Developing Inner Strength

NTRODUCTION

The Hope of Greater Strength
A great deal has been written in recent years about inner healing, emotional wounds, and reversing low self-esteem. Bookstores are lined with self-help books. What so many people in our world do not realize is that the Bible has been the authoritative book on the healing and strengthening of the human soul (mind, emotions, will) for thousands of years. The Bible is not a self-help book but a God-will-help book. The Bible holds out the hope and promise of God’s eternal help for the person who humbly turns to Him.
When times of emotional pain or weakness come, we eventually reach the end of ourselves. There are those who teach that turning to God is a sign of emotional weakness, but the exact opposite is true. No person can fully heal his own spirit, soul, or body. Certain problems and conditions lie beyond a person’s capacity to self-heal.
The good news for the Christian is that the end of self is often the beginning for God! The help that God offers us in His Word is both eternal and timely. It is highly effective and freely available to all. I encourage you to keep your Bible close at hand as we move through this ten-part study. Make notes in the margins as you look up various Scriptures and study them. It is far more important that you write God’s insights into the Bible than to write in this book, although places are provided here for you to make notes.
This book can be used by you alone or by several people in a small-group study. At various times, you will be asked to relate to the material in one of these four ways:
1. What new insights have you gained? Make notes about the insights that you have. You may want to record them in your Bible or in a separate journal. As you reflect back over your insights, you are likely to see how God has moved in your life.
2. Have you ever had a similar experience? Each of us approaches the Bible from a unique background—our own particular set of relationships and experiences. Our experiences do not make the Bible true—the Word of God is truth regardless of our opinion about it. It is important, however, to share our experiences in order to see how God’s truth can be applied to human lives.
3. How do you feel about the material presented? Emotional responses do not give validity to the Scriptures, nor should we trust our emotions as a gauge for our faith. In small-group Bible study, however, it is good for participants to express their emotions. The Holy Spirit often communicates with us through this unspoken language.
4. In what way do you feel challenged to respond or to act? God’s Word may cause you to feel inspired or challenged to change something in your life. Take the challenge seriously and find ways of acting upon it. If God reveals to you a particular need that He wants you to address, take that as “marching orders” from God. God is expecting you to do something with the challenge that He has just given you.
Start and conclude your Bible study sessions in prayer. Ask God to give you spiritual eyes to see and spiritual ears to hear. As you conclude your study, ask the Lord to seal what you have learned so that you will never forget it. Ask Him to help you grow into the fullness of the stature of Christ Jesus.
Again, I caution you to keep