Renew Your Strength in the Lord

SHOW NOTES: 

EPISODE SUMMARY: In this episode, I share an excerpt from Step 11 of my new book, Living Perfectly Loved. 

We all want to shine bright, and to please the Lord with all the good works we are doing for Him. However, trying to keep our lights burning bright without renewing our strength in the Lord will drive even the strongest, most dedicated of believers into burnout. For the one who has struggled with anxiety and fear for a long time, it is likely they have developed a harmful habit of pushing through tasks and relying on their own strength to keep going, rather than relying on the strength the Lord promises to provide. They have learned to operate from a position of fear and striving. In this episode, you will discover that striving to do more and be more than what God has called you to will not lead to greater productivity, it will lead to more anxiety. Instead, we must learn a new way of working to fulfill our God-given callings and assignments—with full dependence on the Lord. “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit” (Zechariah 4:6 NIV), says the Lord, is how the believer in Christ will receive all the strength they need to persevere in their work and finish their race. 

CONNECT WITH KELLY: I’m your host, Kelly Ann Snyder, a Christian writer, speaker, and teacher. Grateful to God for rescuing me from the grip of anxiety and fear, I created this podcast, started a blog, launched a small group for women at my church, and wrote my first book titled, Living Perfectly Loved, to encourage, equip, and inspire Christian women to live free from fear and full of joy, secure in God’s perfect love. I enjoy fresh flowers, nature walks, decorating my home, sipping tea, and studying God's Word.

Visit my website at kellyannsnyder.com to learn more about me and Living Perfectly Loved Ministries, including information that can help you take the next step forward in your faith journey.

By signing up for my email list today, you’ll get blog and podcast episodes sent directly to your inbox, and be given the opportunity to learn about other Living Perfectly Loved Ministries offerings made available only to my subscribers. Here’s a link to a free resource I created for signing up: 40 Anxiety-Reducing Self-Care Tips for the Weary

You can also purchase my new book on Amazon today: Living Perfectly Loved: A Christian’s 12-Step Journey to Freedom from the Grip of Anxiety and Fear

Find me on my Facebook Page @kellyannsnyderauthor and on my Facebook profile @kellyannsnyderofficial, as well as on my Instagram account @kellyannsnyderofficial. I look forward to connecting with you soon!

DISCLAIMER: The content of this podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any condition or disease. This podcast is not a substitute for consultation with a licensed practitioner. Please consult with your physician or healthcare specialist regarding the suggestions and recommendations made in this podcast. The podcast host makes no guarantees concerning the level of success you may experience by following the advice and strategies she has offered, and you accept the risk that results will differ for each individual. The use of this podcast implies your acceptance of this disclaimer.

For additional help or resources, I recommend you consider reaching out to a professional Christian counselor or a pastor at a church for guidance in your next steps. 

Episode Transcript

Kelly Ann Snyder (00:02):
I'm Kelly Ann Snyder.
Welcome to Living PerfectlyLoved, the podcast created to
encourage, equip, and inspireyou to live free from fear and
full of joy, secure in God'sperfect love.
If you're longing to stand firmin Christ amidst the storms of
life with a faith deeply rootedin God's perfect love, stop

(00:25):
anxiety and fear from stealingyour joy and controlling your
life, shine brightly and lovefearlessly, confident in who God
uniquely created and called youto be, then this faith-inspiring
podcast, full of practical helpand spiritual tools, is for you.
You're listening to Season One,Episode 12: Renew Your Strength

(00:47):
in the Lord.
Brought to you by LivingPerfectly Loved Ministries and
my new book, Living PerfectlyLoved: A Christian's 12-Step
Journey to Freedom from the Gripof Anxiety and Fear.
For all recommended resources,products, and freebies discussed
in this episode, please see thenotes for this episode.

(01:08):
I'm happy to announce that ineach episode this season, I will
be sharing an excerpt from mybook containing each of the 12
steps the Lord used to deliverme from the grip of anxiety and
fear.
In this way, you'll be getting asneak peek into my book, Living
Perfectly Loved.
I'm so glad you've decided tojoin me.
Subscribe to my email list todayat kellyandsnyder.com and you

(01:33):
will be kept in the loop withall book and ministry-related
announcements I make, and beeligible to receive all free
resources I create and sharewith my subscribers.
Visit my website atkellyandsnyder.com to learn more
about Living Perfectly LovedMinistries, including direct
links to purchase my book andinformation that can help you

(01:55):
take the next step forward inyour faith journey.
If you haven't yet listened tomy podcast trailer, I'd like to
invite you to do so afterlistening to this episode.
All right, let's get started!The following is an excerpt from
Step 11 of my book, LivingPerfectly Loved, titled: Renew

(02:19):
Your Strength in the Lord.
Isaiah 40 verse 31 says,"Butthose who hope in the Lord will
renew their strength.
They will soar on wings likeeagles.
They will run and not growweary.
They will walk and not befaint." Did you know that

(02:39):
Monarch butterflies have much toteach us about God's miraculous
sustaining power?
Amazingly, of all thebutterflies God created, the
Monarch butterfly is the onlyone that can make bird-like
migrations every year, flyingsome 2,500 miles from north to
south for the cold wintermonths.

(03:01):
In an article called, TheMonarchs, author Craig Meeker
talks about his experience withthese marvelous creatures while
out on a walk.
"As I looked at the monarchs, Ithought, this is impossible.
These two pieces of paper flyingin the wind.
It is impossible for them toreach such a destination so far

(03:22):
away.
And I came to the conclusionthat what makes the Christian
move makes the monarch move andvice versa.
When you open your heartheavenward in faith, God is able
to put in there a determineddesire to do his will.
When you take a step to fulfillthat desire, as we open our

(03:43):
hearts to him, he puts powerinto our hearts to walk with
him." Like the Monarchbutterfly, we are nothing more
than fragile vessels, easilybroken.
And yet, God chooses to use usto accomplish His will on this
earth.
He does this through the powerof His Holy Spirit.

The Bible explains it this way: "But we have this treasure in (04:04):
undefined
jars of clay to show that thisall surpassing power is from God
and not from us," SecondCorinthians four verse seven.
We may be"hard pressed." Seesecond Corinthians four verses
eight through nine.

(04:24):
But this is only so Jesus may beglorified all the more through
us.
It may seem counter intuitive atfirst, but our weaknesses can
actually show off God'sstrength.
When we realize that oursupposed weaknesses and
imperfections better position usto be used by God in this world,

(04:44):
we won't be so afraid of lettingothers see who we really are:
weaknesses, past failures, andall.
Look again at the apostle Paul.
Before becoming a believer, Paulviolently opposed Christianity.
After he began his ministry,Paul had weaknesses that
afflicted him daily.

(05:06):
The Bible tells us that Paul wasgiven a"thorn of the flesh,"
Second Corinthians 12 verseseven.
We don't know exactly what thatthorn was, but Paul wrote that
he pleaded with God three timesto remove it.
Despite Paul's pleas, however,God chose to leave that thorn.
Like Paul, there may be a thornGod has left in your flesh, an

(05:30):
ongoing struggle, but it doesn'thave to limit your ability to a
obey.
Paul had past failures andweaknesses to overcome, and yet
God did not allow these thingsto hinder Paul from spreading
the message of the gospel.
God used Paul to write most ofthe New Testament, from inside a
prison cell no less.

(05:52):
Paul knew that admitting hisproblems was the best way to
share with others how the powerof God had radically transformed
him.
Thus God was glorified even morethrough Paul, not in spite of
his weaknesses but because ofthem.
When the Lord called me to writea book, I was unaware of all the
challenges I would face alongthe way.

(06:14):
Having never written a bookbefore.
I had a lot to learn about thecraft of writing, where to find
agents and publishers who wouldpublish my book, and how to best
connect with the people whom Iwas writing for.
Little did I know that this wasjust the beginning.
Along with learning all the insand outs of writing and
publishing a book, new healthchallenges arose.

(06:37):
I was diagnosed with irritablebowel syndrome, IBS, after three
months of starting to write themanuscript for the book, and
then fibromyalgia aftercompleting the first draft about
two years later.
My circumstances seem to movefrom bad to worse the harder I
followed after Christ.
I remember one morning inparticular, I was in my bathroom

(07:01):
trying to get ready for work.
The pain was so bad, I brokedown sobbing.
On my knees on the bathroomfloor, I bowed my head and hung
my arms limp over the edge ofthe bathtub, palms up, and
prayed.
Not with words, but with tearsin a posture of surrender,
looking to God to do somethingto renew my strength.

(07:24):
I had nothing left to give, andrealistically, didn't see how I
could get back up on my feet andgo to work that day.
That's when my husband walkedin.
Seeing I needed help.
He reached down and wrapped hisstrong arms around my waist and
gently lifted me to my feet.
I didn't have the strength tostand on my own, but with the

(07:44):
help of my husband, I could riseonce again.
In that moment, I felt held bymy Heavenly Father, His
everlasting arms underneath meholding me secure.
See Deuteronomy 33, verse 27.
Giving me the strength I neededto finish getting ready and walk
out the door.

(08:06):
When I found myself seeminglywith nothing left to give, I
returned to the Lord for help.
Time and again, I asked God torenew my strength to complete
the good work He began in me.
The strength came, but not rightafter praying.
It came as I stepped out infaith, in obedience to do the
work He had given me to do.

(08:28):
What I learned was, as Icontinued to step out in faith
and obedience to do the work,God was there to supply me with
the physical, mental, emotional,and spiritual strength that I
needed to keep going.
I've also learned there aretimes when the strength God
supplies us with isn't for us tokeep going, but to let go.

(08:51):
Shortly after God renewed mystrength to get back up on my
feet and head to work on that aparticularly difficult day came
another day where God called meto surrender my teaching career
to Him.
I discovered that day, itrequired just as much strength
to let go as it did to hold onand keep going.

(09:12):
It was difficult to walk awayfrom 17 years of teaching.
But for health reasons, itbecame necessary.
What I didn't yet understand wasthat God had plans to renew my
strength for a new role as astay at home wife, mom, and
writer.
When God says He will renew yourstrength, it doesn't mean we are

(09:34):
guaranteed physical strength,but God's power working through
us to accomplish His will for uson earth.
If you notice God is no longerrenewing your strength for a
particular task or assignment,it could be He wants to display
His power through your weakness.
It could also be, He wants tomove you to start doing

(09:55):
something else.
I don't know what yourparticular struggles are, but I
do know God has chosen you, justas you are, to be a vessel
through which salvation in JesusChrist may be revealed to the
world.
God will take the shattered,broken pieces of your life.
Those areas of weakness that youprobably see as most painful or

(10:18):
shameful, and create a beautifulmosaic out of them to tell the
world this story of His perfectlove.
You are truly a masterpiece inthe making.
Just as God spoke to Paulregarding his weaknesses, He
also speaks to us saying,"Mygrace is sufficient for you.
For my power is made perfect inweakness." Second Corinthians 12

(10:43):
verse nine.
God will give you the power tobe all He has called you to be.
Therefore be joyful and patientin your suffering, see Romans 12
verse 12, knowing that it isyour weaknesses, which make a
way for God's grace to enter in.
And where His grace has given,His glory will be revealed.

(11:06):
Let's pray.
Heavenly Father, Thank you forhelping me do the work You've
called me to do.
I confess there are days when Istruggle, fail, and feel
intimidated by the mountainsbefore me.
I question whether I am enough,but then You remind me of who I
am.
I am a child of God.

(11:28):
I believe I am chosen and I canmove mountains.
Thank You for Your Holy Spirit'spresence, which strengthens me
daily and encourages me to nevergive up.
Father help me to feel the powerof Your Holy Spirit flowing
through me.
May I never rely upon mystrength, but on Your strength

(11:48):
alone, to empower me to followand obey You.
In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.
Thanks for listening to thisepisode of the Living Perfectly
Loved podcast.
While it's true that God is loveand we are perfectly loved by
Him, we all struggle at times tolive like this true.

(12:08):
While we should strive to growin Christ likeness, we can rest
in knowing God loves us becauseof who He is, not because of who
we are or anything we could everdo for Him.
In Jesus Christ, we are enough!Remember, you don't have to be
perfect to live perfectly loved.
You have always been and willalways be a completely forgiven,

(12:33):
fully accepted, deeply loved,daughter the King.
Beautiful friend, His grace isfor you.
Please subscribe to my podcastnow and stay tuned for another
episode of Living PerfectlyLoved.
May the Lord bless you and keepyou.
May He shine His face on you andbe gracious to you.

(12:55):
May He turn His face toward youand give you peace, in Jesus'
name.