Inward Intimacy With Christ

Being strong is important. King David told Solomon to “be strong, and show yourself a man” (1 Kings 2:2 ESV) when he gave his final exhortations to him before he passed away.

Being strong is part of what we have to do in order to fulfill what God has called us to do. It is true that God has prepared good works for us in advance (Ephesians 2:10), and the reality is that those good works do not get done by themselves.

It may seem obvious that we need to do our part. And that is true. What isn’t always totally obvious is where is the line between my own strength and the strength He gives me. Or, where is the distinction between “self-confidence” and “God-confidence.”

I would simply say it like this–if I am fully confident that I can do it in my own strength–it probably is true. The question isn’t whether or not I have the capacity to complete the task at hand; the question is whether or not I am approaching that task in the right way.

You can have a task that you can do in your own strength or by your own might. These can even be things that are connected to your faith and that are done under the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus addresses this in his very first sermon. He addresses this in His very first sermon. Let’s take a look at that text:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’” (Matthew 7:21-23 NASB95)

There is a lot that is in here. Let’s take a look at what Jesus focuses on the underlying issue in verse 23. First, the Greek verb in the phrase “knew you” is the verb ginosko (Strong’s G1097). Thayer’s Greek Lexicon describes the use of this verb in Matthew 7:23 as “I never knew you, never had any acquaintance with you.”

Is it possible to be empowered by God and lose a sense of His touch? Can we start out in a direction anointing and appointed for a task and somehow, someway start to do that task in our own strength?

Samson is an example. He started out anointed by God and did many powerful exploits. It somehow changed for Him. Time and time again the power of God was there and he would perform miraculous feats of power. Then, a day came when he tried to do what he had done before but he couldn’t–because the the Lord had left him–yet he didn’t know it (Judges 16:20).

Pause and Ponder: Is there any area of life that you are so strong in that if you aren’t careful it could easily become more about you and your ability to do it?

Samson continued to “flex” with Delilah. He was playing with fire. He would make up stories (described in Judges 16) about his strength and how he could lose it. He for sure did not have the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 9:10) as it related to His anointing on His life.

Why would I say that? He treated his gift as something of a toy that he could use at will. Turn it on and off.

Jesus didn’t die on the cross so that we could use His anointing on our life for our own ends and not His.

We are part of a grander scheme–if we choose to participate in that. See, God works all things together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). “All things” include any and everything, and work together is that God works things together in a way that we could never imagine or ever put together ourselves.

This is God’s part–He has the capacity to work all things together for the good. He can do things we can’t even fathom. But, the second end of that verse is very important–God isn’t Santa Clause. He isn’t putting it all together for everyone; He is putting it together for people who have two qualifiers–those who love Him and have been called according to His purpose.

Samson was for sure set apart with a purpose (Judges 13:5). But who did He love? It says that he loved Delilah (Judges 16:4). Samson was outwardly consecrated–his hair never having been cut–and God used him in mighty ways. But his heart he gave to Delilah. He loved her.