Strong in Spirit like John the Baptist

Strong in Spirit like John the Baptist

John the Baptist
Are you strong in spirit? Would you like to be? What would it mean to be strong in spirit? Let’s find out. John the Baptist – whose birth many churches are celebrating this weekend – is a wonderful example of a person who was strong in spirit. We can for sure take some pointers from him.

 John grew up and became strong in spirit. (John 1:80, NLT,*)

John the Baptist is also an amazing example for a person who was totally focused and dedicated for his life purpose. He did not let anyone or anything disturb him. Why do we let anything and everything do that to us? We get so easily distracted from being in an ongoing, interactive relationship with Jesus. Lord, have mercy.

John the Baptist sacrificed his comfort and his popularity for the sake of Christ. He did not understand the whole salvation plan of God, yet he was willing to do his part without questions. He did not come up with any excuses why he did not want to do unpopular and uncomfortable things. Why do we do that? Lord, have mercy.

Because John was strong in spirit he was able to look at his life with the eyes of God. He did not care what other people thought about his diet (wild honey and locusts) or his wardrobe (made of camel’s hair). He did not run after money, position or fame. Why do we do then? Lord, have mercy.

John the Baptist was strong in spirit and that’s why he did everything to fulfill his calling and even gave his life for it. Are you ready to do that? Are you willing to be an odd person for Christ? Are you strong in spirit?

The only way to become strong in spirit is through total surrender to Jesus every day of our lives. The more we interact with Jesus, the clearer our calling becomes. The more we abide in Jesus, the stronger in spirit we become. It seems simple but it requires dedication and willingness to give up certain things that hinder us from fully focusing on the Lord. What could they be in your life? Are you willing to do what it takes to become strong in spirit? You can start right now. God is waiting to hear from you. God is waiting to speak to you.

 

Gracious God,
I want to be strong in spirit like John the Baptist.
I want to be yours truly.
I surrender my everything to you.
Do what you want with me.
Show me how, Lord.
Show me what, where, when.
May my life life count for you.
Be praised forever and ever.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen

 

Q4U: Are you willing to do whatever it takes to be/become strong in spirit?

Be blessed, my fellow pilgrim, as you embrace Jesus with everything you’ve got!

* [As you might have noticed, I enjoy reading the Bible in different translations and love comparing them. I have started linking the Bible verses to Biblegateway.com so you can easily read (and compare) them in the different versions I’ve used while preparing each post.]

Image courtesy of Bartolomeo Veneto/Wikimedia. Linking up today with Faith-filled Fridays, Five Minute Friday and Faith Jam.

One thought on “Strong in Spirit like John the Baptist

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

RSS
Follow by Email