"Strength does not come from winning
Your struggles develop your strength.
When you go through hardship
and decide not to surrender,
that is strength."
Scripture Of The Day: "Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time He said, My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness!" II Corinthians 12:8-
There are some who have gone through so much that their prayers aren’t as eloquent as they used to be. There is no concern for subject verb agreement. The poetic prowess no longer captivates the listener as it once did. All that has happened has zapped the strength, the desire, the motivation. After all of this, it’s all that one can do to cry out the name of Jesus.
We’re supposed to be growing with each test, trial and/or tribulation that comes our way. God would desire that we “grow” through life and not just “go through life.” There are far too many Christians who are simply going through life and not growing through life. The situation is the same. The challenge is the same.
You’re still worried about the same things with the same people. There has been no growth; there has been no change; and this stage of weakness is not the stage of weakness that God can work with and work through.
We claim we’re children of God. We claim the anointing of God. We claim to operate with the power of the Holy Spirit. Then why, pray tell, is there no growth? Why are you still in the same state of weakness wherein you’re not able to lift any more weight today than you could when you started this faith walk?
In our text, the Apostle Paul asked Jesus three times to take away the thorn in his flesh. Jesus simply replied, My grace is sufficient for thee. In other words, you are where you are, it is what it is, now allow yourself to be broken to the point where it’s all about God and not about you. It’s not by your power nor might, but by the spirit of God.
God knows us. We are fearfully and wonderfully made in His image; we’re brought to life because God breathed the breath of life and man became a living soul. God desires that we not live in a weakened state but have power to tread over scorpions and serpents. Power to overcome. Power to make it through. The word of God tells us that even in our weakness, that’s when his power works best.
So tell yourself-- I’m not giving up. I’m struggling but I’m not giving up. I’ve slowed down, but I’m not giving up. It’s taking me a little longer these days, but I’m not giving up. The vicissitudes of life have caused my vim and my vigor to wane, but I’m not giving up.
The apostle Paul was a man of great intellectual means, yet now a converted man of great spiritual means. There are many of us who could learn a lesson from Paul. He finally realized that it wasn’t about his intelligent quotient; it was about his spiritual quotient. He realized that his education didn’t matter, his economic status didn’t matter, his connections didn’t matter. Nothing mattered but his relationship with Jesus Christ.
In his moment of weakness Paul called on Jesus, who reminded Paul he must go through and must grow through. The message is the same for us today. Today, it’s an issue for you, but tomorrow new mercies you shall see. Today, in your weakness, you just want the pain to stop, but through that pain you’re growing. Today, in your weakness, you just want the problem solved, but through the problem you’re growing. Today, you just want peace, but through the turmoil you’re growing to understand that peace doesn’t mean the absence of conflict. Today, you just want the season of lack to end, but through the season of lack you’re growing to understand that the Lord is my shepherd I shall not want.
There’s a whole lot of stuff to make you weak in the physical, but there’s a whole lot more to make you strong in the spiritual. So my brother, my sister, remember God’s grace is sufficient. There is power in your weakness.
(via Rev. Marvin Moss)
Be Blessed!
Dawn
No comments:
Post a Comment