Notes of Faith July 1, 2026
Your Strength, Lord!
He is able to aid those who are tempted.
Hebrews 2:18
What’s the strongest animal on earth? African elephants, which are also the largest land animals. Much of their strength is concentrated in their trunks, which have more than forty thousand muscles. Think of that! Forty thousand muscles just in their trunks! Humans only have six hundred muscles in their entire bodies. These massive animals can carry more than six tons, knock down mature trees, and lift more than six hundred pounds with their trunks. But their trunks are also very gentle and can pick up a single blade of grass. The useful appendage also serves as a snorkel when the creatures swim underwater.
God has built incredible strength into His creation—the power of the atom, the explosion of volcanos, and the measureless energy of the sun. Our God possesses endless energy, which is never depleted or exhausted. We say He is omnipotent—all powerful.
Ps 27:1-5
The Lord is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the defense of my life;
Whom shall I dread?
2 When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh,
My adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell.
3 Though a host encamp against me,
My heart will not fear;
Though war arise against me,
In spite of this I shall be confident.
4 One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord
And to meditate in His temple.
5 For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle;
In the secret place of His tent He will hide me;
He will lift me up on a rock.
His limitless strength is available to us when we’re tempted or tested. Hebrews 2:18 says, “He is able to aid those who are tempted.” When you feel yourself being tempted or tested, try praying: Your strength, Lord! A simple prayer for help, sincerely offered, avails much!
To be tempted is in itself no sin. It is the yielding to the temptation…which we must fear.
J. C. Ryle
I have come to recognize that my power is not only limited, but without the power of God, quite weak and prone to yielding to the power of the enemy against me. With God, however, there is nothing that can not only be endured, but an assured victory for every battle!
Remembering that Jesus is always with me means that each time I choose to sin, I take Jesus there with me. This reminder deters my choice to sin.
Also, the Spirit tells me that the time could be used productively for the name of the Lord, producing eternal reward and praise from the Lord.
Thinking about this second one makes me aware of the brevity of life and it’s earthly pleasures of sin, rather than the unending pleasure prepared for those who love and obey the Lord!
Where does your power come from?
Pastor Dale