Our strength is found in Christ—in our having a vibrant, dynamic relationship with Him. As a direct result of our relationship, it is Christ who empowers us to do whatever is necessary to accomplish God’s will for our lives: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). There is no other source that gives man the strength to overcome the world with its trials and temptations, thereby fulfilling the call of Christ upon our lives.
The word strength and its derivatives are mentioned over 360 times in the Bible, applying to both natural and supernatural strength. The Greek word ‘katei’ means “power, strength, might.” In the Bible, strength is often linked to God’s power. Believers are to “be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power” (Ephesians 6:10). The unlimited power of Christ is the source of strength for those who belong to Him.
God’s strength in the Bible is readily seen in many of His works. He created the world and all that is in it with the power of His word. He parted the Red Sea, caused the sun to stand still, raised the dead, and performed many other great and glorious deeds: “Praise him for his acts of power” (Psalm 150:2). The one “who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep” (Psalm 121:4), because the God of all power needs no rest.
The Bible places an emphasis on God’s strength in our salvation. Man can in no way save himself. Only God can save. Paul makes this abundantly clear: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9). These two verses are the most forceful summary of the dynamics of salvation found anywhere in the Bible. They help us to understand the contrast between man’s total helplessness and God’s overwhelming strength. “God alone . . . has the power to save or to destroy” (James 4:12).
According to the Bible, what strength we have is not our own. As with all things, our strength ultimately comes from God: “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength . . . but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord” (Jeremiah 9:23–24).
No matter how strong we think we are, “the flesh is weak” (Mark 14:38). Left to our own devices, we will fall into temptation and fail in every worthy endeavor. The weakness inherent in human nature is why the Bible commends us to the strength of the Lord. Christ’s “power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). As we learn to rely on God’s strength instead of our own, we gain new heights: “The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights” (Habakkuk 3:19).
Our strength is found in Christ alone—in our having a vibrant, dynamic relationship with Him. It is Christ who empowers us to do whatever is necessary to accomplish God’s will in and through our lives: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). There is no other source that gives man the strength to overcome the world with its trials and temptations, much less fulfill God’s calling upon each and every one of us who know Jesus as Savior. Therefore, in Christ alone is fulfillment and satisfaction realized in our lives.
The Bible says that our strength is, paradoxically, related to surrender: “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). We align ourselves with the strength of God through our total submission to Him; then we are able to withstand the wiles of the evil one: “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes” (Ephesians 6:10–11).
Those who rely on God’s strength from day to day will find in Him a never-ending spring of energy: “Blessed are those whose strength is in you. . . . They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion” (Psalm 84:5, 7). As God’s children, we are strengthened by His grace (Hebrews 13:9), by our time spent in prayer (Luke 18:1), and by the promise that God will reward our efforts (Galatians 6:9). Many around us may grow weary and faint, but “those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (Is. 40:31). Key Scriptures include:
- Christ-centered: “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I will praise Him” (Ps. 28:7);
- Christ-overcoming: “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separated us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39);
- Christ-calming: “For God has not given us the spirit of fear but of power, love, and sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7);
Christ-conquerors: “Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:54-57).