If you had to complete this sentence, "My Heart is weighed down by__________________." What would you write? What worries of your soul are bogging you down in this season? Is it finances? Your children? Your marriage? A relationship? Your career? Loneliness? or something else?

Life can throw heavy blows; and when it does, it can cause you to feel depleted, downtrodden, tired, and worn out. You may wonder if things will ever get better. Or, it may even have you questioning if there is hope for you and the situation you find yourself in. However, if you are a Christian, you can tap into God’s strength - the strength that prevails. This is a supernatural strength that only God can give to you!

CALL OUT TO GOD

When life becomes overwhelming and the battle ahead seems hard to fight, it can feel like your soul has taken a beating! Maybe you overcome one thing, and there appears to be a plethora of others to overcome. What is your initial reaction? Maybe you look for relief from outside sources, but seek help from all the wrong places. But, do you realize that you have a God you can call out to in your time of despair? Psalms 91:15 says, "When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him."

The truth is, God wants to help! He is the help you need in times of trouble, and everything you need can be found in Him! 

STRUCK DOWN BUT NOT DESTROYED 

What does your energy gauge spiritually look like? Have you ever felt hard-pressed, like you're being squeezed from both sides? Maybe you are a parent, and you have your kids on this side, work on this side, and aging parents on the other. If you feel empty and like you lack the strength for today, take heart: 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 says “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”

NATURAL STRENGTH VS. SUPERNATURAL STRENGTH 

When it comes to strength that prevails, Jesus knew the worries of this life would dull our hearts, erode our capacity for connection, and, if you're not careful, it will create distance between you and God! So He instructs his followers in Luke 21:36  "Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man." The kind of strength Jesus describes in this scripture is the Greek word Katischuo. This word means to prevail against, to be superior in strength, to overcome, and prevail. 

Maybe you’ve tried to resolve your trials on your own, with your strength and realized that you can't. It drains you, and you become perplexed, questioning why does God allow all of these things to happen? Why does He allow sickness and disease? Why does my family have to suffer? Be reminded again and gravitate towards what Paul conveyed in 2 Corinthians 4:8-9: “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” 

This week, we encourage you to cling to God’s strength that prevails. Allow God to refine you in the trial even before He refreshes you. You cannot fight in your strength, and you must tap into the power that prevails; Katischuo strength from God himself! When you do this, you make room for God to turn every hard time into a HOLY TIME! 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

For additional related content from Liquid Church, check out the resources below:

• MESSAGE: To watch the full message from Liquid Church’s Resilient Series, Part 2 “Rooted In Christ,” click here.
• MESSAGE:  For the full message from Liquid Church's Resilient Series, Part 1 “The Strength That Prevails,” click here.
• SERIES: To learn more about our series, Resilient and other resources, click here.