Mighty Ones in Strength

Mighty Ones in Strength
Melissa Haskin January 23, 2009

Beloved of the Lord. My heart is burning with a living word.
"I LOVE You fervently and devotedly, O Lord, my Strength. The Lord is my Rock, my Fortress, and my Deliverer; my God, my keen and firm Strength in Whom I will trust and take refuge, my Shield, and the Horn of my salvation, my High Tower.I will call upon the Lord, Who is to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies." Psalm 18: 1-3

I feel a compelling sense of destiny as the sons & daughters of God are being REVEALED in this hour... to a generation, to the earth which is YEARNING. Though gross darkness thickens, yet will the church arise with the Glorious Light of Christ. "Redemption of time" is my heart's battle cry! I feel the IMPLICIT BEAUTY OF THIS TRUTH... The best is yet to COME! Spring up, O Well of Anticipation and Faith. Expectancy be birthed in this hour.

I write to encourage our hearts about STRENGTH. And the Spirit of Might of Our God.

Perhaps I have come to the end of my own strength. Perhaps there is no going backwards now. Option closed. Key of David, closed the door behind, so only forward motion remains.
Perhaps I have come to the end of my own strength. To the place of overwhelmed. I have reached the precipice of danger. And instead discovered the Faithfulness of God. The very end. Yet my heart has found the beginning of incredible GRACE. A GREAT GRACE imparted. What of these mysteries we speak too plainly of?? The equipping of the believer by the BENEVOLENT LOVE of Everlasting Abba. The extravagant REWARD of the Bridegroom's Love. Portion. We are His. And He is ours. Forever.

Jesus, as they read, will you come with Your Spirit to Strengthen Your Bride. In Your Name. Amen.

Strength Defined.

Strength, power, force, might suggest capacity to do something. Strength is inherent capacity to manifest energy, to endure, and to resist. Power is capacity to do work and to act. Force is the exercise of power: One has the power to do something. He exerts force when he does it. He has sufficient strength to complete it. Might is power or strength in a great or overwhelming degree: the might of an army. 9. potency. 10. brightness, loudness, vividness, pungency.

WHOLE HEARTEDLY WE COME and WITH ALL OUR STRENGTH...

“Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today."-Deuteronomy 6:4-6

Consider How He loves us, for He, Himself; loves with the FULLNESS of the strength of LOVE. He, Himself!

"Yes, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly and in truth with My whole heart and with My whole being." -Jeremiah 32:41

"In your unfailing love you will lead the people You have redeemed. In YOUR STRENGTH You will guide them to Your holy dwelling."-Exodus 15:13

Just take a moment and worship with me after that!!! He loves us with ALL OF WHO HE IS! He is ESTABLISHING US with ALL of HIS STRENGTH! Praise You, God!!!!!!

Unreservedly.

"But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings." - Hebrews 2:9-11

He is Looking, that He might Strengthen.

"The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to STRENGTHEN those whose hearts are fully committed to him. " -2 Chronicles 16:9

"But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."-1 Samuel 16:7

For Great Exploits FOR Him, for OUR GOD, await..

"...but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits. "- Daniel 11: 32b

Strength DISPLAYED looks like this:

"The LORD is King forever and ever; Nations have perished from His land. O LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will strengthen their heart, You will incline Your ear to vindicate the orphan and the oppressed..." -Psalm 10:16-18

"And the same is true for you. Since you are so eager to have the special abilities the Spirit gives, seek those that will strengthen the whole church."- 1 Corinthians 14: 12

"He makes my feet like hinds' feet [able to stand firmly or make progress on the dangerous heights of testing and trouble]; He sets me securely upon my high places. He teaches my hands to war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. " -Psalm 18:33-34

Justice is the Reality of His Strength Displayed: His very NATURE of LOVINGKINDNESS.

"Now may the Lord's strength be displayed, just as you have declared: 'The LORD is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished..." -Numbers 14: 17-18

The Link: Standing in the Council of the Lord RELEASES the Spirit of Might!

"For who among them has stood in the council of the Lord, that he should perceive and hear His word? Who has marked His word and has [actually] heard it? v. 29 Is not My word like fire [that consumes all that cannot endure the test]? says the Lord,and like a hammer that breaks in pieces the rock [of most stubborn resistance]? "- Jeremiah 23.18, 29

"The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him,
The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit of counsel and might,
The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.
His delight is in the fear of the LORD,
And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes,
Nor decide by the hearing of His ears..." Isaiah 11:2-3

Foolish Weakness is the Wisdom & Strength of God

"..but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong..."1 Corinthians 1:24-27

"Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong." - 2 Cori10nthians 12:8-

The Purpose of the Wilderness: To REVEAL our own hearts to us. God already knows them. But He shows us. In Mercy. That we might DECIDE...

"In the wilderness He fed you manna which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do good for you in the end. Otherwise, you may say in your heart, 'My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth.' But you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. " -Deuteronomy 8: 16-18

When you hear these names, what do you think of?

Samson. Paul. William Wilberforce. Toby Case. Mother Theresa. Heidi Baker. Insert ___ Your Name.

Samson... a Nazirite. He took a special vow of consecration unto the Lord. Not that his "doing" accomplished righteousness for himself. But the vow of the Nazirite was to abstain willingly so as to voluntarily be set apart unto to the Lord for His use. For we are but jars of clay. Yet some vessels of honor. Yet, Samson's downfall was to let his "whole-heartedness" become entangled with the pleasures of this world. So, did he find his strength diminish.

"So Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother, and came to the vineyards of Timnah. Now to his surprise, a young lion came roaring against him. And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he tore the lion apart as one would have torn apart a young goat, though he had nothing in his hand. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done. "- Judges 14:5-6

"So while he slept, Delilah took the seven locks of his hair and wove them into the web]. And she fastened it with the pin and said to him, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" But he awoke from his sleep and pulled out the pin of the loom and the web. Then she said to him, "How can you say, 'I love you,' when your heart is not with me? You have deceived me these three times and have not told me where your great strength is." It came about when she pressed him daily with her words and urged him, that his soul was annoyed to death." - Judges 16:14-16

Beloved, that we might learn of Samson's demise. That our hearts would not so easilly go astray. Even so, was the Lord, merciful. He allowed Samson a last display of strength. So He is with us. New mercies each day.

William Wilberforce:
Abolitionist who pled the cause of justice for the ending of slavery in Britian for a lifetime. It was only three days before his death that he saw the Slavery Abolition Act become law and the ending of slavery. What of SPENDING our life? What of WASTING OUR DAYS??? What of being poured out like a drink offering to the worthiness of the Lamb?

Paul:
"...as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. So you too should be glad and rejoice with me." - Philippians 2:16-18

Toby Case: My 8 year old nephew. Born with a malfunctioning heart, and lived through ICU for 6 months, then three open heart surgeries before age 3. I saw his little heart FIGHTING to LIVE! And prayer releasing the Life of God in him. IS THIS WHAT STRENGTH IS???? FIGHTING FOR LIFE??? LIFE? Is this what strength really is? To really LIVE?? Toby said to his grandmother at age 6, "Grammie, do not worry about me. I will not die until it is time for me to go to Heaven." Who taught the 6 year old heart of a child this lesson of LOVE and assurance in an unseen God? How does he love Jesus whole-heartedly now and live each year with all of his strength? This is the lesson of life and love and STRENGTH I want to learn! This life and the Giver of Life is worth LIVING FOR!

Heidi Baker & Mother Theresa: Compassion_the Gospel Unmasked. Sacrificial living out of love for mankind? Motivated by looking into the EYES OF LOVE HIMSELF?? "I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord," Heidi said, quoting Philippians 3:8. "It is a privilege beyond price to see the joy and affection of the Holy Spirit poured out like a waterfall on people who have known so much severe hardship, disappointment and bitter loneliness in their lives," Baker.

He IS all we need. The VERY SOURCE of Strength.

"Blessed be the LORD, Because He has heard the voice of my supplication. The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart exults, And with my song I shall thank Him. The LORD is their strength, And He is a saving defense to His anointed. " - Psalm 28:6-8

The Heart is the Location of Strength. We will lack.

"Lord, all my desire is before You; And my sighing is not hidden from You. My heart throbs, my strength fails me; And the light of my eyes, even that has gone from me."- Psalm 38:9-10

"Whom have I in heaven but You? And I have no delight or desire on earth besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the Rock and firm Strength of my heart and my Portion forever. " Psalm 73:25-36

Faith ALIVE in the WHOLE HEART = STRENGTH!

"By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight!" -Hebrews 11:33-34

Girding ourselves with Strength

Proverbs 31 is the Woman of Wisdom, of Heart... She is the Personification of the Bride of Christ and her destiny in the end of the age...

"She girds herself with strength [spiritual, mental, and physical fitness for her God-given task] and makes her arms strong and firm." -Proverbs 31:17

"For You cause my lamp to be lighted and to shine; the Lord my God illumines my darkness. For by You I can run through a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall. As for God, His way is perfect! The word of the Lord is tested and tried; He is a shield to all those who take refuge and put their trust in Him. For who is God except the Lord? Or who is the Rock save our God, The God who girds me with strength and makes my way perfect? "- Psalm 18:28-32

Encouragement in the Inward Man is to Strengthen

"But commission Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, for he will lead this people across and will cause them to inherit the land that you will see." -Deuteronomy 3:28

Exceedingly Great Promise of Strength!

"How blessed are those who dwell in Your house! They are ever praising You. Selah. How blessed is the man whose strength is in You, In whose heart are the highways to Zion! Passing through the valley of Baca (Weeping) they make it a spring; The early rain also covers it with blessings. They go from strength to strength, Every one of them appears before God in Zion."-Psalm 84:4-7

Worthy of ALL that I am. I will LOVE YOU with the strength of my life.

Listen to Cory Asbury sing out of Psalm 18 about this STRENGTH

Seeing a vision, that we might RUN (with strength.)

Let it Come!

Listen to Song Here: What Does it Sound Like? -Ian Mcintosh

What does it sound like
when you sing heaven's song
What does it feel like when heaven comes down
What does it look like when God is all around
Let it come

This is what it sounds like when you sing heavens song
This is what it feels like when heaven comes down
This is what it looks like when God is all around
Let it come