritual lives. We spend time
training our minds to sharpen our intellectual skills. We
spend hours training our natural bodies so as to look good
and be physically fit and healthy. But how much time do we
spend training our born again human spirit to carry that
which God wants to impart to us? It’s a question worth
pondering.
Developing spiritual strength is preparing the human spirit
to carry everything that the Holy Spirit wants to do in your
life. It is the development of godly character and integrity
– an absolute must in every strong believer in the Lord
Jesus Christ. It is the development of a strong prayer life.
It means never avoiding spiritual conflict and requires a
willingness to be inconvenienced.
John the Baptist is an example of spiritual strength and
capacity. He ferried an enduring steadfastness while
preaching an unpopular message in his day. Nonetheless, he
carried a strong engaging voice of the Holy Spirit. That
voice prepared his listeners for a great change that was
about to take place – the ministry of the Lamb of God that
taketh away the sin of the world and the preaching of the
Kingdom of heaven.
How do we develop ourselves to carry such a compelling voice
in the face of similar apathy and religious morass in our
day? Firstly, our gifts, calling and motives must be
submitted to the Lordship of Christ. Wrong motives always
rob true spiritual authority and capacity (Acts 8:18-24).
John said, “He must increase but I must decrease” (John
3:30). In order to abase we should stay away from such
things as the deceptive allure of “Hollywood Christianity.”
Polished showmanship and entertainment, no matter how
elegant it’s venue, is not the anointing. In fact, it is a
form of religious thralldom that is nothing more than a
deceitful religious window dressing. It releases a deception
that makes one think they are doing something for Jesus when
they are really not. In reality flamboyant representatives
falsely portray Christianity to an unsaved world.
Let’s not forget about praying in tongues in our journey
toward spiritual strength and capacity. Praying in tongues
is unpopular and even forbidden in some counterfeit
Charismatic and Pentecostal circles. Praying in tongues,
however, is important to every believer in developing a
strong spiritual life. Praying in tongues should never be
discouraged because it is part of our Holy Spirit-filled
lives. All the apostles spoke in tongues and we should, too.
Scripture says, “If I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit
prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful” (1 Corinthians
14:14). The Apostle Paul also declared “forbid not to speak
with tongues” (1 Corinthians 14:39). We must maintain an
effectual fervent prayer life (James 5:16). Praying in
tongues will help build us up and accomplish that goal (Jude
20).
When believers strengthen themselves through prayer they
never ignore spiritual conflict. Anemic Christians fall into
the trap of compromising their faith in God by trying to get
along with everything and everybody. Whether it is sin or
demon powers, we can never ignore what we are called to
overcome. Strong believers understand that the anointing
destroys the yoke. They never compromise or lower their
standards by blending with unscriptural secular opinions.
Strong believers know if the anointing destroys, then it
must first confront. To develop spiritual capacity we must
use the spiritual authority that Jesus gave us to pull down
strongholds in our own lives and in the marketplace.
Spiritual strength never comes without spiritual conflict.
It is “in the conflict” that spiritual strength is forged in
the believer.
Another ingredient toward spiritual strength is found during
times of inconvenience. “Change is not made without
inconvenience, even from worse to better,” wrote 16th
Century British theologian Richard Hooker. It always seems
inconvenient to pray, to study scriptural truth, to give
financially to God, to witness, to apply the Word daily, or
to attend church services. Perhaps you have heard it said
that nothing great comes easy. Avoiding inconvenient times
and staying in comfort zones will kill spiritual vigor every
time.
The strong believer must be willing to be inconvenienced to
grow in the things of God and develop spiritual strength.
When you start feeling comfortable you’re on the way to a
backslidden condition and in danger of stepping off that
cutting edge. Comfortable Christians get bored, and boredom
is the breeding ground of sin. Sin quickly destroys our
spiritual strength and separates us from the things of God.
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Finally, when developing a strong spiritual life one must
avoid “average” at all cost. Average is the killer of
spiritual grit and maturity. “Typical” is the friend of the
carnal religious spirit that hears the Word of God but does
not live it. God never called you to be average. Jesus went
a little farther and so can you (Matthew 26:39).
Meditating on the Word of God and applying His truth will
strengthen you in your Christian walk. It is the truth of
God that is your sword of strength. Firmly gripped in the
hand of the skilled believer it pierces even to the dividing
asunder of soul and spirit and of the joints and marrow and
is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart
(Hebrews 4:12).
The Spirit of the Lord is saying, “It is time for more
spiritual strength and capacity.” What does that mean? It
means we have to apply these truths and abide in the
reservoir of His Word. Stir up the gift of God within you by
doing what is pleasing to Him and pursuing a greater
relationship with the Lord Jesus. Moreover, study to show
thyself approved, pray without ceasing, and be faithful in
all your ways. Determine today to press into more of Jesus
through prayer with a resolute determination to be a doer of
His Word.
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