February 2022 | All-in-one Church Engagement Suite | Church Base All-in-one Church Engagement Suite | Church Base

9 BIBLE VERSES ABOUT STRENGTH AND REFLECTIONS FOR THIS WEEK

By the Church Base Team ┃Read time: 5:30 minutes

Our weekend church gatherings are a place of peace, hope, and joy. But come Monday morning, we need to head back out into the world: our workplaces, neighborhoods, schools, and communities.

As you head into this week (or read this article at any point in the week), pick a few of these verses to hold onto. Consider memorizing one or two, or perhaps writing them somewhere you can see them frequently. Let these Bible verses about strength and reflections give you new life each day:

 

Joshua 1:9

“Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Joshua was called to a big destiny—to lead God’s people into the promised land. Talk about pressure! Yet, again and again, God encourages Joshua to be “strong and courageous.”

Are you feeling overwhelmed by a big calling or task? Has God put something on your heart that feels nearly impossible? Allow this Bible verse about strength to encourage you: be strong and courageous today! God is with you every step of the way.

And Joshua? God was indeed with Joshua, leading him to victory after victory.


 

Psalm 27:1

“The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?”

Do you ever feel anxious? Are there certain people who just set you on edge? Do you dread every time you have to see them?

In this Bible verse about strength, King David reminds us that we already have light and salvation in the Lord. Nothing anyone does can take that away from us. So, whenever you feel fear creeping in around certain people, just ask yourself, “Whom shall I fear? Of whom shall I be afraid?” Then, rest in the stronghold of God’s presence.

 

Isaiah 40:31

“He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.”

Even the strongest among us have days when we feel weak. We grow tired, weary, and can even stumble and fall. But the good news is that our strength comes from our hope in the Lord, not just our muscles. Our bodily limitations mean nothing to the One who can eternally renew our strength. This Bible verse about strength reminds us to hope this week…and then soar!


 

Isaiah 12:2

“Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.”

Though this Bible verse about strength was written about 600-700 years before the birth of Jesus, it was a prophecy about the salvation Jesus would bring. After years of hardship, the people of God would declare that God was their salvation—their strength and song.

Have you felt like you’re in a season of hardship where it’s hard to trust? Salvation is available for you through Jesus.

 

Proverbs 31:25

“She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.”

When we put on the strength of God, we can face the future with confidence. Just as we pick our work clothes every morning, we need to purposefully choose to clothe ourselves in God’s strength and dignity. As you prepare for your next workday, give some thought to how you dress yourself in the strength of the Lord.


 

Deuteronomy 31:6

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

This Bible verse about strength came from a challenging time of transition and change. Moses was speaking to the people of God, knowing that his death was near. He wanted to encourage the Israelites with hope for the future, even though they would be losing him. He reminded them that though humans come and go, God would never leave nor forsake them.

Are you going through a hard time of transition? Maybe the ground beneath your feet feels shaky and uncertain, and you’re wondering who you can count on. We can be strong and courageous, even in the midst of change, because God never changes. We can trust the Lord to never leave us nor forsake us. Your foundation is steady today.

 

2 Corinthians 12:10

“That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

How many of us can say that we “delight” in our weaknesses? I imagine, not many. Yet the Apostle Paul writes that he delights not just in weakness, but in all the bad things that can accompany perceived weakness: insults, hardships, persecutions, difficulties.

Many of us fear our weakness because we worry it makes us vulnerable—but it’s in our weakness that God can do a mighty work. As we read Bible verses about strength, let’s remember that our weaknesses are not vulnerabilities, but opportunities for God’s strength to shine through.


 

2 Timothy 1:7

“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”

This Bible verse about strength comes from a letter written by the Apostle Paul to his pastoral protegee, Timothy. The early Church was suffering persecution throughout the entire region. Paul invited Timothy to share in the persecution of the Church, setting aside any fear. He reminds Timothy (and us) that the Spirit of God will be our true source of power, love, and self-discipline.

 

1 Corinthians 16:13

“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.”

In this passage, the Apostle Paul gave some final advice to the Corinthian church at the end of his letter. As we go about our week, we must remember to “be on our guard,” being vigilant and aware of what’s going on around us. We must “stand firm in the faith,” being guided by Truth and God’s presence. We must “be courageous,” setting aside fear. And we must “be strong,” relying on God for enduring power and perseverance.

 

God is the source of all our strength, preparing us for the week to come. Rely on the Lord and see new power flow into your life!

For more ongoing encouragement, we invite you to subscribe to the Church Base blog.

THE ULTIMATE LIST OF FUNDRAISING IDEAS FOR YOUR CHURCH

By the Church Base Team ┃Read time: 3.5 minutes

Whether it’s a building project, a youth camp, or a mission trip—churches leaders and volunteers are always brainstorming for great fundraisers. The goal is to raise money, while also building community and teamwork. 

We’ve created this ultimate list of fundraising ideas for your church to inspire you and give you plenty of ideas:

  • Auction: You have a lot of options for an auction. You can offer a live auction, a silent auction, a cake auction, or an online auction (usually through a dedicated Facebook group). Partner with local businesses to gather goods to auction, or local artists for art to auction (tax-deductible for them!).

  • Battle of the Bands/Benefit concert: Recruit and highlight local talent for a good cause.
  • BINGO night: A little competition can put the “fun” in fundraiser.
  • Birthday pledge: Set up a way for people to donate to your cause for their birthday (on Facebook, online, or in-person).
  • Candy grams/singing grams: Spread the love around your community with a fundraiser that brings smiles to all.
  • Car wash: No ultimate list of fundraising ideas for your church would be complete without a car wash. This is a great option to get the whole family to work together.

  • Church cookbook: Gather your congregation’s best family recipes and compile them in a beautiful cookbook. You can sell these in your church foyer or online. 
  • Fill-it-up thermometer: Visuals are always helpful in fundraising.
  • Food sale: This could be baked goods, tamales, hot dogs, nachos, etc. Get creative!
  • Garage sale: Consider combining several families’ garage sales to host one large community sale.
  • Informational lunch/dinner banquet: Never underestimate the power of a catered meal, an informative PowerPoint, and a motivational speaker.
  • Lawn Gnomes and Pink Flamingos:  If you’ve got a lot of mischievous youth in your congregation (not too mischievous, of course), this unique fundraising idea can be a great way to let them get creative and have some fun. The basic idea is that people pay to have the lawns of their friends and relatives outrageously decorated with gnomes, flamingos, and other gaudy lawn ornaments. Then, have the youth come by later to remove the ornaments for reuse.

  • Movie night: Pick a family-friendly movie and advertise to the community. Set up a donation box for the viewing and charge for the concessions.
  • Partner with local businesses: Write letters to local businesses to secure donations of supplies for a mission trip (medical supplies, children’s books, etc.), financial donations (tax-deductible), or donations of a certain percentage of profits to cause (e.g. 10% of sales at a local restaurant on a given evening).
  • Service board: Set up a bulletin board (digital or at your church) where church members can post odd jobs and the price they would pay. Youth can select and sign up for the odd jobs they would like to do.
  • Something-a-thon (walk, bowl, etc.): Make it as rigorous or as easy as you want—from the pro-athlete to the family with toddlers. You could even do a Grade-a-thon for youth, where they raise funds for their report card grades.
  • Spa night: At your next Women’s Night Out or MOPS meet-up, have volunteers give manicures, pedicures, and five-minute massages for donations.
  • Talent show: Encourage people to be creative while having a fun time!
  • Whack-a-car: Get an old broken-down car and have students and adults pay to get a swing at the car with a sledgehammer or baseball bat. (Be sure to use protective gear.)
  • Wrap crew: Offer gift wrapping services around the holidays.

  • Youth auction for labor/babysitting: This is a great option for teens going to camp or mission trips (assuming the parents are on board).

 

We hope this ultimate list of fundraising ideas for your church inspires a fun and successful fundraiser. The next step: set up digital giving! Studies show that 49% of all church giving transactions are made with a card. Set up your fundraiser to succeed with a secure online option.

When it comes to collecting and organizing your fundraising dollars, make sure your system can handle the work. With Church Base, you can collect and designate funds through your website, church app, and giving kiosk. Just set up a Giving Campaign in the Contributions Module to organize your next fundraiser.

Right now, you can use the entire Church Base software suite for an entire year…for free. (This includes digital giving!) Get Started today by creating an account.