For the past week, we were hearing about God’s strength, and we know without God we can do nothing. Pastor Bev last Sunday so eloquently and profoundly spoke about the strength shift—shifting from relying on ourselves to God’s strength.

During the week, Reverend Barrett spoke about exchanging weakness for strength. Then we had Reverend Rowe, who reminded us that God is our ultimate source of strength. And Reverend Stuart just yesterday, encouraged us to move from physical strength to divine strength.

We have that access, and we as Christians are to make the best use of that access. That’s what God wants us to do. We ought to serve Him effectively.

This strength that we get, this exchange, is to serve God, to live for Him, to be faithful, and to do His bidding.

Renewed strength for kingdom living comes not through human effort, but by waiting on the Lord to exchange all weariness for His supernatural power.

Galatians 6:9 tells us, “And let us not grow weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” God is telling us, listen, it’s okay to get weary. He understands that we will get weary because of the challenges of life. But we should not stop doing well, because He will give us the strength, even when weary, to continue to do the things that He wants us to do.

Based on Isaiah 40:31, this divine exchange enables us, as believers, to soar, run, and walk without fainting. It requires trust in God, yielding in surrender, and abiding in Him to sustain us.

The reality of weariness: even the most faithful can become faint and weary. As life challenges vary, spiritual battles and the pursuit of the kingdom can deplete and drain us. Sometimes we run ahead of God, which can lead to exhaustion.

Recognizing our need for help is the first step toward renewal.

Isaiah 41 tells us, “Fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

We can claim the promises of this Word for ourselves. We must not fear, because God is with us to impart grace and strength. He has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind.

God is with us to impart the grace and strength needed to face all of life’s challenges—not some, but all of life’s challenges—to help us through times of crisis, as our source of peace. We know that He gives us a peace that surpasses all understanding He sustains us. He is our advocate. The battle is the Lord’s. We are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.

The source of our strength is the Creator God—the One who created us in His own image and likeness.

Isaiah 40:28 reminds us that God is the everlasting Creator. He never faints nor grows weary.

He’s our strength. He does not just give strength; He becomes our strength, sustaining us when we are weak. Second Corinthians 12:9–10 tells us, “And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”

These are Scriptures we’ve been hearing all week. As Bishop reminded us, if all we heard about strength this week and we still don’t get it, something is wrong. We cannot rely on our own strength in doing the things of God, or serving God, or being consistent and faithful.

Paul reminds us that when he was weak, then God was strong. He took pleasure in his infirmities because of the power of Christ resting upon him. Philippians 4:13 tells us, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

We have that privilege, as children of God. To have that divine exchange, we have to be cognizant of the fact that this is an important walk. As we run this race, it is so important. The race is not for the swift, but for those who endure to the end. We cannot get to that finish line without that divine exchange, where we hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

The Hebrew concept of renew means to exchange. We exchange our limited human strength for God’s unlimited divine strength. 2 Peter 1:3 tells us that His divine power has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.

The power to live a godly life comes from God, because we do not have the resources to be truly godly. Sin can wear us out.

When we are born again, God, by His Spirit, empowers us with His goodness. He allows us to share in His divine nature in order to keep us from sin and keep us living a successful Christian life.

There is a process to renewal.

The process of renewal is waiting on the Lord. Waiting is not passive. Waiting is not a state of inaction. It is not simply accepting what happens without response or resistance. Waiting is active worship—praying, patience, trust, reading God’s Word. It involves quieting our hearts and focusing on Jesus to receive power.

Psalm 73:26 tells us, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

Trust in His timing. We must trust in God’s timing. We walk by faith and not by sight. We must trust that God’s timing is perfect, even when it feels like we are waiting too long. Proverbs 3:5 tells us, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding.”

It reminds me of Mary and Martha when they thought Jesus was late with their friend Lazarus. We must trust God’s timing.

Next, we must abide in His Word. Feeding on God’s truth keeps us connected to the source of power. Psalm 119:105 says, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.”

Proverbs 30:5 says, “Every word of God is pure: He is a shield unto them that put their trust in Him.”

And John 15:5 tells us, “I am the vine; you are the branches. He that abideth in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit: for without Me you can do nothing.”

In closing:

When the storms of life come upon us—and all of us will experience them—we can rise above them by setting our minds and our beliefs toward God.

The eagle does not escape the storm. It simply uses the storm to lift it higher. God will enable us to ride out the storms that bring sickness, tragedy, failure, and disappointment in our lives.

Remember, it is not the burdens of life that weigh us down. It is how we handle them. Those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles. Isaiah 40:31—God promises renewed strength.

We may have to wait sometimes for that strength, but we are to wait with eager anticipation. God wants to give us not just enough to refuel and go, but an abundance of strength—to soar, to not grow weary, and not grow faint—to fulfill His plans and purposes for our lives. “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint.”