1 Cor 16:13 (NIV) Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. We allowed Jesus to teach us Biblical principles about being people of courage. Now let’s allow Him to expose us to the truths about being strong.

2 Pet 1:20-21 (NIV) Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. If you realize that this is Jesus’ Book, then you will treat it with respect and faith. If you think the Bible was written BY the human “authors,” then it will be impossible for you to have faith in them and “their” words. But, if you realize it was written by Jesus, you will find it easy to have faith in Him.

Eph 6:10 (NIV) Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. If you think Paul is telling you this, then you have misunderstood the Bible. Just like your phone isn’t talking to the person you called, Paul isn’t telling you to be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power; Jesus is! Paul can’t speak creative power into you; only Jesus can. If you read the Bible thinking that humans are talking to you, you will see the words as opinions, advice, or human instructions. If you realize that Jesus is speaking through EVERY verse you read in the Bible, then you will experience miraculous, supernatural transformations in your life.

2 Tim 3:16-17 (NIV) All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful (powerful) for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, SO THAT the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. When Jesus speaks to winds (Luke 8:24), speaks to demons (Luke 4:35), speaks to people’s crippled bodies (Luke 6:10), speaks to people who are sinning (John 8:10-11), or speaks to you through the Bible, He is speaking creative power. Jesus is saying to you: “be strong in Me and in My mighty power.” AND, if you receive words like this in faith, it will create that miraculous result in you and your life.

2 Tim 2:1-3 (NIV) You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. The reason you will be strong is because you are receiving a gift of power from Jesus. Grace brings the gift of power through Jesus in and through you. Because you accept it as a gift, you don’t try to earn it, deserve it, or claim it as being from you.

2 Cor 12:9-10 (NIV) But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, SO THAT Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. If we want to do things in our own strength, Jesus will let us. If we want to acknowledge our own weaknesses, He will make His strength available to us. The weaker we are in ourselves, the stronger we are in Jesus.

If a cup is empty, then there is room for us to fill it with what we want in it. If we see how weak we are, it helps us see our need of Jesus’ strength and provisions. It helps us yield to Him and all He has to offer. If we see something we feel we can handle, Jesus honors our God-given free will. Phil 4:13 (NIV) I can do everything through Him Who gives me STRENGTH.

2 Cor 5:20 (NIV) We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. We can speak the creative Words of Jesus by using the Scriptures to fight these battles of life. When our words and sentences are yielded to what Jesus wants us to say, we produce spiritual, powerful things in our bodies, lives, circumstances, and in other people’s lives. Through Jesus, we can produce spiritual, powerful things in our bodies, lives, and circumstances and in the bodies, lives, and circumstances of other people.