BUILDING A STRONG SPIRIT

Built Strong– Part 1

Rick Warren

January 3-4, 2015

“I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources 

God will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit.” 

Ephesians 3:16 

AIM TO BE STRONGER:

• SPIRITUALLY
• HEALTH WISE
• FINANCIALLY
• RELATIONSHIPS

Ask yourself if you really want to be stronger than before?

You will only be as strong as you determine or intend to be.

It doesn't happen by accident.

You can continue being weak or average or you can become stronger.

You can determine how weak or strong you will be by your attitude and actions.

Sampson's story demonstrate the sources of weakness and strength.
He demonstrated tremendous both strength and tremendous weakness in his life.
Physically he was a powerhouse.  He was powerfully strong, handsome, successful, but one day he lost it all and became a broken and shattered man who became a failure.
Spiritually he was a wimp. He chose a lifestyle that sapped his spiritual strength.  He fell into 3 traps.
He woke up one day and all his strength was gone.
Learn to avoid these traps.
(Judges 14:1-20: Samson's story)

3 ATTITUDES THAT WEAKEN MY SPIRIT
3 HABITS THAT STRENGTHEN MY SPIRIT

John the Baptist was "strong in spirit". That is what we need to be!

3 Weakness  and traps that Samson displayed:

1.) He was self indulgent. He lived only for himself, his feelings and he was a womanizer. He lusted after a woman (Deliah) and based his decisions based on pleasure instead of principles, base upon convenience instead of conviction.

1. SELF INDULGENCE WEAKENS MY SPIRIT.
Excuses:
“Just this once.” "Just one more...""If it feels good, just do it."  "Obey your thirst".
"I deserve this...", "I owe it to myself." "I want to splurge!" "Eat, Drink, Be Merry... tomorrow we die."

If you were on a cruise ship and the captain announced there was a small leak, but don't worry just go ahead like nothing is wrong.  Any area that is a leak will weaken your spirit.

“Don’t be misled; remember that you can’t ignore God and get
away with it; a man will always reap just the kind of crop he sows!
If he sows to please his own wrong desires, he will be planting
seeds of evil and will surely reap a harvest of spiritual decay and
death.” Galatians 6:7-8 (LB)

TO BE STRONG, I MUST DISCIPLINE MY DESIRES
TO LIVE ACCORDING TO GOD'S DESIRES.
“Strengthen yourselves with (Christ’s) way of thinking . . .
Live your lives controlled by God’s will, not by human desires.”
1 Peter 4:1-2

Just because everybody is doing it, doesn't mean I must or need to do it too.

2. RESENTMENT & BLAME  WEAKENS MY SPIRIT.
(Judges 15:1-17) Excuse: “They hurt me first.”
“To worry yourself to death with resentment would be a foolish,
senseless thing to do.” Job 5:2

The bible says anytime I hold a grudge or become resentful, I am a fool.
You only hurt yourself when you hold on to anger.
It is like swallowing poison and hoping it will hurt the person you are mad at.
It always hurts you more than it hurts somebody else.

Samson was continually angry, bitter, disappointed, enraged, he had a victim mentality and always wanted to seek revenge.  He always excused his behavior by blaming others and becoming resentful and bitter.  He never learned to forgive and manage his anger and let it go.

Bitterness and resentment zapped your spirit and reduces your ability to be loving and kind.
We are all vulnerable and get hurt in life by others.
You can't live in a broken world and not be hurt and harmed.

But how you respond matters.
You can react or respond.
To be strong in spirit I must control my reactions.
A person who uses self control is stronger.

“You are only hurting yourself with your anger!” Job 18:4
TO BE STRONG, I MUST USE SELF CONTROL.
“A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself
under control.” Proverbs 29:11

3. CARELESSNESS WEAKENS MY SPIRIT.
(Judges 16:1-20) Excuse: “It will be different for me.”

“You will have to live with the consequences of everything you
say. (and do) ” Proverbs 18:20

Carelessness will weaken you and drain your strength.
If you are careless with your time, health, money, words, responsibilities, commitments, relationships it will harm you and put you in the wrong direction.

Samson made a Nazarite vow to live a holy life before God.  The symbols of commitment included:
You vow to be dedicated 100% to God.  Live differently.  Be above reproach and different from the culture. Sober. No alcohol.  Special diet. Never cut your hair.

Samson was careless about his vow. He made a vow, but compromised and did not keep his commitment.  He toyed with temptation and he cared more about playing close to the fire rather than being closer to God.

Many Christians will do the same thing... acknowledge they are a "Christian" but will wander and wonder how much they can get away without getting burned.

Deliah was hired to find & reveal Samson's secret to his strength to his enemies who wanted to destroy him. Samson was aware of the game she was playing.  He flirted with temptation and finally gave in.  He revealed his source of strength was really his vow to God (cutting hair was a symbol of that).

What are you flirting with that you know is wrong?
Cheating?  Deception?  Flirting?
You are setting yourself for failure and a fall.
You are believing the lies from Satan (the deceiver).

Nobody ever plans to fail.
Nobody ever plans to ruin their health, finances, marriage, family, relationships, etc.
But it is one little bad/wrong decision that increases to another bad choice and then a landslide.
Things start slipping then sliding and then all of the sudden there is a loss of reputation, credibility, finances, etc.
A chain is only as strong as it's weakest link.
What is the weakest link in your life?
If you are not sure... examine it and know what it is you need to work on.
You are only as strong as what you are committed to.
If you are chipping away at your commitment, you are becoming weaker and weaker.

When are you going to do something about it?
Today is the day.  Now is the time.
The solution is: Develop good habits to be strong.


TO BE STRONG, I MUST MAKE THE EFFORT TO BECOME SPIRITUAL HABITUALLY.
“Take the time and the trouble to keep yourself spiritually fit.”
1 Timothy 4:7 (Ph)

Habits build character.
Good habits = good character
Bad habits = bad character

3 HABITS THAT STRENGTHEN MY SPIRIT
 “Build up your strength in union with the Lord and by
means of his mighty power.” Ephesians 6:10

God will empower us by being in unity with Him.

1. SPEND TIME WITH GOD EVERY DAY!
A Daily Quiet Time – for Bible reading and prayer

THE REASON: Guidance from God.
“Show me the path where I should go, O Lord;
point out the right road for me to walk.” Psalm 25:4

THE ROUTINE: Privacy with God
“Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and
prayed.” Luke 5:16
Habitually Jesus spent solitude time with God - as it was His custom.

THE RESULT: Answers from God
“IF you remain in me and my words remain in you,
then you may ask for anything you wish, and you shall have it!”
John 15:7

2. FELLOWSHIP WITH BELIEVERS EVERY WEEK.
A Weekly Small Group – for fellowship with others

THE REASON: We are better together.
“Let us not give up the habit of meeting together…
Instead, let us encourage each other . . .” Hebrews 10:25

Like coals from a fire... alone it will quickly lose it's heat, grow weak and die.  But placed back into the fire with other coals it will become hot again and alive.

THE ROUTINE: Celebrate and worship together publicly and do life together personally.
“(They met) day after day, in the Temple courts (large group worship)
and from house to house (small group fellowship).” Acts 5:42
We need both to remain strong.

THE RESULT:Accountability and reliability are important.
“Two are better off than one, because together they are more
effective. If one falls down, the other can help him up.”
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
Everybody needs help at various times throughout life.

Who would you show up for if they had a crisis?
Does anybody know they can count on you?

3. GIVE TO GOD EVERY WEEKEND.
“Tithing” – Returning the first 10% of my income back to God

REASON: An act of worship
“Wherever your treasure is, your heart will be there.”
Matthew 6:21

“The purpose of tithing is to teach you to always put God first in
your life.” Deuteronomy 14:23 (LB)

THE ROUTINE: It's proportional according to God's blessing.
“On the first day of every week, set aside some of
what you have earned and give it as an offering. The amount
depends on how much the Lord has helped you earn.”
 1 Corinthians16:2 (LB)

THE RESULT: God's challenge - dare - God wins.
“Bring your whole tithe into My storehouse. Test me in this, says
the Lord, and see if I won’t throw open the floodgates of heaven
and pour out so much blessing that you won’t have enough room
for it!” Malachi 3:10

Do all of these good habits all year long and see how much stronger you are at the end of this new year.

• Daily time with God
• Weekly fellowship with God's people
• Weekend giving to God

Spiritual strength is not accidental.

It is a result of intentional choices and determination to form good habits to develop.

You can't do this on your own.

You need God's power.

Union with Christ will give you God's power in your life.

Get to know Christ to tap into this supernatural power and relationship.