When we say a person is strong, we are usually referring to his or her physical strength. But that is not the source of our greatest strength. Inner strength is far superior to physical strength. Consider this verse:
He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city.
Proverbs 16:32, NASB
That’s powerful! But how much do we take this truth to heart? The answer to that question is reflected in where we invest our efforts to become strong. In other words, do we devote the most time to mastering our emotions and ruling our spirit? Or is it to become physically strong or to increase in physical strength?
I have seen my share of people who lack inner strength. Have you? Some live their life as if they are lit dynamite, ready to explode at any minute. Or their abrasive spirit seems to always raise its ugly head at the worst possible time.
This character flaw is a serious turn off. Excessive anger or a lack of control over your spirit can be so imposing that it becomes the main thing others see about you. People may say for instance, “Jane is bright and attractive, but she has an ugly spirit.”
The Source of Our Greatest Strength
A strong relationship with God is the source of our greatest strength. He gives us a kind of peace that greatly exceeds the peace of this world. Through His Word and with the help of the Holy Spirit, He enables us to walk in godliness. Christ modeled this inner strength during His public ministry. During His time on earth, it was His inner strength and not His physical strength that He displayed and that we admired.
We can emulate this character of Christ because His Spirit lives in us. But this virtue is not happenstance. It can be realized only through a serious commitment to becoming more like Christ each day.
Actually, most of the things that test us these days test us in the areas of our spirit and emotions more than they do physically. We can endure anything, if we keep our emotions and our spirit intact during adversity. Furthermore, the state of our inner strength has serious bearing on the performance of our physical strength. For once a person loses the battle in his spirit and in his emotions, his physical strength is compromised as well.
The aim of this post is not to downplay the blessing and value of physical strength. But to underscore the point that one who is slow to anger is better than one who is mighty. And one who rules his spirit is superior to a great warrior who conquers a city!
Copyright ©2022 by Frank King. All rights reserved.