Proverbs 18:14 The strong spirit of a man sustains him in bodily pain or trouble, but a weak and broken spirit who can raise up or bear? AMP
"Sustain" means that it will hold a person up, keep them together.
Trouble comes and so we need to keep our spirit strong so that when trouble does comes whether in finances, health, business, ministry, or whatever then our spirit is strong to sustain us, keep us or build us up and put us over the top. Our strong spirit will tell us what the Word said, what God said about our particular situation we are facing.
We can't allow our spirits to get weak or broken and so we feed on the Word of God, speak the Word, obey the Word by doing what it says and nothing different, become Word minded and put it first place. Victory requires this even though we may not want to do this. If victory is important then we will make a decision to do it.
The secret of our future being victorious is hidden in our daily routine.
Proverbs 8:34-35 Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. 35 For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD. KJV
We have to develop the habit of spending time in the Word every day. An anointed daily routine produces glorious results.
Gal 6:8 For he that sows to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that sows to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. NKJ
We are the ones who determine whether we reap corruption or we reap life by what we plant. If we sow to life then we get life. We sow to corruption and we get corruption. That's just the way it is.
Galatians 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. KJV
The truth is that we cannot get away from that principle. If we don't sow to the spirit, we are not going to reap the spirit. Daily sowing to the spirit the stronger our spirits become and then we confidently stand our ground, resist the enemy and receive from the Lord.
Seven habits of a strong believer is what we do on a daily basis and they become habitual in our lives. This is the way to victory and joy and peace and hope. We daily do these things before we go out and face the world each day.
Seven Habits of Strong Believers:
1 - Strong Believers feed their spirit by making a habit of reading God's Word every day.
Matthew 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. KJV
Matthew 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread. KJV
That's our daily Word.
Arrange your schedule around the Word instead of trying to make the Word fit into your busy schedule.
2 - Strong believers build up their faith by listening to God's Word every day.
The key in this is "every day".
Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. KJV
We listen to the Word every day and faith comes. There is no question about it, faith comes every day we listen to the Word.
Proverbs 4:20-22 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.
21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.
22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. KJV
We have to give attention to the Word of God by spending time in the Word.
We keep the Word in our heart through our eyes and our ears, through giving attention to the Word of God. When the Word is in our heart then it talks to us and scriptures come up in us. We get a pain in our body we go to the Word because God's Word is medicine to our flesh. The Word in us is that we put in there daily and it will come up and out our mouths and work.
Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. KJV
If we don't have faith, it is not God's fault or our pastor's fault, or our husband's fault; we just haven't been hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Nobody else can do this for us.
Doubt comes to all of us by what we are hearing and seeing and so that's why Jesus told us to be careful what we are hearing. We need to be around people speaking faith
and not around people speaking doubt and unbelief,
3 - Strong believers strengthen and encourage themselves daily by speaking God's Word over their lives.
Matthew 8:8 …speak the word only,... KJV
Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue:.... KJV
We need to put God's Word in our hearts and we will speak it with our mouths. God's Word in our mouths will cause good things to happen in our lives.
Now this is very important that we declare who we are in Christ, what we have in Christ, what we can do in Christ. You can find in him scripture confessions on my website at http://godswordalive.com/in-him-scriptures-index
We can confess: "I am a new creation, created in Christ Jesus. I am the righteousness of God in Christ. I am healed by the stripes that wounded Jesus. I am more than a conqueror through Him that loves me."
Continual confession of these "in Christ" scriptures will change our lives.
4 - Strong believers dominate and control their thought lives and renew their minds by filling their minds with God's Word.
We renew our minds to think like God thinks instead of like what mere men think.
If we are hung up on what natural man says and the way mere men think then we are not going anywhere spiritually.
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. KJV
This is a very important scripture to those who want to keep their spirit strong.
2 Corinthians 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; KJV
That means we got to have a mind that already knows what God says. Then when thoughts and situations come whether from people or just a thought that we have or a trying situation; we must say what the Word says. In order to do that we have to know what the Word says because we don't normally have our Bible with us all the time. So we must daily feed on the Word of God by looking at it and hearing it. We read the scripture over and over and over again because we want it fresh and ready when we need it to come out of our mouths.
If we have thoughts that we are not going to get healed, we are going to die or this thing is terminal or even if a doctor tells us some of these things, we need to counter those words and thoughts with the Word of God and say what the Word says, "I am healed by the stripes of Jesus. He has redeemed my life from destruction. "
Bring every thought into captivity. If we have a thought that crosses the Word of God, that says what is opposite of what God says belongs to us, what do we do? We need to say, "I'm not taking that. That's not my thought." That's the way it works. This sickness, this trial, "It's not my thought." We capture it and cast it out in the Name of Jesus.
Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. KJV
We want to stay in perfect peace; but perfect peace stays only if our minds are stayed on the Lord, remain God and Word of God minded. If something happens, the first thing we think about is God and the Word and what He says about it. If we would get a symptom in our body we don't go and call the doctor first. We think and speak, "I've been healed by the stripes that wounded Jesus." Going to the doctor is not our first thought. First thought is that we are already healed by the stripes that wounded Jesus. If we give God our thought life, we think what He says about the situations in our lives and spend time in the Word and receive the Word in our lives and take it as your own and then we will remain in perfect peace.
Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. KJV
We renew our minds. We are no longer natural thinkers. Our minds have been renewed and we think supernaturally. We think that God is helping us, God is blessing us. We don't think that we are going to get the flu when there is flu all around us. We think, "I've been redeemed from sickness and disease." That's the way it works.
Joshua 1:8 and Psalm 1:1,2 talk about us meditating the Word of God and that's how we fix our hearts on God and get stronger.
Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, KJV
Psalm 1:1-2 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. KJV
Meditating the Word of God every day is how we allow the Word of God to dominate our thinking and enlarge our capacity for faith.
The most spiritual people are the people who spend time meditating the Word of God.
5 - Strong believers anchor and establish their hearts by giving God continual praise and thanksgiving.
Praise is the language of faith. Praise is the language of receiving.
If we believed we received what we prayed then we are going to be thanking God for it. If we are still trying to get it, then we are not going to be thanking God for it. If it has not manifested yet and we have received it, it's coming. We don't quit.
Psalm 34:1 I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. KJV
Psalm 8:2 Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger. KJV
Matthew 21:16 And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise? KJV
We see here the connection between praise and strength. Praise produces spiritual strength.
Praise believes that it has already received. It is in the right place, in the right position and now we praise Him and receive it.
The habit of a strong believer is that they spend lots of time praising God for what He has already done.
6 - Strong believer edify themselves and charge their battery by praying much in other tongues.
When we get baptized in the Holy Spirit, then we are given the ability to pray and speak in a heavenly language and as we continue we can pray beyond our intellect, we get out and beyond what we know in the natural and we are praying in the spirit what God says in the spirit in other tongues which is a perfect prayer. It is so important and so powerful for every believer in Christ Jesus. There is so much power released to us when we pray in our heavenly prayer language.
Jude 1:20 But you, beloved, build yourselves up [founded] on your most holy faith [make progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher], praying in the Holy Spirit; AMP
Praying in our new heavenly prayer language is how we get stronger and stronger in our spirit and in faith. We receive the heavenly prayer language when we receive the Holy Spirit and we ask to speak and pray in the heavenly language. When you pray in your heavenly prayer language then you pray above your head, above what you know in the natural and you get in the spirit praying in the spirit.
1 Corinthians 14:4 He who speaks in a [strange] tongue edifies and improves himself, but he who prophesies [interpreting the divine will and purpose and teaching with inspiration] edifies and improves the church and promotes growth [in Christian wisdom, piety, holiness, and happiness]. AMP
So we could paraphrase 1 Corinthians 14:4 as, he that speaks in an unknown tongue edifies himself, his spirit, builds himself up or charges himself up like a battery. As we pray in tongues we are charging up our spirits by the power of the Holy Spirit.
7 - Strong believer becomes streamlined by getting rid of excess baggage.
Hebrews 12:1 THEREFORE THEN, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony to the Truth], let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us, AMP
It is possible to accomplish more spiritually by shaving off all unnecessary things in our lives. We don't need to get more power but we need to get rid of all that drains us and hindrances and excess weight.
Seven Benefits of a Strong Spirit:
1 - Gets us through anything.
2 - Helps us receive from God.
3 - Helps us hold on to what we receive.
4 - Helps us resist the devil and temptation.
5 - Helps us help others.
6 - Helps us withstand the impact and pressures of life.
7 - Builds a protective barrier around our heart.
I declare and you declare this, "I am strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. I can get through anything. I receive from the Lord. I hold onto what I receive. I resist the devil and temptation. I help others. I am able to withstand the impact and pressures of life. My spirit is strong so that there is a barrier around my heart and it remains strong, established, trusting in the Lord and the Word of God.