I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised. - 2 Samuel 22:4

I first met Noel when he was in the early stages of overcoming drug dependence. He had put his faith in Christ, and he was becoming a well-established disciple. One day he admitted, "When I first trusted the Lord, I felt powerless and needed to depend on Him for everything. But now that He's made me stronger, I'm afraid I'm not depending on Him as much."

I believed that Noel still depended on the Lord, but I needed to reassure him somehow. So I said, "Noel, when someone starts weightlifting, which weights should be used first?" Noel replied, "The lightest ones."

Then I said, "Though the weights are hard to lift, they feel lighter when the muscles increase. So what should one do next?" With a knowing smile, Noel replied, "Increase the weights!" "That's what the Lord is doing with you," I reasoned. "The loads you first carried feel lighter now, for you are spiritually stronger. But don't become overconfident. The Lord will keep increasing your load to remind you of your limited strength. You'll never outgrow your need to depend on Him!"

What about you? Are you getting stronger as a Christian? Do you still sense your need to call on the Lord and depend on His strength? (2 Samuel 22:2-4).

-JEY

Each time that we depend on God
To meet our daily needs,
Our strength in Him will be increased,
Like mighty trees from seeds.

-Sper

We grow stronger as we depend on God's strength.