04/25/2026
We don’t generate our own strength.
We receive it.
This week’s Shaped by Faith column is a reminder that every ounce of strength we have is on loan from God.
Not ours to boast in.
But His to be glorified through.
📖 Strength on Loan
I pray it encourages your spirit, mind, and body today.
“It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.” Psalm 18:32
I cannot imagine working out without the Word of God leading each fitness class. And honestly, I cannot imagine living a single day without trusting and depending on the strength of the Lord to guide every step.
Recently, as I was teaching a strength training class, this verse kept rising up in my spirit. I found myself saying it out loud over and over again: “It is God who arms me with strength.” The more I repeated it, the more it settled deep within me.
Repetition is powerful. It strengthens our bodies, and it strengthens our spirit.
With every squat, every press, every movement, I reminded the class that we were not operating in our own strength. We were moving in God’s strength.
We are working out in strength on loan from God, strength that doesn’t originate with us but flows through us. Borrowed strength. And what we borrow, we were never meant to take ownership of, which changes everything.
It means we cannot look at ourselves and say, “Look how strong I am.” Because apart from Him, we are not. Every ounce of strength, every bit of endurance, every breath we take is a gift from Him.
“For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13
Not some things. Everything.
But notice where the strength comes from. It is not self-generated. It is God-given.
There was a time in my life when I thought I was doing really well on my own, strong, capable, and in control. Then life humbled me in a way I didn’t expect, and I came face to face with just how much I needed God’s strength, not my own.
I even went through a brief season where I tried bodybuilding. I got my weight down, toned my muscles, and had the tan to go with it. From the outside, it looked like strength. But behind the scenes, I was eating very little and trying to look like other women bodybuilders.
Before long, I came crashing down.
I wasn’t built for that. I wasn’t created to strive to look like someone else. My image was created by God, strengthened by Him, to encourage the women who walk into my classes. He equipped me to lead them through movements that have been prayed over for each and every session.
Scripture warns us about this very thing: “Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18 (NLT)
When we begin to take credit for what God has given us, pride quietly slips in. We start believing we are the source instead of the vessel.
And that is a dangerous place to be.
Jesus reminds us: “Apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 (NLT)
Nothing.
But here is the beauty of walking with God, we do not have to strive to be strong on our own. We simply stay connected to Him.
“Those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.” Isaiah 40:31 (NLT)
Not recycled strength. Not barely-get-by strength.
New strength. Infinite strength!
When we approach our workouts and our lives with this understanding, everything shifts. Instead of striving, we surrender. Instead of boasting, we give glory.
In every class, the strength I feel is not something self-generated, it is something I have been entrusted with.
So today, whether you are lifting weights, going for a walk, or simply navigating the demands of daily life, remember this:
You are not doing it alone.
You are moving, breathing, and living in strength on loan from God.
Give Him the credit. Give Him the glory. And trust Him to supply everything you need.
Because He always does—and He always will.
Where in your life do you need to rely on God’s strength today?
