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Do you have a weak spirit or a strong spirit? Check out these indicators to find out.

“The strong spirit of a man sustains him in bodily pain or trouble, but a weak and broken spirit who can raise up or bear?” – Proverbs 18:14 (AMPC)

When you go in for a routine check-up, the first thing your physician will do is check your vital signs. Vital signs are indicators of a strong or weak physical condition. In the same way, we have spiritual vital signs. Some indicate a strong spirit, but others can reveal a weak spiritual condition. If left undetected, a weak spirit will prevent you from receiving all that God has for you, and prevent you from living in the fullness of what He desires for you.

So, do you have a weak spirit or a strong spirit? Check out the indicators of a weak spirit and indicators of a strong spirit below. Once you know where you stand, you can take action to ensure you are tackling life with the strongest spirit possible.

Indicators of a Weak Spirit

1. You feel overwhelmed. Maybe you find yourself getting upset over the small things, and you feel like you can’t handle any more. If your schedule is overloaded, that’s a different matter. But, if you “faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small” (Proverbs 24:10, NKJV).

2. You feel hopeless. If you are experiencing a lack of joy, or feel discouragement and despair, you are experiencing hopelessness. A desire to quit or give up on your faith, or to stop pursuing the things you enjoy are also indicators (Proverbs 13:12).

3. You have become self-centred. Maybe you wouldn’t call yourself self-centred, but would others? A person who is self-centred is lacking in compassion toward others and often falls into a victim mentality—seeing problems as everyone else’s fault. (Romans 15:1)

4. You feel complacent. If you tend to be indecisive and indifferent about things in your life, you have likely moved into complacency. Being double-minded and tending to make wrong decisions are also symptoms of this mindset (Romans 4:20-21).

5. You are short-tempered. You are touchy, easily offended and overly sensitive. You can experience out-of-control anger and rage (Proverbs 16:32).

6. You are fearful. If you feel panicked and worried about things in life on a regular basis, or if anxiety is a regular part of your day, you are operating in fear (Job 4:5).

7. You are exhausted. Are you tired and weary? Stressed-out and drained? Maybe you are experiencing an inability to resist sin or temptation, or even to receive from God or others. This is an indicator of exhaustion, and ultimately, a weak spirit (2 Corinthians 4:1).

If you find that many of these indicators are true in your life—don’t despair! Developing a strong spirit takes work, but you can do it! You can leave a weak spirit behind and build a strong spirit.

In the same way we have indicators that reveal a weak spirit, we have spiritual vital signs of a strong spirit.

Indicators of a Strong Spirit

1. You are assured and confident. When you are assured and confident that what God said is true and will come to pass in your life, you will approach life with confident certainty and will not struggle with fear and doubt.

2. You are established and immovable. If your spirit is strong, you will not be afraid of bad news, or anything the devil tries to throw at you. You are fixed on the Lord and His Word, and you cannot be talked out of it.

3. You are ready for anything. Having a strong spirit doesn’t mean you don’t have any trials come your way—it means you know how to handle them when they do (Philippians 4:13).

4. You have an overcomer’s attitude. You know you are more than a conqueror and you apply that to your everyday life. You don’t let the devil get you down; you don’t let setbacks steal your joy; you don’t tolerate sickness, disease or lack in your life; and you stand for your family with everything you have—firmly planted on the Word of God.

5. You don’t give up and you NEVER quit. A person with a strong spirit won’t quit—no matter how long it takes for the Word to manifest in his or her life. If you have a strong spirit, long periods of time won’t move you; bad news won’t move you, and doubters all around won’t move you. You will not quit (Galatians 6:9; Hebrews 10:32; Nehemiah 8:10; Philippians 4:6-7).

6. You exhibit the fruit of the spirit. A strong spirit lives out love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentle­ness, goodness and faith. You won’t just say you believe in love, you’ll show it. You won’t just say, ‘We should have joy,’ you’ll live it.

So, how’d you do? Do you have a weak spirit or a strong spirit? Maybe you have some indicators of both, and that’s OK. We all have areas in our spirits we need to work on. No matter what condition you find your spirit in today, you can develop a strong spirit. You can walk in the fullness of everything God has for you. Make a quality decision to go after a strong spirit with all your heart, soul and mind. Conquer the weak places, and build up those that are already strong. By God’s enabling, you can be like David and leap over any wall!

Watch this video of Pastor George Pearsons and Gloria Copeland to discover more enemies of a strong spirit.