What’s Wrong With Living Strong?

Maybe, it was the steady diet of Superman, the Lone Ranger and Mission Impossible I devoured as kid.  It could have been a certain way I viewed the men in my town, my church or my family.  Or, it might have been a string of early successes and the great feelings of affirmation I got from them.  I’m not really sure how it happened.  But, by the time I reached adulthood, firmly rooted in me was a belief that almost nothing was impossible for me.

Sounds crazy I know. I could not have articulated this, but it was this underlying mindset that, somehow allowed me to ‘hold it together‘ no matter how challenging or difficult the circumstance or relationship.  It was this myth that got me far in life and saw me through some really difficult times. Cool right? Not so fast.

This same myth also produced extreme levels of exhaustion that I continuously carried for decades. And it was that depleted state that left me painfully vulnerable, eventually leading me to the most devastating failure of my life. 

Have you ever believed you were strong enough?  What if I were to tell you that Jesus knew ahead of time that NONE of us would ever be strong enough?

Recently, I read Matthew 26 and saw something totally fresh for me.  Jesus says, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me… But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”  Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.”   “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “This very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.”   But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.”   And all the other disciples said the same.” “

The disciple’s perception of themselves & Jesus’ view of them couldn’t have been more opposite.  They believed & declared that they were strong enough to go through any difficulty for Jesus.  He believed & declared that they weren’t.  He saw what they refused to see about themselves… that they simply were not strong enough.  These are the foremost followers of Jesus.  They had spent more time with Him, in the most astonishing circumstances, than anyone ever had.   They believed their commitment to Him was enough to sustain them through the worst circumstances the evil one could devise for them.

I totally get their thinking, their determination. That’s exactly what I thought. Let the enemy just try to deter me from fulfilling God’s holy purposes for my life!

Now here’s what’s astounding to me:  Jesus makes compassionate plans for his disciple’s failure.  He knows ahead of time that they won’t be strong enough so He tells them… after your fall… I’ll see you on the ‘other side.’  I’ll see you in Galilee. And all will be well then. (More on that in another post.)

Several months later… walking in the power of God’s Spirit, the disciple’s self-awareness had dramatically changed.  They realized that there was a MASSIVE difference between their limited capacity & Jesus’ infinite one.    

You & I can’t rely on our commitment & strength to win the day. Of course we KNOW this but we often fail to live like it.  Trust my experience in this.  And trust Jesus’ word on it.   Our power and commitment –even as determined and successful as we sometimes appear to be will absolutely run out, fall short and fail us.  We are only fooling others and ourselves when we believe (often this is subconscious) that our strength and abilities are near limitless.  Eventually we WILL reach our limit. Our strength will desert us.

The really good news in all this, as my wife, Caron, and I can wholly testify to, is Jesus’s mighty power in us and toward us can take us through and beyond the most disastrous situation imaginable.  He knows ahead of time we will falter and he’s already made provision before the fact to meet us at the corner of Grace and Strength.

So here are some questions I’m pondering these days.  How would you answer them?

1) Do I most often put my faith in MY commitment to Jesus OR am I putting my faith in HIS commitment to me?

2) Am I experiencing Jesus’ unwavering commitment & capacity toward me, that goes above and beyond my greatest defeats?

*WE @ Kairos Collective can help you find and live into the strength and freedom Jesus makes available each day.  We’re here to serve you.  Let us hear from you.

( * With thanks & acknowledgement to my friend Mike Breen for the original insight for this post)

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David Loveless

David Loveless is a leadership coach, pastor to pastors and strategic, spiritual advisor to churches and businesses, throughout the world. He is the Co-Founder of "Live True." He previously served as founding pastor of Discovery Church, Orlando, Fl for 29 years. David and his wife Caron are parents of three sons and are the grandparents of their seven delightfully energized children.