{"id":4089,"date":"2025-07-22T12:44:03","date_gmt":"2025-07-22T12:44:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?p=4089"},"modified":"2025-07-22T12:44:03","modified_gmt":"2025-07-22T12:44:03","slug":"a-position-of-strength","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/?p=4089","title":{"rendered":"A Position of Strength"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Overcoming Adversity<\/strong><\/h3>\n

There was a time I worked for a guy who, although he was good to me, was the kind of character where if you were interested in securing a favorable deal for yourself, you needed to be able to approach him from a position of strength.<\/p>\n

At least, that\u2019s what I called it: A \u201cposition of strength.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

By that, I mean that you had to be able to substantiate your terms with somet<\/span>hing that compelled him to agree to what you\u2019re saying. For example, I want to see my hourly wage increase. If I was going to emerge from his office as a successful negotiator, I needed to be able say something like, \u201cI\u2019ve got another job offer,\u201d or something comparable. <\/span><\/p>\n

Short of that, he had you in a place where you obligated to accept his deal, which wasn\u2019t always inspiring.<\/span><\/p>\n

The bottom line, though, is that you could get what you were hoping for as long as you had that trump card \u2013 as long as you were approaching him from a position of strength.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wouldn’t\u00a0That Be Sweet?<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Negotiating life is similar. Of course, in life you’re not interacting with an individual per se, but if you could, for a moment, envision your need to overcome some kind of adversity\u00a0as something you could manipulate via an exchange between yourself and this figure who can hypothetically alter your circumstances, you can see how approaching this meeting from a \u201cposition of strength\u201d would constitute a huge tactical advantage. <\/span><\/p>\n

So, just as they\u2019re getting ready to refuse your terms, you could lay that \u201csomething\u201d on the table and suddenly your platform is dominant and you emerge with an ideal scenario.<\/span> Wouldn\u2019t that be sweet?<\/p>\n

Obviously, we don\u2019t have access to that kind of life-altering dynamic, but we do have something that often gets overlooked and it does equate to a legitimate \u201cposition of strength.\u201d<\/span> The things that most exasperates us are those things that we can\u2019t control. <\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s part of life. <\/span><\/p>\n

No matter how you prepare, no matter how you plan, life includes a number of elements that simply cannot be controlled or anticipated. It\u2019s those unexpected setbacks that take the wind out of our sails and that \u201cposition of strength\u201d you would theoretically occupy is processed as an impractical pipedream than it is anything else.<\/span><\/p>\n

But look at your scenario in the light of God\u2019s Truth.<\/span><\/p>\n

Asserting Some Truth Into Your Situation<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

It says in the Psalms that all our days were ordained before one of them came to be (Psalm 139:16). There is a plan – there is a purpose that infuses every triumph and every setback with significance and meaning (Eph 2:10; Phil 2:13). <\/span><\/p>\n

Nothing is random.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At one point Paul is attempting to get over into Bithynia. He can\u2019t. Who knows what that situation looked like, but according to Scripture, Paul documents it as Divine direction and not a physical obstacle (Acts 16:7).<\/span><\/p>\n

Do you see that?<\/span><\/p>\n

How many times have things fallen short of what you were hoping for and your reaction was aimed at the tangible entities that comprised your dilemma? Perhaps it was a person. Maybe your car broke down. Perhaps you were working towards a particular goal and something went south leaving you in a puddle of disappointment and confusion.<\/span> It\u2019s then when you need to be intentional about asserting some Truth into your situation. Otherwise, you\u2019re prone to linger in that zone characterized by discouragement and even bitterness.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Take some of the Scriptures that pertain to purpose and lay them down side by side\u2026.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. (Psalm 139:16<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 A man’s steps are ordered by the LORD; how then can man understand his way? (Prov 20:24<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Rom 8:28<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 For we are God\u2019s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Eph 2:10<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. (Phil 2:13<\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n

You see where this is going?<\/span><\/p>\n

Nothing Random<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Remember Simeon? Check out Luke 2:25-32. He\u2019s an older gentleman who has his heart set on seeing the Messiah before he takes his last breath. In verse 27, it says \u201cMoved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m not sure what that looked like, as far as being \u201cmoved by the Spirit,\u201d but I like to think that it was a series of very practical events that had him thinking he needed to be at the temple. And because it was God pulling the strings, he happened to be there when an obscure couple comes walking out holding the One Who he had been praying to see.<\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s nothing random about our lives. From a human standpoint, we cling to the idea that we are the master or our own fate. Hence, we get the credit when things go well and we bear the blame when things do not. <\/span><\/p>\n

Certainly we are responsible for our actions, as far as being obedient go God\u2019s commands (Dt 11:1<\/a>; Jn 14:21<\/a>). But we are not victims of circumstance, nor are we the reason for our own success. All those things that we can\u2019t control \u2013 both the good and the bad \u2013 it all culminates in a beautiful exclamation point: God\u2019s in charge!<\/span><\/p>\n

You’re in a Position of Strength<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

So, as you\u2019re going about your day, be mindful of the fact that you are in a position of strength. That imaginary person you\u2019re negotiating with in an effort to secure a positive outcome \u2013 you have that trump card in that while you don\u2019t know what a day may bring forth, you know Who does. And the Lord makes firm the steps of those who delight in him. (Psalm 37:23<\/a>). <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s a position of strength!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Overcoming Adversity There was a time I worked for a guy who, although he was good to me, was the kind of character where if you were interested in securing a favorable deal for yourself, you needed to be able to approach him from a position of strength. At least, that\u2019s what I called it: […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4090,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,27,28],"tags":[226,25,227],"class_list":["post-4089","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-discipleship","category-muscular-christianity","category-self-improvement","tag-a-position-of-strength","tag-muscular-christianity","tag-simeon"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4089","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4089"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4089\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4091,"href":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4089\/revisions\/4091"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4090"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4089"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4089"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/muscularchristianityonline.com\/platform\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4089"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}