Strengthen?

"David strengthened himself in the Lord"

You can find that statement in the Bible 1 Samuel 30:6
It is this moment of truth for David at a time of complete exhaustion and personal disappointment.
I would even go as far as to say that it was a defining moment for him, in the sense that a lot of his future hung on this decision.
What if he didn't do it? What would happen next? What would his future then look like?

Those questions lead me to a more personal level...
How do I actually do the same thing as David?
What does this strengthening yourself in God actually look like?

I understand how to get stronger in a natural sense.
It comes with repetition and resistance. Lifting and pressing weights to build muscular strength.
But is that a good link or picture of what this strengthening is about for me as a follower of Jesus?

Here are some brief thoughts I have around it...

Strengthening yourself in the Lord is about...
Focusing on Him first, the issues of life second.
When we decide to just focus on Jesus all the other things of this world fall into their rightful order and priority. Think of Peter walking on the water. The moment he looked away was the moment he started to sink.
While it may sound cliche, your own personal time praying and reading through the Bible, will do more to strengthen than most anything else.

Strengthening yourself in the Lord is about...
Declaring what God is actually like not declaring only your current reality.
I believe fully in honesty and especially honesty with God.
But when I look at how others have done this, there has also been declaration or what could be. Saying out loud something seems to change something on the inside of us.
Recently I declared out loud that if God can part the Red Sea (a natural immovable barrier) while the enemy closed in behind...then God can most certainly come to my rescue beyond any natural barrier. I reminded myself in the declaration how big God was and it changed my heart and my faith. It stirred me once again. It strengthened me.

Strengthening yourself in the Lord is about...
Choosing to expose your life and growth to other passionate followers of Jesus.
The early Church taught that being around others who can build you up, listening to and living out the teaching of trusted leaders, serving and sacrificing with other Godly people, were all part of the recipe to Godly strength.

Something to think about...