TSP DAILY DEVOTIONAL
YOUR TRUE STRENGTH
10th January 2020
Dr. Phil Ransom-Bello
KEY SCRIPTURE/ MEMORY VERSE: Timothy 2:1 (TPT)
“Timothy, my dear son, live your life empowered by God’s free-flowing grace, which is your true strength, found in the anointing of Jesus and your union with him!”
When you were a toddler and needed something, whatever it was, you only had one option- ask your parents for it. You had no ability in yourself, everything you could do or get was what your parents could do or get for you. Your parents were the source of your strength.
As you grew older, you began to learn how to do some things yourself, but still depended on your parents for things out of your reach until you became an adult and become entirely independent of your parents. At this point, you have now developed your own strength. When you need anything, the thought of your parents doesn’t even come to mind, you just get it or seek for it yourself, even if it’s out of your reach.
In our text today, Paul urges Timothy to live his entire life “empowered by God’s grace, which is your true strength”. This means that our true strength lies in the grace of God.
The phrase “true strength” connotes that there is such a thing as “false strength”, which can come in different shapes and forms- your natural skills, intellect, money, beauty, connections, friends, family etc.
I know you have your strengths, that area of your life that you place your confidence and hope in. You’ve spent years and resources developing and nurturing it and when all is going as planned, you have peace.
It could be your family, your spouse, your career or your finances or even your social media accolades. You can go a day or a week without spending time with God and feel okay, but you can’t be okay if no one has commented on your post. Or you can’t be okay if that money you’re expecting has not dropped. No, this cannot be your reality.
These strengths are not bad in themselves, they are good, but we cannot live our lives by them.
Life is most complete when we live our lives by the free-flowing grace of God in Christ.
That we truly realise (and not just say)that everything we are and have is by the grace of God.
In I Corinthians 15:10, Paul says,
‘But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. ‘
I know you are asking how do I really draw strength from and truly rely on the grace of God? Some will say “na grace I go chop?”.
We can draw answers from the life of a toddler. The only power you had as a toddler was the fact you were the child of your parents.
As Paul puts it – this “true strength” is found in the anointing of Jesus and our union with Him! We must see the gravity of the reality of being called children of God by the perfect work of Christ in us and draw strength from it.
This strength starts with your spirit being, flows to your mind and then to your body and every area of your life.
This strength flows freely to your mind from the spirit when you KNOW how much your Father has freely given to you, just as I Corinthians 2:12 puts it –
‘Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might KNOW the things that have been FREELY GIVEN to us by God.’
Strength manifests itself in so many intangible ways that eventually becomes tangible – in unending joy, peace in the storm, in assurance of the future, in righteousness, in wisdom, in prosperity, in health.
However, we do not set our sights on the manifestations but on the source- which is our union with Christ!
Just look at Him, the mere thought of Him will give strength to your spirit man. Live from there and the rest is history.
REFLECTION
Are there areas of my life that I need to let go of “false strength” and truly rely on the “true strength”?
DECLARATION
-I am a new man in Christ.
-I have true strength.
-My true strength finds full expression.
-I draw strength from the perfect work of Christ in me.
-I am empowered by God’s grace.
-I enjoy the manifold grace of God for every circumstance.
-Because Christ lives in me, I am filled with all the fulness of God.
-Christ is my only reality.
-I am loved by God.
-Today, I am loaded with daily benefits.
-I am BLESSED!
-Glory to God!
HEARING BY THE WORD
(Recommended Listening)
Listen to The Mind of Christ >> Dr. Phil by The StandPoint Church on #SoundCloud
