Be Strengthened

Have you experienced spiritual weakness? Were you able to discern it when you were spiritually weak? All that time when you felt weak and depressed, you might have thought it was caused by your physical and mental weakness. But when that weariness leads you into sin, that's when the secret is out—the weakness is not just physical or mental but spiritual.

Jonathan was one of the admirable characters in the Bible. He and his servant went into battle by praying and asking for a sign from God. They understood that if the enemy said, "Come up here," it was a sign from God that He would give them victory. Jonathan said, "The LORD can give us victory if we have many people, or just a few" (1 Samuel 14:6). Following that, Saul pursued the Philistines along with his people, ordering them not to eat. The people, starved and without food or drink, lacked the energy to follow their enemy. However, Jonathan found honey and felt enlightened and energized.

At one point, the people, driven by starvation, killed animals and ate them with the blood, falling into sin. According to Saul, Jonathan was wrong in causing people to sin by eating the honey. But Jonathan was not indulging in gluttony; he was feeding himself to wage war with more strength. In Psalm 119, the Bible says, "How sweet are thy words unto my taste! Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth." Honey is interpreted as good in the Bible. The Bible itself is like honey—sweet and energizing us to wage our everyday battles effectively. The Bible is also bitter, as mentioned in Revelation. It has both tastes. It will rebuke you when you are sinning, and warn you, but at the same time, it will heal you, strengthen you, and comfort you

Now, this is the secret: take the honey, God's word, and let it energize you to face your battles. As Jonathan said, may the Lord give you victory.

Dear God, may Your word strengthen us. May we be energized to win our everyday battles and overcome our enemy. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.