Daniel 11:32
“Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.”
INSIGHT
-The Hebrew word for strong is gabar, which means to have might and security. The Lord is reminding us as we begin this year, that those who know Him shall be strong and that they shall do exploits. The reverse is true and it will be evidenced unto those who are wicked and do not put their trust in the Lord of Hosts. A distinction will be clear and the Lord’s name will forever be praised. To know the Lord God as the true God, is to acknowledge Him as such; and not only profess Him, but submit to Him and worship Him, having spiritual knowledge of Him, and communion with Him; and therefore cannot be drawn off from Him and His worship by flatteries or frowns, by promises or menaces. These remain strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. They are proof against all allurements or threatening, and endure racks and tortures, all sorts of punishment, and death in every shape, with the greatest constancy and courage; such as Esther and Mordecai; as well as others did many valiant actions in the defense of themselves and country.
PRAYER
Blessed are those You choose and bring near to live in Your courts Oh Lord. We are filled with the good things of Your holiness. You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds, God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas, who formed the mountains by Your power, having armed Yourself with strength. May You increase in us the spirit of wisdom, faith and strength dear Jesus, that we may remain strong in You even at the wake of adversity. May Your blessings always follow us, our children and children’s children to the tenth generation, that we may be strong and do exploits for the glory and honor of Your name. May the grace to perform our purposes here on earth be found in us so that we may rule and reign with You as kings and priests to You Almighty Father. We humbly come to Your feet dear Jesus that we may obtain grace and mercy to help us in time of need. May You forgive us all our sins and wash us with Your precious blood. We thank You for this new year dear Jesus. We surrender this year unto You, that You may You take over our lives, families, marriages, jobs, businesses, ministries, churches, projects and hearts desires. Thank You for this far that You have brought us and the far that You are taking us. Thank You for plans that You have for us, plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us hope and a future. Thank You for Your promises are yes and amen. You will always do what You have promised without fail Abba Father, all our hope and trust is in You our Lord and God. May Your word always be a light to our feet and a lamp to our steps. May You enlighten our paths dear Jesus that we may be a reflection of Your goodness and love, so that many may see and follow You Jesus Christ. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and forever more. Amen
Further reading: Esther 4:1-17, Psalm 65:4-6
Joshua 1:9
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
INSIGHT
-The Lord instructed Joshua to be strong and very courageous. This exposes Joshua’s weakness and fear. Although the Lord had initially released a similar message through Moses to instruct Joshua that he would take possession of his neighbors territories (Deuteronomy 31:3-8). There was need for such a command, because even a great leader like Joshua needed such encouragement. Sometimes we are bogged down by life issues and feel weak due to challenges that emerge and concern us. To begin strong does not mean that we are self sufficient but we should place our hope and trust in the Lord, and be encouraged in Him. Joel 3:10 tells us that, the weak should say, ‘I am strong.” Like the Lord encouraged Joshua that He would be with him wherever he went. The Lord is reminding us His word that He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). The Lord is the source of all strength and is remind us to be bold and courageous for He is always in us and with us.
PRAYER
We thank You Jesus for loving us. We thank You for chose to die on the cross for our sins. We thank You for redeemed us with Your precious blood and sanctified us to righteousness. We thank You for You chose us and we are seated with You in heavenly place and we shall always be victorious in good works prepared for us in advance. Thank You for the gift of salvation and for choosing to dwell in us Holy Spirit. Thank You for loving us and for choosing us. May You strengthen us and encourage us when we are weak. May You heal our wounds when we are sick. May You revive our businesses and economy when are facing financial troubles. May You elevate us to the next level in every area of our lives. May You bless our nation and make our leaders strong in You. May You bless our us, our families and friends. May You grant all people the gift of salvation. We are nothing without You, may You take over everything that pertains to us. We rely on Your strength, may You grant us Your grace and favor. Thank You for You are always with us and in us. All glory, honor, power, strength and blessings belong to You Jesus now and forever. Amen
Further reading: 1 John 4:4, Ephesians 2:6-10
Psalms 27:14
“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”
INSIGHT
-The Psalmist possibly due to his experiential knowledge and of-course inspiration from the Holy Spirit, demystifies the importance of remaining strong in the Lord. Having faces dangerous encounters since his youth, David relied entirely upon the Lord. He waited on the Lord while keeping his fathers flock amidst deadly wild animals. He also escapes the danger posed by king Saul’s heavy military conquest. He eliminated Goliath the Philistine giant who was dreaded by the whole Israel. He remained strong in all his battles and the Lord fought for him. To begin strong we need to patiently wait upon the Lord and rely on His power even when we are faced by threats and danger, and when our wisdom and resources fail.
PRAYER
In You Lord our God, we put our trust. We believe in You dear Jesus do not let us be put to shame, nor let our enemies triumph over us. There is no one who hopes in You Lord that will ever be put to shame. Show us Your ways Lord, and teach us Your paths. Guide us in Your truth and teach us, for You are our God and our Savior, and all our hope is in You all day long. Some trust in horses, others trust in chariots but we put all our hope in You Lord our God. You are our salvation and shield, our stronghold, may You be at the center of our lives dear Jesus. You give strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in You Lord will renew their strength. We will soar on wings like eagles, we will run and not grow weary, we will walk and not be faint, for all our hope is in You our Lord and Savior. Amen
Further reading: Psalms 25:1-3, Psalm 73:26, Isaiah 40:29-31
2 Timothy 2:1
“You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”
INSIGHT
-The Lord releases diverse graces to enable us excel in specific areas of our lives. For instance, there is the grace of ministry that enables brethren to serve in specific areas of the body of Christ, the grace of marriage that allows us get into marriage and live well with our families, the grace of increase that permits us to become wealthy, the grace of leadership that enables us to serve in different areas of influence etc. The main verse discloses the grace of strength that is in Christ Jesus, and we are called to be partakers. Ephesians 6:10 reminds us that we need to be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. There is a grace that empowers us to operate in might. Samson; one of the strongest men in the Bible is a good example of such a grace. The Lord released upon him great strength through which he was able to uniquely operate in the purpose for which he was called; as a judge (Judges 14-16). God’s grace is sufficient for us and His power is made perfect in weakness, and when we realize that human efforts are inadequate and rely upon Him, His power rests on us (2 Corinthians 12:9).
PRAYER
Your steadfast love never ceases, Your mercies never comes to an end, they are new every morning, great is Your faithfulness Oh Lord our God. Your grace is sufficient for us and Your power is made perfect in weakness, great is Your faithfulness. May You shower us with Your graces from everlasting to everlasting loving Jesus. May Your grace of strength, leadership, marriage, increase, ministry and other graces be found in us that we may do exploits for the glory and honor of Your name Jesus. May we bear much fruit in You dear Jesus for You are the Vine and we are the branches. May Your favor and grace always go before us as You manifest Your glory through us. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now, and forever more. Amen
Further reading: Ephesians 2:8-9
Luke 2:40
“And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.”
INSIGHT
-Jesus was fully man and fully God, and he was subject to growth and maturity from His birth. He grew physically in strength and in soul, and spirit. He also grew in wisdom, stature, and in favor with God and man (Luke 2:52). As we begin this year, let us remember to ask God to increase our strength, wisdom and faith and grant us favor through His grace.
SUMMARY
Building up strength in faith is the core to excel in our God given purposes. The Lord reminds us that those who know Him and have a relationship with Him will be strong and do exploits (Daniel 11:32). The impartation of God’s grace precipitates faith in Jesus Christ, for it is by grace that we have been saved through faith and not by our own works lest anyone should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). Apostle Paul encouraged Timothy to be strong in grace that is in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 2:1). He indicates that it is by grace that we become strong to perform that which God has in store for us. There are various graces that expose us to the spirit of excellence that distinguish us in specific areas of our lives. There is the grace of strength, increase, marriage, leadership, ministry etc. Samson received the grace of strength and he became extremely powerful even to tare apart a lion with his bare hands (Judges 14:6). He also killed a thousand Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey (Judges 15:15), and destroyed about three thousand men and women in the temple of Dagon (Judges 16:27-30). Like Samson, Joshua one of the judges was encouraged by God to be strong and of good courage, and that the Lord will always be with him (Joshua 1:9), and he was able to capture his neighbors territories. David also relied on the grace of God fully and he won all his battles. Esther became stronger in faith through prayer and fasting, together with her people, and the Lord thwarted the plan of the enemies, elevated them to places of influence and gave them victory. When we begin strong, we partake of God victories and perform our mandates as per God’s plan. We are also reminded that to begin strong we need to uphold love in our hearts and do everything in love (1 Corinthians 16:13-14).
PRAYER
Almighty and Everlasting Father we come before Your holy presence with thanksgiving in our hearts. We thank You and bless Your holy name. You have been faithful unto us even when we have become faithless. This far You have been Ebenezer. We thank You for protecting us, providing for us, sustaining us, leading us and for giving us the gift of salvation. May You impart in us Your fruit and gifts, and empower us with grace and strength so that we may do exploits. May You increase in us wisdom and faith and teach us to fully rely on You. May love for You and our neighbors never fade in our hearts. May You bless us Lord and keep us. May You make Your face to shine upon us and be gracious unto us. May You turn Your countenance upon us and grant us peace. Amen
Further reading: Luke 17:5, 1 Corinthians 16:13-14