Educators, coaches, even military experts all have their formulas for strength. Control what you can, set boundaries, visualize your work, improve your self-talk, be resilient. They uniformly encourage you to draw from your mind, body, emotions and spirit, leveraging each in turn as you get back up when knocked down. Their goal includes building within you sociological protective influences…a social network of support.

I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful.

I Timothy 1:12

If anyone ever needed strength, it was the apostle Paul. He listed a number of severe challenges he faced in a letter to the Corinthians. Through it all, he knew the true source of his strength – Jesus Christ the Lord – and for that strength, Paul was thankful.

Ahead of you lie the busy seasons of Thanksgiving and Christmas when, like most Americans, you will face tests of your endurance…mind, body, emotions and spirit. Gather up your network of support during these tempestuous times, and call upon the Lord to aid you with your priorities that your strength will be maintained. As you look to your own needs, pray also for President Obama and the nation’s leaders to keep their vigor as they deal with the business of government.

Recommended Reading: II Corinthians 11:21-33