Strong in Spirit

Strong in Spirit

Strong in Spirit

Are you strong in spirit? Would you like to be? And what does it mean to be strong in spirit anyway? 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. I’m sure we can take some pointers from him.

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

I think John the Baptist was totally focused and dedicated to his life purpose. He did not let anyone or anything disturb him. Why then 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 most likely did not understand the whole salvation plan of God, yet he was willing to do his part without questions. Also, he did not come up with any excuses why he did not want to do unpopular and uncomfortable things. Why then 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). And he did not run after money, position or fame. Why do we do then? Lord, have mercy.

Strong in spirit

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? What do you think? Are you willing to be an odd person for Christ?

The only way to become strong in spirit is through total surrender to Jesus. Because the more we interact with Jesus, the clearer our calling becomes. And the more we abide in Jesus, the stronger in spirit we become. This 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. He is waiting to speak to you.

Gracious God,
I want to be strong in spirit like John the Baptist.
So I surrender everything to you.
Do what you want with me.
May my 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 and Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash. Design by Mari-Anna Stålnacke. The post is refurbished from 2014. Linking up today with Dance with Jesus and Five-minute Friday.

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