- WE DOWNLOAD GOD’S STRENGTH FROM HIS WORD:He Bible is our gateway to Godwho is the source of our strength. Anytime you feel an absence of strength, prayerful reading of the Word of God is the place to begin to regain strength. 2. WE DOWNLOAD GOD'S STRENGTH FROM WORSHIPNehemiah 8:10- in time of celebration in restored Jerusalem, Nehemiah said to the people “ The joy of the Lord is your strength “. Psalms 59:17- David referred to God as “ my strength”: “ To you, O my Strength, I will sing praises”. There is great strength to be found in worshiping the Lord. 3. WE DOWNLOAD GOD'S STRENGTH BY WAITING Isaiah 40:31- The question is, what does it mean to” wait on the Lord?”- it's a process of yielding our schedule, our desires, our weakness, to God- in at least THREE ways.Slow DownOur lives move fast, sometimes at a breakneck pace( unlike Jesus, who never seemed to be in a hurry! ). When the average speed of life is “fast,” we have to plan times to slow down. But “speed” is both mental and physical. We can arrange physical times to slow down- quiet time with the Lord, relaxed times with family, times for recreation, and so on. But we need to cultivate a mental and emotional speed that is conducive to hearing from the Lord. That means a life of peace instead of worry and anxiety, a life of faith instead of fear. We can be moving fast but thinking slow at the same time- slow enough to hear the Lord and receive His strength. We have to slow down and let God's Word and Spirit catch up with us and regenerate our strength.Get QuietOnce we have learned to slow down, we have the opportunity to get quiet and hear God speaking through His Word and prayer. This was a lesson Jesus modeled for His disciples: He would tell them,”Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”( Mark 6:31).Isaiah 30:15- “ In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength. “Good athletes speed the game up; great athletes slow the game down.” this is true in any game. They have learned to slow down, process what is happening, and go at a controlled pace. Our Savior was never loud, never rushed, never frantic- but was controlled by the Spirit and focused on carrying out His Father’s will. That is the kind of disciple we are to be as well. We need to slow down so we can quiet down- enough to think, consider and pray.PrayUltimately, prayer is the primary channel through which God conveys strength to our lives. Praying without ceasing ( 1 Thessalonians 5:17) covers everything else: time in the Word and worship and waiting in the Lord in quietness. 4. WE DOWNLOAD GOD'S STRENGTH THROUGH WEAKNESS 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. Paul was suffering in some situation ( a “ thorn in the flesh “), which he does not describe. He prayed three times that God would remove it, but the answer was “ No.” instead, God's provision was an abundance of grace, “ for My strength is made perfect n weakness.”Paul camel realizes that there was strength in God's grace when he was weak.We tend to think we are strong, that everything is fine. We stop depending on the Lord. So God allows us to experience times of weakness or need to remind us that He is the real source of our strength.The Cross of Jesus Christ is history’s most powerful example of strength in weakness- the Cross was “ the power of God” ( 1 Corinthians 1:24).The weakness and brokenness of Christ demonstrated the power of God-especially in the Resurrection!- to do what we could not do for ourselves. And the same power and Spirit that “ raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you” if you have given your life to Christ ( Romans 8:11). That power can be revealed in us now and primarily when our mortal bodies are raised from the dead( 1 Corinthians 15:43).Overcoming our weakness with Christ’s strength begins when we confess our weakness to Him and receive His indwelling strength by faith( Galatians 2:20).