There are times in everyone's life when they feel exhausted, as if they've done all they can do and have no strength left to do any more. When that happens to us, we have two options: to give up, quit, and accept our weakness and discouragement; or to find new strength and encouragement and continue to press on. In a race this is often called "finding your second wind", and it can mean the difference between winning the race and coming in dead last or possibly not even finishing. How can we find our second wind in life just when we feel like giving up?
read Isaiah 40:27-31
God gives us that strength and encouragement, both physically and spiritually, that we need when we feel like we're at the end of our rope. Because He is God and has an unlimited supply of strength to draw from, we can always be confident in coming to Him, no matter how often we need His strength. When we put our hope and trust in God, 1 Corinthians 4:8-9 gives a remarkable picture of the difference He makes:
read that
You can see that although the difficulties aren't getting any less, the ability to overcome them is greatly increased, because we're no longer relying on our ability, but God's. As human beings, we naturally tend to become weaker, but when our strength is in God, it's not based on our humanness and the weakness that inevitably follows. We can stay strong because He stays strong. That's why Paul can say this in 1 Corinthians 4:16:
read that
That daily renewal is important, especially bcause the closer we are to God on a daily basis, the more often we're being filled with His strength. When we're constantly filled with His strength, we're living from a position of strength, and it's far easier to fight the physical, mental, and spiritual exhaustion that we inevitably face. It's easier because you know just where to go to "find your second wind"... or your 3rd or 4th or 100th... strength overcomes weakness, and encouragement replaces discouragement, and you can finish the race strong.
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