Our strength or God's strength?

One of the most common things I hear chucked around in Christian circles, and I have been saying it to people too, goes along the lines of "Are you doing it on God's strength or your own strenth?"

But is this even a valid question? God hasn't yet revealed that to me biblically - would anyone like to use examples from scripture of characters who tried to do stuff on their own strenth versus with God's empowerment? Is this a New Testament thing?

I would love to hear people's opinions about this statement. What exactly does it mean? Is it biblical theology? How do we know when we are doing something in God's strenth? Isn't everything we do in God's strength - I heard someone else say that "We're only alive because God is keeping us alive", which sounds pretty true to me since God brought us into existence in the first place.

Does the question simply entail being filled with the Spirit? If so, how full do we have to be of the Spirit to be doing something in God's strength? And again, how can we be sure?

The big 1/4

Yes!!! I'm 25% of the way done support raising. What a milestone! 6 weeks into support raising for Student Life - it's been a rollercoaster of a time so far, but it's paying off. I'm going to need some serious prayer and help and butt-kicking to raise the rest in the 9 remaining weeks I have. God can do it! If he could pay levites to burn animals and eat them full-time, then I'm sure he will provide for a fisher of men. Don't you love my reasoning?

Progress

Support raising efforts are at 20% pledged, but I've had a number of people who say they will support me, but haven't decided on an amount - therefore I can't add them to my calculation. Things have been pretty up and down, and I feel a bit like I've been stuck inside for too long and my light has been put under a basket instead of on a lamp stand. Starting to remember that balance in life is important :-)

I've realised that I'm inherently a calvinist in my beliefs, but that those beliefs don't always live out in practise - especially when witnessing. They are more the underlying big picture as seen more from God's eyes than my own. Being down here on earth where we have an apparent free will, and can't see God working in people, it's a bit of a different story - it comes to obeying God then (esp. praying and preaching). Hmmm what an interesting mindset to try and define, but I think I just did.

I've been getting into some inductive bible study recently. It's been awesome! I've been pressing deep into God, and he's been drawing closer to me. I'm definitely an intellectual. It's slow study, but the depth is way worth it - I find I remember scripture way easier. I don't have to intentionally memorise it when I study inductively - I just understand it so well that I can use it in context when talking to people (I think that's how it works). Praise the Holy Spirit of truth! Oh, there's a good book we got given in new staff training about the technique (it seems to me like deriving your own study notes and chapter and book titles & themes). The book is called "How to study your bible" by Kay Arthur. It's pretty cheap on amazon.. highly recommended.

That's it for now, God bless and have a Merry Christmas! Remember to take time this Christmas to remember Christ and what he did for us - and how gracious the Father was to send Him. We don't deserve Him at all, but God in his love lavished the riches of His grace upon us! (Eph 1:7,8)