May 3

“If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.” Proverbs 24:10

Strength is tested in all of us, not in times of ease and comfort, but in days of adversity, trouble and distress. The nature and degree of the difficulty we may face can have a lot to do with the response we give to it. Naturally the concept is relative to each individual. This can be seen by the fact that various people react and deal differently when faced with similar adversarial situations. One factor of this concept is what the bible here calls ‘strength’. This quality has a great deal to do with whether we ‘faint’, that is become easily depleted and defeated by the challenge which faces us. The strength, by which we are able to withstand trials and difficulties in life, is not a personal or character asset alone. It is a fortitude which comes from the faith which we are able to place in God, whose ability never fails or runs out. Time and again Jesus admonished His disciples for having ‘little faith’ in God. This did not mean they were not sincere or able to believe at all, but that they had not yet matured or grown sufficiently in their relationship with the Lord to believe further, and last the distance with the challenges that faced them. The Lord’s caution to His disciples was to encourage them to further growth, stretching their hearts with faith and trust in God. In other words a measurement of our ‘strength’ in spiritual terms, has to do with how much we are able to lean on God and believe in Him. This is not automatically related to our ‘age’ physically or even spiritually, but is more so, the outflow of a maturity found in holding and fostering a deep and loving, holy relationship with Jesus! If we fail to nurture a closeness and intimacy with God, we are more than likely going to faint easily in the day of adversity. Our spiritual resolution and determination, will easily give way to despondency and dejection. We are not all that durable when we face life and trials in our own strength alone! As believers particularly, we have the responsibility to learn how to lean on Jesus, rely on His strength, through faith in His principles and closeness to Him. This trust and dependence on the Lord provides the strength, wisdom, courage and steadfastness we need to remain, persist and endure in times of difficulty and trial. 

http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion