From your own words what does it mean?

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Blain

The Word Weaver
Aug 28, 2012
19,177
2,539
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#1
As a believer,as a Christian I want to hear from your own words what you think it means to be strong as a Christian. What does it mean to be a Christian and what does it mean to be strong as one? And if you please no simple pointing to Jesus and saying that is what it means this question it meant to make you search the deepest depths of your heart and from your own words express in detail what it mean to be strong and what it means to be a Christian.
 
Aug 16, 2016
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#2
To endure persecution and ridicule. To stand for God regardless of the negatively. I personally desire to hurt no ones feelings but its better to tell them the truth even if it does hurt them so they can enter the kindom.
 

RickyZ

Senior Member
Sep 20, 2012
9,635
787
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#3
As a believer,as a Christian I want to hear from your own words what you think it means to be strong as a Christian. What does it mean to be a Christian and what does it mean to be strong as one? And if you please no simple pointing to Jesus and saying that is what it means this question it meant to make you search the deepest depths of your heart and from your own words express in detail what it mean to be strong and what it means to be a Christian.

I think the greatest strength is in pure gut driven perseverance. It's a war of attrition, but we know ultimately Who wins it. That's the anchor that grounds you against all the storms - knowing that however bad they may be if we just stick with Him in the end it will be for the better. We can find strength in other areas, thank You Lord so gracious, but as humans our attempts to perfect strength will always be imperfect. It's that guttural Spirit driven 'yeah you knocked me down satan, but in your face - He still wins' that gets us on to the next attempt. God repeatedly talks about perseverance - trudging thru no matter how many times we slip and fall, or how hard. And we do that by virtue of the fact that, in your face satan, He still wins. That gets you thru all your failures of strength.
 

Dan58

Senior Member
Nov 13, 2013
1,991
337
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#4
Baptism is simply dying to the flesh and living for the everlasting spiritual life. For me, a good Christian puts their own wants and needs on hold, their focus is Christ.
 
W

wwjd_kilden

Guest
#5
I'm not sure.

Too many people seem to connect the word "strong" with not failing, not feeling down, not asking for help.
(I know that isn't what you mean here, but the word makes me want to shudder).

I guess that to me it means to try and trust God even when we don't fully manage to trust him.
(and I keep failing at it!)
 

Blain

The Word Weaver
Aug 28, 2012
19,177
2,539
113
#6
Yes righteous perseverance is often seen as true strength and as what a Christian is, and there is no right or wrong answer in this thread and I enjoy reading what others view true strength to be as a Christian.
I suppose for me it isn't perseverance or anything bold like that I think for me well.... let me tell you how I used to be before I met God. If say there was a disaster and everyone was running away from danger and someone was hurt and couldn't move I would run away not giving it a second thought.
But now when everyone is either standing by or scared and running away from danger my body just moves and I head to the danger just to make sure no one is on it's own. it isn't courage that drives me in such situations it's love.

For me what I think real strength is and what it really means to be a Christian is to be willing to go that far for the sake of someone else, if love is the motive of ones hearts then strength arises in many different forms and ways, love is what compels a person to do things and to show strength that otherwise no one would. The body is interesting in a way that is fascinating, the motives and what is in a persons heart decides how the body instinctively reacts in any given situation.

For me what real strength is and what it means to be a Christian is described as one word and yet a million words could describe this word-love. I was love that fueled all Jesus did it was love that ,made him strong enough to go as far as he did and it was in my seeking of love and to understand love that molded what real strength is and what it means to be a Christian.
I didn't form what I thought was strength or what I thought what makes a Christian from my own beliefs or views I watched and I sought after love and the more his love that enveloped me the more of what real strength is formed into my mind.

there are many kinds of strength but the only true strength i have seen is fact love, because love is what gives us the strength to persevere and stand for god's truth no matter the cost, love is what gives us the strength to stand when no one else will, love is what makes one able to have hope in their eyes when the all is lost moment comes and everyone else is in tears and has given up and it is love that seems to be the spiritual steroid for a believer, growing in him and in faith at an abnormal rate is something only love can do or at least from what I have seen
 

Blain

The Word Weaver
Aug 28, 2012
19,177
2,539
113
#7
I'm not sure.

Too many people seem to connect the word "strong" with not failing, not feeling down, not asking for help.
(I know that isn't what you mean here, but the word makes me want to shudder).

I guess that to me it means to try and trust God even when we don't fully manage to trust him.
(and I keep failing at it!)
Not falling is not strength, strength is looking to him and refusing to stay down no matter how many times you fall. And believe me I know all to well, I fall over and over and over again but when I look to him a fire blazes in eyes and in my heart I shout I'm not finished yet!
 
M

Miri

Guest
#8
I think the word strong is often used from a human perspective.

But the bible says when we are weak, it's than that we are strong.
Why? Well it's when we realise we can't do anything outside of God and when we
realise that our own effeorts are useless, that we stand aside and let God work on
our behalf. It also means that at that point, we are fully leaning on God and trusting
in Him. That is also the definition of a Christian, one who has surrendered themselves
to Christ and accepted that free gift of salvation. We cannot save ourselves, it took
the wisdom, love and strength of God to save us.

I've experienced that so many times in my own life, trying to do things using my own
wisdom, and using up all my time and energy trying to make things happen my way.

Then when I've given it all to God crying and saying Lord I just can't do this any more,
you take control Lord. I put it in your hands. That's when things have really happened.

One example, two years ago my aunt got very resentful of the carers coming to the
house and refused their help. I begged her to let them keep coming, saying I
just couldn't be there 24/7. She was a bit confused at the time due time various health
problems, which added to the problems. I did everything I could think of, spoke to
social services, tried to speak to my aunt.

Then one Friday I was getting ready for work, the Carer's came, she swore at them refused
their help. I had to go to work but I was so upset at my wits end worrying about her
wondering if she would be ok, worried about losing my job over all this as I kept having to
take time off.

I got through work really upset that day, so much that instead of getting the bus home,
i walked home that night, I couldn't face going home. I walked home praying crying out to
God. I must have looked a sight!

As soon as I opened the from door, before I had even got in the house, my aunt
shouted out that she had decided to accept the Carer's help. I didn't know whether to
faint, laugh or cry!

I moved aside that day after weeks of struggling and let God intervene. I was weak but
God was strong in that situation. :)


I also thought of Moses, he led millions of Israelites across the desert for 40 years, yet
God said there was no one more humble than him. Human strength is weakness, only
Godly strength is truth strength. We can do all things through him who strengthens us.


2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NKJV
[9] And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made
perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities,
that the power of Christ may rest upon me. [10] Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities,
in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when
I am weak, then I am strong.


Numbers 12:3 NKJV
[3] (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were
on the face of the earth.)



Philippians 4:13 NKJV
[13] I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
 
M

Miri

Guest
#9
I don't know if anyone has ever read this book, I remember it from when I
was a teen, it's just amazing. It is about a man who was tortured for his
faith in a communist prison.

The defining moment came when he could take no more and Jesus himself
turned up in the prison cell. I won't say any more in case you might want to read it. lol

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tortured-His-Faith-Haralan-Popov/dp/0310312620
 
S

savedtoast

Guest
#10
To hope in a hopeless place, to believe when I can't see a foot ahead and to hold onto faith when all faith is gone.
 
Apr 26, 2017
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#11
What a tricky question. I never thought about it. But now that you have asked,hmm...
Well, I think it means to have strength to overcome whatever challenges that one faces. Meaning you cry, u mourn, u fail but still have the strength to overcome, achieve, have joy and peace of mind, with His help of course, because alone this would not be possible.
 

lastofall

Senior Member
Aug 26, 2014
609
38
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#12
[for me anyway] it is to deny (disown) our own will; to repent and own our sins; to submit to and rely upon the Word of God; and to make the sincere effort to do the things which He says.
 

loveme1

Senior Member
Oct 30, 2011
8,083
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#13
To be weak and humble being made strong not of yourself.
 
Nov 22, 2015
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#14
To be strong as a Christian is to have total complete reliance on Christ and what He has already done. Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
 
Nov 22, 2015
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#15
I don't know if anyone has ever read this book, I remember it from when I
was a teen, it's just amazing. It is about a man who was tortured for his
faith in a communist prison.

The defining moment came when he could take no more and Jesus himself
turned up in the prison cell. I won't say any more in case you might want to read it. lol

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tortured-His-Faith-Haralan-Popov/dp/0310312620
There was also a book by Richard Wrumbrant who was also tortured for Christ. I loved the story of how they threw him in the lowest darkest place in the prison. Down there - they had the water pipes that went through the rest of the jail. This guy "tapped" out the gospel in Morse Code to the rest of the jail.

It shows that it doesn't matter what our enemy does to us - God can take any situation and make good from it.
 

Demi777

Senior Member
Oct 13, 2014
6,877
1,949
113
Germany
#16
That even when we fall short to Gods glory and sin, we get ourselves back up and want and try to do the right thing....which isnt always the easy way out.
That when we have to face situations, where we could easily just get out by lying or otherwise, we still do what is right and dont let the other people back us into a corner or take us down..but that we stand out ground when if it gets hard.

Its not just being strong to resist sins and temptations. Its also being strong that when we do do it, we get up and take the consequences and conquer it and turn curses into blessings (through testimonies for example)
 
Aug 2, 2009
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#17
As a believer,as a Christian I want to hear from your own words what you think it means to be strong as a Christian. What does it mean to be a Christian and what does it mean to be strong as one? And if you please no simple pointing to Jesus and saying that is what it means this question it meant to make you search the deepest depths of your heart and from your own words express in detail what it mean to be strong and what it means to be a Christian.
A few years ago i wouldn't be able to come up with a very solid answer for this question but now that I've been through some tough times where I've lost faith and felt abandoned and even angry at God, I feel I have a solid answer now. And that is to continue to be faithful even when its very difficult. Even when you feel like God's forgotten about you or doesn't care how much you're suffering. Continue to forgive even when those who hurt you seem blessed more than you even though they are wicked and cruel... Continue to pray even when you can't understand why God doesn't seem to hear your cries for help.... Continue to give even when you aren't sure when you will get paid again and/or have trouble paying all your bills...Continue to believe even when there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel, when it feels like you are stuck in your own personal hell... Continue to be a humble servant even though all you want to do is lash out and curse God and get even with those who've made you suffer... And lastly, continue to be thankful even though you never seem to get what you want...

I think those are the things that make a strong christian, and I am not one according to them.
 

G00WZ

Senior Member
May 16, 2014
1,313
446
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#18
when i think about a strong Christian i think about someone who takes what God says seriously and they will actually have the nerve to walk it out, despite what logic or man says... seeing someone actually doing truth is strength in itself.
 
B

BeyondET

Guest
#19
Good post Blain, I just have a simple example of what it means to me, "Finding All In The Heart" I've used this short saying before but faith is a example of strength. Yesterday something dawned on me that I had not seen before in a Event in the bible, that seemed on the surface a small detail, something that seemed uneventful, of a wonderment, though today it is no longer a wonderment to me anymore but something I believe now.
I try my best to be strong in my faith and to seek knowledge and understanding even in the most smallest of details rather in life around me and as well in scripture.
 
Dec 19, 2009
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#20
As a believer,as a Christian I want to hear from your own words what you think it means to be strong as a Christian. What does it mean to be a Christian and what does it mean to be strong as one? And if you please no simple pointing to Jesus and saying that is what it means this question it meant to make you search the deepest depths of your heart and from your own words express in detail what it mean to be strong and what it means to be a Christian.
It means obeying the Lord's commands.