Psalm 81:1-7

    1      Sing aloud to God our strength;
    Make a joyful shout to the God of Jacob.
    2      Raise a song and strike the timbrel,
    The pleasant harp with the lute.

    3      Blow the trumpet at the time of the New Moon,
    At the full moon, on our solemn feast day.
    4      For this is a statute for Israel,
    A law of the God of Jacob.
    5      This He established in Joseph as a testimony,
    When He went throughout the land of Egypt,
    Where I heard a language I did not understand.

    6      “I removed his shoulder from the burden;
    His hands were freed from the baskets.
    7      You called in trouble, and I delivered you;
    I answered you in the secret place of thunder;
    I tested you at the waters of Meribah.
Selah
-Psalm 81:1-7

The believer is empowered in the presence of God. The believer is strengthened in praise for the Lord. I remember several years back being at a summer camp. As with most summer camps, I was dreading going back home after all that I had experienced and grown in the Lord. I hated the fact that when I came back down the mountain I would always slowly ride that "camp high" away. Eventually the zeal I would have would fade with the excitement that camp brought. Not being the only one with such a concern, my whole youth group got together, and, alongside our youth pastor, we discussed why it is so much easier to be so strengthened here and fail when we return home.

The conclusion we arrived at was influence. Up at a Christian camp we were surrounded by other believers, a ton of worship, lots of bible study, as well as teaching. Our environment was saturated with things that were there to glorify God. As we go home, normal life would continue. We would be back at school, and we would go right back to how we used to live our lives. Somehow we would be surprised every time when nothing changed in ourselves. Yet, upon arriving home, we never would change anything. We would cease to abide in the presence of God.

I challenge you to examine your own environment, of that which you are in control. How can you better set up your environment that you would dwell in the presence of God? Is that a particular music or movie genre needs to go? Perhaps you need accountability for time that you would spend more time in the word and in prayer. Maybe it is a matter of turning on worship music on your drives and worshipping the Lord to and from work. Whatever it may be, make a change. See how abiding in that place brings a renewed strength to your spirit.