The Myth of Powerful Man of Faith

We all have ideas about individulas who have strong faith. We might identify people like Billy Graham, Mother Theresa, or that really old guy who sits on the front row at church. We might think that the path to spiritual strength is lots of Bible study, hours of prayer and meditation, and many, many years of Sunday School. We expect that one day we might achieve some level of Christian maturity if we spend years of grueling study in seminary, go on some kind of pilgrimage to the Holy Land, do 40 day fasts, and go to church at least four times per week.

The truth is, the Bible never lays out a path to becoming an effective Christian. I’m sure that many people will dispute this assertion. The fact is, though, that the Bible’s secret to being a powerful Christian is simply submission.

You will never be a “strong” Christian. God is strong. You are weak. And the weaker you are, allowing God to take over, the stronger He becomes in you.

This is backward to the ideas we have about developing strength, but that is the way the Kingdom of God works. It is for the weak, the poor, and the desperate.

That is encouraging to me. In my weak and damaged state, God can still be powerful; just as powerful as in Billy Graham or Mother Theresa.