Encouragement Series: DIVINE LEVELS OF STRENGTH AND FORTITUDE

I woke up these words in my spirit: STRENGTH AND FORTITUDE.  I believe this if for all of us, not just me. Here is what I believe it means, in these coming days, God is granting divine levels of STRENGTH and FORTITUDE to do things (and also NOT to do things.) That speaks new levels of EMPOWERMENT and SELF-CONTROL, RESTRAINT. These are equally important attributes of God's. But for His power to keep us, we'd all be in trouble constantly. But for His restraint we'd have no world and would not be even here. 

Think of the level of restraint it takes for God to see what's going on in the world today, violence in the open and mostly behind closed doors. And so much more. His restraint in dealing with the Children of Israel and His unbelieving and untrusting children in the Church today. But yet in His love He restrains Himself in MERCY towards His own and GRACE towards all, including those who have not chosen to be His children.

If we will seek Him while He can still be found, we will be able to exercise self-control to new levels. And this will have a direct result on EMPOWERMENT in other areas. This amounts to not responding with that great come-back in a discussion unless He releases us to do so. It also means being able to laugh and situations that would normally upset you. It also includes not defending self but trusting Him to do it. The Bible tells us Jesus was meek, which means He restrained Himself even when He had the power to act because the Father had not given permission to act. It's the reason He did not summon angels to get Him down off the Cross or done it Himself. Do you see the far-reaching implications of self-restraint. Perhaps that's why it's the last of the Spirit listed as it's the most challenging to develop and to walk in.

These need to come back into focus:  STRENGTH, FORTITUDE, SELF-CONTROL, RESTRAINT, MEEKNESS.

Galatians 5, especially vv. 13-26: Freedom in Christ- Walking by the Spirit

13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh[a]; rather, serve one anotherhumbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[b] 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever[c] you want.18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

The bottom line is MATURITY. God is growing us up. We must need it. That way we can all grow up into that one perfect man in Ephesians 4 where Paul talked about the Body growing in unity, using the gifts of the Spirit to edify.

Ephesians 4:11-16

11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head,that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

 STRENGTH, FORTITUDE, SELF-CONTROL, RESTRAINT, MEEKNESS are truly marks of maturity in Christ and their source is LOVE.

Scripture  from:
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=gal+5&version=NIV