Are we strong or vulnerable? Are we tough or not? Well, an answer depends upon us. As we will choose, so it will be for us. My personal choice is to be "strong in the Lord and the power of His might."

Our strength (if we accept an idea that we are strong) does not mean that we cannot fail. It only means that we can rise up, go again, and believe in good things, no matter how hard we failed. It also means that we can find a new approach to life if our old approaches do not work anymore. We can invent a new method if old methods do not produce sufficient results.

Let us not be deceived by appearances. Let us not be fooled by our feelings. If our faith is a sum of our life experiences, such faith is worthless. True faith, in my opinion, inspires us to rise above our present conditions, to reach higher. It is a progressive movement. It is a process of growth, development and unfoldment.

Faith is a belief that God's power is working in us and through us, irregardless of how we feel, and conscious cooperation with this power.

Faith is a decision to live from inside out, as the Bible encourages us to.

"We walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7), said Paul. In other words, God wants us to live ("to walk"), concentrating our attention on invisible, spiritual side of life, rather than on changing circumstances.

God abides in me, no matter what I feel.
God loves me, no matter what I think.
God cares for me, no matter what I experience at the present time.
God that lives in me is not weak. I choose to rely on His power, rather than on my power.

Why do I need to have faith in all that, and to change my thoughts accordingly? The reason is simple. It is done to us according to our faith, said Jesus. It is always done to us according to our faith. I do not think that He used a metaphor in this case.

Some people wonder what they really believe, and how sincere is their faith. The best advice for them is to look at their life and to see what it is full of. All that we have is a direct result of all what we believe, consciously or unconsciously.

However, there is a difference between an act of faith and a demonstration. Faith determines our direction, but it doesn't always bring us immediate results. And it is not a reason to be discouraged. Faith works according to the seed principle. You drop a seed to the ground, and invisible forces of nature start their silent work. A seed germinates and grows. It continues to grow, until a ripe fruit appears.

When you decide that you are strong, you open your life to God's power that is going to work within you and around you, making stronger than you ever hoped to be.

I think that the most people do not have a grasp of how talented and how strong they are. By saying that they are weak or inadequate, they declare that they believe in their negative experiences more than in God. Such is their choice, and I need to admit that it is a convenient choice for some. No inner work is required. No mental transformation is necessary. They do not challenge themselves, so they remain in their comfort zone.

We all take from the teaching of Christ what we want. Some take from His teaching a promise of eternal happiness in an afterlife, and it is enough to make them happy and excited. However, I also choose to learn from Him how to live an abundant life here and now. I believe that He shared with humanity some valuable secrets that are able to help us to succeed on this earth, for it is possible - through the power of faith.

Let us not be afraid of possible failures and disappointments, because we will never avoid them anyway. Some things in life will always disappoint us, from time to time, so it is better to learn how to handle this feeling. To avoid all disappointments, we have to do nothing. Does God really want to see us cowards, hiding in our corners? I do not think so.

The Spirit of Christ within us is the Spirit of courage. Let this divine courage flow out of you. Let it direct your thoughts, words and actions. Let it produce wonders in your life. Let it assure you that you are strong.