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Inner Strength. Do You Have It? If not, How do You Get It?

Guest post by: SarahBeth White

Article Overview: All of us encounter the need for inner strength on a daily basis. At times we falter and find ourselves deficient. There are ways to build up our inner strength. One is through God and another is through following the stories of those who have had to exhibit enormous amounts of inner strength to overcome life's difficulties and challenges.

Inner Strength. Do You Have It? If not, How do You Get It?

From His glorious, unlimited resources He will give you mighty inner strength through His Holy Spirit.~Ephesians 3:16 It is for us to pray not for tasks equal to our powers, but for powers equal to our tasks, to go forward with a great desire forever beating at the door of our hearts as we travel toward our distant goal.

~Helen Keller

Life's challenges. We meet them every day. They challenge our inner strength. If anyone on this earth had inner strength, I would say that it was Helen Keller. And the fact that she recognized prayer as part of her arsenal speaks loudly to us. She overcame unbelievably difficult adversities in her life. If you are unfamiliar with Helen Keller, I would recommend you do a simple search for her name and you can get that quick blurb of information that our lives focus on now.

Meanwhile, what about our reactions to life's challenges? In comparison to what the Apostle Paul and Helen Keller went through, my present challenge seems so petty. Although I have my eyesight, speech, hearing and a sound mind, I struggle with building a successful home based business. I do not know why it is taking longer than expected to get the results I had hoped for. Well, one reason or excuse is that I was laid off my job and had little money to bring to the table. So I try each day to work harder using the free advertising that is available to anyone.

When the inevitable challenge hits us, will we fight or fold? We often hear fight or flight as options to situations. Pick your battles. When challenges come, will we continue to fight or fall apart? Paul, the author of this scripture, fought many inward battles and faced extremely difficult situations. So he had reason to pray for believers asking God's Spirit to provide that inner strength for them; that believers would be strong in the challenges facing them.

What clouds this picture further is that some of us have this cocky attitude of "bring it on" and "give it your best shot" believing we can handle anything the day brings our way. But if we honestly assess our previous battles, most of us would have to admit we have lost more than we have won. Without that inner strength, we will eventually give up. And if we as Christ's followers give up, we have been robbed of our Christian living and service.

Furthermore, we are not going to delight God by choosing to fight battles on our own even if we have fought well. Paul reminds us we are not on our own. I remind myself often that my life is not my own. We can ask God to supply the inner strength we need to do His will; the inner strength to live and serve Him. When we do this, that inner strength will come from His riches and bring Him glory.

Often I start my day feeling confident and ready to force my business on anyone who will listen. I have learned the hard way that if I choose to go it alone, I am going to get kicked in the stomach. All the self-help books in the world cannot provide the inner strength that God offers. You can convince yourself through various behavioral techniques that you can meet life's challenges by yourself. But nothing you can do by yourself can give you that inner strength from God.

Unfortunately, many have no one they can turn to for help. And oft times we do not want people to know about our personal struggles so we listen to advice coming from various directions, pick an answer we can put our faith in, and go out to wage war on the challenge du jour. And if you make it through that challenge, you know that there will be more waiting for you. Or maybe you are facing one big struggle that permeates your entire day as does business startup. It just keeps coming at you and coming at you whenever you feel you are strong enough to get back into the fray.

Even though we might see ourselves as mighty warriors taking on whatever life throws at us, at the end of the day where do you stand? Did you conquer those demons by yourself or did you have the courage to ask for help? And it does take courage to break down and let someone else know that you cannot go it alone. We do not want people to see our weaknesses because all too often they will turn around and use them against us. I do not want to tell anybody that my business is not producing as I expected it to by this time. Failure is not an option so I will persist until it does.

In contrast to what the world might offer in the way of giving you inner strength, God is the only true recourse. He is our refuge. If we choose to go it alone and possibly win that battle by ourselves, tomorrow will just send us something more challenging. What will you do then? Do you tell yourself that this is just life's way of making you a stronger person? Or do you admit that going it alone won't work in today's battle. We all want to be seen as viral, successful and able to conquer all comers but for a lot of us that is just a facade. The sooner we learn to ask Him for His help, the sooner we will have that true inner strength.

As I grow in my inner strength, I have more time to spend with my dog, Mo, my son, family and close friends because of this my business, Cattle on 1000 Hills. If you are interested in a business that will test your inner strength but will reap huge rewards, see what you find out about yourself by checking into this opportunity. At this site you will be hearing the success story of a friend who's story is not unique to this business. No cattle or land for sale but a fantastic opportunity.

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Article Tags: adversity, challenges, God, inner strength, lifes challenges, religion, strength
Referred by: http://jaykubassek.com



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Re: your personality type? - Hi Michelle! If you are the present-moment focused, this is your result. If it doesn't seem spot on, I'll give you the big-picture focused result. The Enjoyer of Life. You enthusiastically enjoy experiencing the five senses, creative pursuits and social harmony in the here-and-now. You are independent, socially upbeat, and enjoy creating a positive and happy atmosphere. Despite your outgoing “persona,” you are a private person and few people truly know you well). #1 Strength: Comfort Creator #2 Strength: Expressing Social Feeling 1) Comfort Creator -- Creating a comfortable physical environment. Feels the ?ve senses vividly. Adept at using objects, or ?nding or building objects, to make a physical space the most soothing to all ?ve senses. Also organizing so objects are easily found in a convenient way. Both the physical comfort of self, and others, is important. Often feel a need to ensure those close to them are warm enough, fed, rested, etc. Will easily offer help to others in these areas, lending a jacket, or offering a snack. 2) Expressing Social Feeling Setting an emotional tone, vibrant, energetic, or serious, etc. Concerned with the emotional environment as it?s happening -- the vibe of people at a party, the tone of a situation, other people?s responses. Setting the tone -- dramatic and serious, or lighthearted and a celebration. Emotional displays are important for knowing how others are feeling, whether bad or good. Someone talking in a monotone about feelings seems insincere. Feels should be shown, so they can be read by others. Your best type would be: The Conceptualizer. You are an inventive creator of logical systems of possibilities that you use to create processes, products or strategies. Socially, you are sometimes quiet, but also find yourself acting as the life of the party, especially when you get caught up in a debate or entertaining topic of conversation. #1 Strength: Generating Future Possibilities #2 Strength: Systematic/Rule Logic
Re: your personality type? - Hi Zac, If you're on the fence about 2 and 3, I'd think more about them. Big picture people tend to be oblivious to the detail of what is happening NOW -- the colors on a restaurant wall, the layout of someone's apartment, the color of people's shirts at a party, etc. They instead notice the "theme" -- an upscale restaurant (who knows what color), casual shirts at a party (not sure what style), etc. A "trendy" apartment, but who knows where the bathroom was. Gut feeling people tend to act w/o all the facts, and are comfortable following that instinct. "Thinker" people will choose something even if they HATE it, just because it "makes sense." Where as that makes no sense to a gut person. Thinkers are more "black and white" where as gut instinct feelers are more "gray area" people. But going with your selections... 1. Within 2. Big Picture 3. Gut Feeling 4. Spontaneous The Reflective Seeker of Truth. You are a passionate searcher of big-picture meaning and strive to help others with your empathetic listening skills. Socially, you are usually quiet, but can be a social butterfly when you feel like it, though it can be draining to do so for too long. You have a very silly and goofy side, enjoy people and need time to quietly reflect #1 Strength: Predicting Future Likelihoods #2 Strength: Expressing Social Feeling Predicting Future Likelihoods Predicting what is likely to happen, based on past events, themes, or what has historically been true. Deciding what will happen, based on past events. These predictions are usually spoken with con?dence and certainty. A thread or common idea is drawn from the past, and these ideas are used to decide what will happen in the future. Authorities and past situations are extremely important for deciding what will happen in the future. Expressing Social Feeling Setting an emotional tone, vibrant, energetic, or serious, etc. Concerned with the emotional environment as it?s happening -- the vibe of people at a party, the tone of a situation, other people?s responses. Setting the tone -- dramatic and serious, or lighthearted and a celebration. Emotional displays are important for knowing how others are feeling, whether bad or good. Someone talking in a monotone about feelings seems insincere. Feels should be shown, so they can be read by others. If that is your type, your #1 match would be... The Strong-Willed Go-Getter. You are a bold sculptor of the here-and-now in order to achieve immediate results following a logical system for making decisions. You add a fun, upbeat vibe to social events and are often the most gregarious person in the room. #1 Strength: Commander of Physical Space #2 Strength: Systematic/Rule Logic
Meet Kim Kleeman - Shakespeare Squared: Named one of Inc.'s - THIS IS PRETTY INTERESTING. WISH I'D THOUGHT OF IT FIRST!!!! Meet Kim Kleeman: Shakespeare Squared: Named one of Inc.'s 500 Fastest Growing Private Companies in America. Recognized as one of Working Mother magazine's 25 Best Small Companies. Awarded the title of Illinois Family Business of the Year. Lofty accomplishments for company founder Kim Kleeman, a woman who just a few short years ago swore she would never own her own business! Having grown up the child of business-owner parents, Kleeman knew well the stresses and demands that entrepreneurial life can place upon a family. She met her husband, Jay, on the first day of college, and together they earned their teaching degrees and started making plans for a modest but happy life. When Jay's stint as a student teacher strained the family budget, though, they both started doing subcontract work proofing elementary school textbooks. Before long, they were taking on bigger jobs and hiring other teachers to freelance on various projects, and from that point on, they never looked back. In 2003, the couple founded Shakespeare Squared, an educational development company that employs an army of freelancers to write and edit materials such as textbooks, lesson plans, teacher guides, activity workbooks, and test-preparation materials. Initially a home-based business managed by Kim while Jay continued his work as a high school teacher, the company now has a full-time staff of 20 and is branching out in new directions, publishing its own materials and offering an educational editing certification process. In three years' time, the company has grown by an incredible 815 percent, bringing in $2.3 million in revenue last year. What we learned from Kim: That the most incredible resource for launching might very well be your own friends and family. 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A nice plus with our business is the opportunity we can offer teachers for life beyond teaching. I really promote teachers in the classroom, but if the classroom just isn't your thing and you're still passionate about education, there is a place for you here." Those Who Can, Teach "Educators in this country are getting a bad rap. We ask them to perform many roles and yet we're not supporting them as a society. Prospective teachers must student teach to become certified and are expected to not work while doing so, but there are so many people from diverse backgrounds who would love to teach-and who would be great teachers-who can't afford to do that. The Shakespeare Squared Foundation helps pay for prospective teachers to student teach. My passion is to get the right teachers in place, because that makes all the difference for students." The Best and the Brightest "It is definitely a challenge to find and retain the best talent, because I am up against large publishers. I have to provide a different culture and be creative in the way I offer benefits. We really believe in the work/life balance and offer such things as flex hours, remote work capabilities, and a working-parents room in the office. We've been recognized for these efforts, and because of them, our turnover is very low." Networking 101 "You have to go into a networking situation with the idea in mind that there will be one person in the crowd who can make a difference to you, and you have to find that person. You may be talking to someone who makes shoelaces and has nothing in common with your business, but she may know someone in your field or know about an interesting business practice that could translate to your own. But the bottom line is that if it's not the right conversation, you politely cut it short and move on." Strength in Numbers "There is so much value in the process of incubating an idea with other women. 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