I think we can all admit that we some times use stereotypical Christian or church phrases that are not common in every day language in our culture. This isn’t necessarily bad. These commonalities help us identify with one another and cultivates a sense of belonging. It also helps our brain process information more efficiently.
One way this can turn into a bad thing is when we start using common phrases in our Christian circles that might have sprouted from good intentions, but might lack solid biblical grounding. I would like to discuss one of those.
It is not uncommon for me to be talking with a Christian friend or a Christian woman I just met, and the phrase, “But I was doing it all out of my own strength.” I have a confession to make, I have always been a bit baffled by this phrase (ironically I am sure I have used it myself!).
This comes at the end of a woman saying she was reading her Bible consistently, but stopped because [insert phrase]. Or she was witnessing to people, but stopped because [insert phrase]. Or she was doing any number of things in God’s Kingdom, but stopped because [insert phrase].
Whenever this phrase about using our “own strength” comes up in conversation, I want to ask back, “When did we get the impression that any of our strength was our own in the first place?” After memorizing Deuteronomy chapter 8, I cannot get this part out of my head:
“Beware, lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the LORD your God who gives you power to get wealth. . . ” (Deut. 8:17-18a)
Meaning, there is nothing we do in our own strength anyway! Have a good job? God has given you the power to obtain and keep it. Have a high capacity to memorize Scripture? God has given you a brain capable of doing that. Read the Bible every day? God has given you eyes to see (or ability to read braille) and given you access to education.
Therefore, God has given us strength so that we will use it!! We do not have any strength of our own. It has been given to us by God to steward. Just because something pertaining to our faith “feels” tiring or academic or hard does not mean that we are somehow doing something in “our own strength” and should stop. In fact, consider this passage:
“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love” (II Peter 1:3-7).
Whoa! I am supposed to apply effort? I am supposed to supplement my faith?? YES! This is why the writers of the New Testament will use action words like “strive,” “hold fast,” “fight,” “stay awake,” “run,” and more. I hope we finish the race exhausted, knowing we made “EVERY effort.” I think that is what Paul felt when he said he had been poured out as a drink offering, not a drop left!
It says in the passage above, God has given us everything we need to accomplish what He has told us to do on this earth. If we are still here and have the breath of life in our lungs, then there’s work to do. He has also equipped us with the Holy Spirit to do the work of the Kingdom. And when we make mistakes, He has given us grace to get back into the fight! (Not to wallow in our mistakes or dabble in our sin).
Another way I think this phrase might be used is when we want to nicely package our pride. For example, we might use the phrase “I was using my own strength” when it comes to our marriages, kids, or our discipleship of other women. But what that really means is, “I was micromanaging my husband and kids” or “I was taking unhealthy ownership of someone else’s discipleship and expected them to follow all my advice” or “I was trying to get my own way and control the situation.”
Lastly, it might simply mean a woman overstretched herself and she needs to re-prioritize. God created our bodies with limitations. We haven’t been using “our own strength”; we used up all the strength God gave us! However, I find this much more rare than the other reasons.
I hope this does not come across as “nit-picky.” I meditate on these things because I desire for myself and other women to be informed by truth from Scripture; to take “thoughts and arguments captive” and keep them in line with the message of Jesus.
So if I may ask, have you used this phrase (I was doing x-y-z in my own strength)? If so, I have some self reflection questions for us to ask ourselves:
- Is this because you were genuinely unaware that this phrase might not have the best biblical grounding or hadn’t given it much thought before now?
- Is this because you were under the impression that applying effort to your faith (i.e. using strength) was somehow against salvation by faith? (Note: “Grace is not opposed to effort, it is opposed to earning.” – Dallas Willard)
- Is this because you were nicely covering your pride (micromanagement, control, lack of prayer, etc.)?
ALL strength and ability are gifts from God (physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, etc.). Let us use them to seek first the Kingdom of God (Matt. 6:33) and by all means apply effort!!
By the River Together 