Strong a the broken places
Hebrews 11:30-40

Speaking of David and other OT greats …..”whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies” – v34

Life breaks us all, but many are made strong at the broken places. The exciting thing about the Christian life is that whether we are temperamentally gifted or not, we are able to draw on the redemptive energies of Jesus Christ and thus turn every weakness into strength.
NOTHING THAT HAPPENS TO A BELIEVER CANNOT BE TRANSFORMED BY GOD WHO IS ABLE TO TURN EVERYTHING TO GOOD.

Condition: Link yourselves to His power.
God specialises in matching His ability to your disability. By His transforming grace your frustration can become fruitful. You can be strong at the broken places.

Prayer: Father God, how wonderful this sounds. Forgive my unbelief and all the times when I stifle your power and ability and try to break the link between us. I am wanting to experience your strength and power in the broken places – please help me Lord Jesus I pray.

Psalm 28:1-9
“The Lord is the strength of His people, a fortress of salvation for His anointed ones” – v8

Some Christians, when broken by difficult or traumatic circumstances, never seem to recover and remain in a constant state of weakness rather than strength. WHY?
Sometimes we fasten ourselves on something other than Christ – a denomination, a religious rite, a custom, or even a person. A storm comes and down they go because they fastened onto the culture surrounding Christ rather than Christ Himself. When we hold on to the central reality – JESUS CHRIST – we toughen, rather than wilt, under adversity.

Prayer: Lord how I long for you to: become my one steady place in a world full of flux and change. Help me to fasten on to you and not to the things that are connected with you. In Jesus strong and precious name I pray.

COSMIC OPTIMISM

Acts 13:13-25

V17 “God made the people prosper during their stay in Egypt.”

There is redemptive energy available to change the course of our lives and to give us moral mastery. Nothing can work against us in the long term.

Prayer: Father, how can I thank you enough for the hope that we have in you, the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Truth is I am linked with you. Your dependability makes life worth living.

Luke 14:15-24
V 23 Then the master told his servant. “Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in…”

The invited guests turned down their invitation to the banquet, the servant was to go out into the streets and alleys and get them to come in. Thwarted in certain places the invitation was then enlarged. The trick is to take the knocks and turn them into advantages. Jesus can do this!!!!

Thank you Lord Jesus.

Luke 22:63-71

V69 “But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.”

“Christianity combines the most absolute pessimism about man’s unaided powers with an unquenchable optimism as to what in Gods hands it may become.”

If there ever was a moment when Jesus should have been feeling defeated it was when He was before the Sanhedrin in Luke 22. The guards had struck Him in the face, blindfolded Him, spat upon Him, and yet, despite all this He stood and said “BUT FROM NOW ON the Son of man will be seated at the right hand of the Father…”
With both hands bound He talks about God turning the tables. Not – “it will happen one day..” - but – “From now on…” He brought it into the here and now.
WE TOO MUST CATCH THE IMMEDIACY OF CHRIST’S POWER. Bringing it into the present is part of the victory.

Prayer: Father I am so grateful for this sense of immediacy. You take the broken things of life and bring them into the here and now. – the immediacy of your power. Praise God.

Luke 18:26-39
V 37 “Then all the people of the region asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear.”

Jesus plans were blocked by the people - after Jesus healed the demon possessed man the people came to see Him and when they saw this man in his right mind they were overcome with fear – fear of what? They asked Him to go away. Truth is Jesus went on to perform some of His greatest miracles. Frustration turned to fruitfulness. So when your plans and hopes are shattered, do what Jesus did; utilise the grace that constantly flows towards you from God and consider turning to another direction.

Prayer: Father, whenever my plans are blocked, help me to understand that there is purpose in what is happening. Sometimes you upset me in order to set me up – to set me up with new and better plans. I am so grateful