“Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away,  yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” 2 Corinthians 4:16.

A woman by the name of Olive Westerman celebrated her one hundredth birthday in Chester, England. When a reporter asked her the secret to longevity, she said, “Avoid talking to strange men and you’ll be just fine.”

Pretty good advice! But even if we live to be one hundred or more, there is no doubt that our bodies suffer wear and tear. God has promised to give us fresh strength in our inward soul for the needs of every day. In the Phillips translation we read 1 Corinthians 4:16 as: “The outward man does indeed suffer wear and tear, but every day the inward man receives fresh strength.”  In the Greek dictionary, it tells us that the word for “renewed” means: “new strength and vigor is given to one.”  And this is done “inwardly.”

Paul prayed that the Ephesians would “be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man.” (Ephesians 3:16). 

In Deuteronomy 33:25 says, “As your days, so shall your strength be.”

How do we “receive” this fresh strength? How does God impart His strength? Perhaps you’re feeling unusually weak today, either physically or emotionally. Ask God for strength on the basis of 2 Corinthians 4:16, and Ephesians 3:16, and Deuteronomy 33:25. God has promised us this strength and I believe He actually loves to be reminded of His promises, because that shows we’re paying attention and we trust Him. Don’t talk to a strange man. Talk to Jesus, and He will give you the strength you need today.

David knew this when he wrote Psalm 121:1: “I lift up my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.“