By Jeannie Horton
Life Christian University student
DRAWING FROM GOD’S STRENGTH
INTRODUCTION
If I wanted to boast, I would be no fool in doing so, because I would be telling the truth. But I won’t do it, because I don’t want anyone to give me credit beyond what they can see in my life or hear in my message, even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it way. Each time He said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:6-10).
Standing in front of the stage at worship and prayer night at my church, I have a heavy heart and tears streaming down my face. I feel as if heavy emotional burdens have been building up day after day. With the band members in front of me, and the congregation all around me, I can barely get the words to the song out, and I feel breathless. I feel crushed, broken, wounded, and weak. I can’t take the pain and the anguish any longer, and I cry out to God in my head. God speaks to me, “Child give me all your concerns, and burdens. I want to take them from you. Keep your eyes focused on me; keep your gaze upon me for I love you.” When I went for prayer that night, a woman gave me the same message that God had said to me. She put her hand on my heart and said, “You are anointed by God to do His will, and because of this you are under attack by Satan. Give all of your cares to God for He loves you. Breathe out all of your troubles, and breathe in God’s strength, breathe in and out.” All of Satan’s lies came to my realization, and he was crushed, he had to flee from me. A weight was lifted that night, and I was strengthened. Through my tears that night, I felt the love of God.
We will all face trials in life. Jesus said that we would. Trials can make us feel weak and in despair. God doesn’t always take them away from us, but He will strengthen you through them. Jesus as our High Priest understands our weaknesses that come from trials, temptations, and discomforts. He comforted and strengthened the Apostle Paul in spreading the gospel, and He will do the same for you. We will, in turn, be firmly planted in the will of God: comforting and ministering to others the gospel and love of Christ.
1. JESUS OUR UNDERSTANDING HIGH PRIEST
In the Old Testament, the high priest was someone who represented others to God. The high priest would act on behalf of others, offering to God gifts and sacrifices for the atonement of sins. Only the high priest was able to go into the Holy of Holies, a tabernacle where God’s presence was, to offer the sacrifices. But the animal sacrifices only covered sin for a short time. But because of Christ’s death and resurrection, Jesus is our new and forever High Priest in heaven. His shed blood abolished the sacrifices forever, and our repented of sins are entirely forgotten. He is interceding for us and has enabled us to always come boldly to the throne of God. God no longer dwells in a cold stone tabernacle but lives in our hearts.
Jesus is God. He came to the earth in flesh and blood as a human, stripped of His deity. As the Son of Man, He humbled Himself during His time on earth. He understands our trials, temptations, and weakness because in His lifetime He experienced everything that we do to be able to relate to us, but He never sinned. Jesus has love and compassion for us and wants to help. In His weakness, He relied on the strength of God to pull Him through every trial, distress, and difficulty to display the power of God. A few examples:
1. Satan tempted Him during His 40 days in the wilderness. When Jesus was hungry, Satan tempted Him to eat. Satan told Him to turn a rock into bread, but Jesus said to Satan, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone” (Luke 4:4). Satan knows scripture, and this story teaches me that I must also be a diligent learner of the word to fight against Satan. I need to know that as a child of God, I have the authority to fight against Satan’s lies, temptations, and schemes. He is the author of death and wants to destroy me and the anointed work that I am doing for God. With God on my side and the power of His word, I can fight Satan.
2. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was in great distress over going to the cross that drops of blood fell to the ground. He asked God three times to take the cup from Him. But with each time, He would say “not My will, but Yours.” Even in His weakness, He was still in submission to God, desiring to do the Father’s will. God did not remove the cup, but God sent an angel to strengthen Him to do the will of the Father. From Jesus’ time in the Garden of Gethsemane, I learned that when I align my will with God’s and I choose His plan for my life, putting aside my own, God will strengthen me. In doing so, this will ultimately bring me the most joy. He is right there to help me through any problems that may surface.
3. Jesus died a painful and humiliating death on the cross. The description of His death is horrible; He was beaten beyond recognition, nails were driven into His wrists and feet. One description says, “When He dropped down with the full weight of His body on the nails that were driven through His wrists it sent excruciating pain up His arms, registering horrific pain in His brain” (Renner 270). As the Son of God, He could have come down from the cross, He could have saved Himself, but He chose to die for our sins so that we would have right standing with our Father in heaven. From Jesus death, I learned that even when I feel weak, I can ultimately overcome any adversity or obstacle that may come in my path. If I look upward to God, and not inward (only focusing on my troubles and myself), and if I remain steadfast and refuse to give up, God will strengthen me. I will be an overcomer like Jesus was through His death and resurrection.
Jesus is our High Priest; He is always there, always by our side. Jesus has already paid the price for us; He has already won the battle. We can do God’s will, and we can always be victorious as long as we stand firm in our faith, stand firm in the word of God, aligning our will to His and proceed to win the victory. Rely on the power of the Holy Spirit living in our hearts: it is a gift from God. The Holy Spirit is there to guide, teach, comfort, and give you Godly strength and power. Stand firm in your faith.
II. PAUL HUMBLES HIMSELF IN CHRIST’S STRENGTH
In 2 Corinthians 12, the Apostle Paul continuously praised God in thanksgiving, and boasted about his weakness; he said he was pleased with them. He says his weakness is the result of all the insults, hardships, distresses, persecutions and difficulties: all the things that he encountered in his pursuit of spreading the gospel of Christ. He describes his distresses and problems: He was shipwrecked, beaten, whipped, stoned, put in prison many times, and faced death. Paul didn’t brag about his long list of accomplishments, which would have drawn attention to himself, showing himself worthy to others; he claimed he’d be lying if he did. He recognized that Christ was giving him the strength that he needed to be an overcomer and wholeheartedly submitted to doing the will of God. He was glad to boast about his weaknesses because he recognized the power of God working through him. Paul became an empty vessel for God’s use. Paul said he was strong because God made him strong, something he could never be in his strength. Paul was continuously content in whatever situation he found himself. He said: “Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength” Philippians 4:11-13).
Paul was weakened by a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet (to strike repeatedly) him. Satan didn’t want Paul preaching the gospel; the demonic spirit followed him, causing other people to stir up problems for Paul to keep him from preaching and spreading the gospel effectively. A few Old Testaments scriptures can validate what his thorn was. In the book of Numbers, it says, “But if you fail to drive out the people to live in the land, those who remain will be like splinters in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will harass you in the land where you live” (Numbers 33:55). The people would slander Paul, refuse to listen to the gospel that he preached, argue with Paul about it, or they rejected the gospel. Paul didn’t pray for the beatings, troubles, stonings, insults, or distresses to leave him. But, he asked God three times that the persecution: the thorn in the flesh might leave him. But God didn’t remove it, He said to Paul, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). God doesn’t stop all persecutions against us, but He gives us grace and strength to overcome them. God desires our change of heart and our conversion. If God had stopped Saul’s persecution, Saul would never have changed his life around to become the Apostle Paul, living for Christ, seeing many lives converted to believe in and follow Christ.
Learning from Paul’s example from having the thorn in the flesh, as believers, whenever we face persecutions, we are to fight back against the devil using our authority in Christ. We are to use prayer, the word of God, and tell the devil where his place is. We do not have to put up with Satan’s attacks, we are the children of God, we are righteous in Him who has won the victory and we will too. “So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). This scripture means that through our free will that God has given us, we are to submit ourselves to God in obedience humbly. God desires a relationship with everyone, but He never forces one. We are to accept His loving mercy and grace which He has already bestowed upon us. And in doing this, we are to resist the devil. One way we can do this is by being diligent learners of God’s word. We don’t learn God’s word for His benefit, but ours. His word was given to us as a tool. The word has power and using the word against the devil works. God doesn’t delight in our suffering, but Satan does. Jesus has given us the power and authority to fight against the devil. We don’t have to give in to him; we can resist him. Satan can’t rob us of our salvation, but he can rob us of our joy. Stand firm, and watch the devil flee. He has to; Christ has already won the victory against the devil, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead lives within us. Call out to God to help you fight Satan. “For we are not fighting against flesh and blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). People are not our enemies; Satan is! Fight him with God’s armor and in God’s strength knowing with full confidence that you are already victorious!
III. PURPOSE FOR OUR WEAKNESS
When we feel weak, if we humble ourselves before God in complete dependence, we learn patience as we rely on Him and His strength so that His power can work through us. As we look upward, trusting in Him only and less on ourselves, we deepen our faith which produces steadfastness. Steadfastness means that in our Christian walk we won’t be easily moved during trials, but we will remember who we are in Christ during the good and bad times and we won’t turn away from Him or His teaching. “So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless” 1 Corinthians 15:58). Be immovable and enthusiastic for everything that we do for Christ matters. Taken from 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, the purposes for our weaknesses:
“To keep me from being proud” (2 Corinthians 12:7).
Our weakness keeps us from being proud. When we feel weak, we look to God, and when we submit to Him, we are humbled. Paul knew that in his weakness, he was strong in God. God gave Paul His strength to do His will in spreading the gospel. Paul didn’t boast about himself but of God. When we are weak, we are made strong in God who often chooses the weak things of the world to display His power and strength so that nobody will be able to boast. Before Paul’s conversion, he persecuted many Christian believers. But, God sanctified Paul. Through His grace, God changed Paul’s life, and in doing so, Paul who was formerly known as Saul was now doing the Lord’s work in spreading the gospel and converting many to become believers in Christ something that could never have been achieved in his strength; this was the mighty work of God. Many who knew Saul were in disbelief. Paul never boasted about his accomplishments but boasted of the Lord, and many came to know Christ.
“Christ’s power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
In the world, weakness is often considered unfavorable. Our flesh certainly doesn’t like burdening others or having to be dependent on anyone. But to God, our weakness glorifies Him because we are forced to depend on God and He can display His power. God will never give us anything more than we can bear, He does provide a way out, but we must look to Him to help us. He will. He will reach out to us with His loving right hand and pull us out of our mess and up to Him. It may not be in our timing, but His perfect timing. When the Apostle Paul was stoned and left for dead as mentioned in Acts chapter 13, the people gathered around him in prayer. Afterward, in 2 Corinthians chapter 12, Paul describes being caught up in heaven (paradise). But, God wasn’t finished with him, and Paul was delivered from his infliction which he boasts about, and he went on to spread the gospel saving many for Christ.
When I went on a 10-day mission’s trip to Chacalte, Guatemala, I was weakened. We lived amongst the people in their small town. We were lucky that someone moved out and allowed us to stay in their home where we all slept on floor mats. With the many wild dogs barking outside our door all night, I became exhausted and weak. By the third night, after staying awake all night, I asked a leader for prayer. When on a mission’s trip, when one person suffers, the whole team suffers. The entire team got around me to pray. The leader prayed that I would receive the supernatural strength of God and I did. God displayed His power not only to me but through the team when we were in Chacalte, blessing the community, building relationships and doing a mighty work in the small village.
“So that the power of Christ can work through me” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Paul went from being a hated persecutor of Christians to choosing to align his will to God’s. He traveled many miles spreading the gospel and writing many of the books in the New Testament. With all of the sufferings that Paul encountered during his lifetime, Paul survived because God was always with him, working through him, and strengthening him to continue in doing His will: spreading the gospel of Christ. God promises never to leave nor forsake us, and He never left Paul. “This is my command-be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9). Through God’s grace and strength, Paul was strong. He knew that God was with him and he did not allow fear to prevent him from spreading the gospel. Because of Paul many unbelievers changed their hearts and came to know Christ.
“For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10).
When we are faced with a trial, it can bring ugly and ungodly traits out of us like anger, jealousy, fear, unfaithfulness, and complaining. Satan likes it when we have problems and when we act ugly. He enjoys making us feel bad with condemnation. Trials are never the result of any sin that we’ve done, and we are not being punished. We can have full confidence in going to God for help; the power of Christ working through us gives us peace and patience. When we trust in Him only, it deepens our faith in Him, producing steadfastness. When we pray and cry out to Him, He responds. We leave all of our problems at His feet, and we rest in Him and in our perfect faith we believe with all of our heart that He is helping. He is moving obstacles out of the way, lining up the right people and the right situations. He is working behind the scenes. “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing” (James 1:2-4). Have joy every time we go through a trial and give our problems over to God. Nobody likes troubles, but when they come our way, it’s a time to depend on God who will make us stronger in Him. God is developing our character and enabling us to endure for Christ, who also experienced many troubles while He lived on earth, even death. So as long as we are in the will of God, be joyful, for no work for the Lord is ever wasted, it is all good. In Acts chapter 14, Paul was stoned and left for dead. His disciples gathered around him in prayer. He was healed, and the very next day He departed with Barnabas to Derbe where they preached the gospel, and many came to know Christ. They then traveled to many other cities preaching the gospel and adding to the number of disciples. This could not have been achieved in Paul’s strength, but God’s.
I have friends from high school. The woman has a heart condition that hasn’t been diagnosed and adequately treated. The physician’s, not knowing how to help her, only keep giving her medications. They needed to make a trip to California from Oregon, to see a new physician but they didn’t have the money to get there. Not knowing where the money was going to come from, they started a Gofundme, and within just two days, the trip was completely funded. When they got to the hospital in California, they were not given any real news that would be of help, just a new and additional prescription. This was not the breakthrough they were expecting. They went home discouraged, but faithful. They are faithfully expecting a miracle, knowing that God is the God who restores, provides and heals and that is what He is doing. They are at home still living their lives happy and expecting a healing breakthrough.
When we feel weak, God is our strength. Give Him all of your concerns and choose to rest in Him. There is not a problem that is too big for God. He will hold us up in protection, and He will give us joy in every trial that we face. Let Him meet you where you are. Be strong and courageous in Him.
IV. THE GOD WHO COMFORTS
During His time on earth, Jesus experienced every temptation, trial, and weakness that we do so that He could relate to us. He understands everything that we go through and is sympathetic. Through our trials, temptations, and weaknesses, God comforts us and shows us love. “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). He is merciful and the source of all comfort! Look to Him! He doesn’t always get us out of our situation, but He strengthens us so that we can be overcomers. We can in turn comfort others who are experiencing the same problems that we suffered because we’ve been through them and are understanding and sympathetic.
We don’t like telling others that we are hurting, exposing a weakness. But what is hidden has control over us. When I went for prayer the night of the worship and prayer night, it was tough to admit the truth to the prayer lady. I told her that I was a Theology student, who probably should have her life together, but there was strife in my home, and I felt as if my husband didn’t like me. But, in confessing what was on my heart, the truth of Satan’s lies came to surface, and I was healed. We need to have the courage to ask others for help and prayer. When we reveal our weaknesses, people can relate to us and say, “I’ve experienced that too, this is what worked for me.” People can see God’s strength, and He receives the glory. God comforts us, gives us mercy, and never leaves us so that we will do the same for others. He is our example of what we should do for others in the Body of Christ. Joyce Meyer was a victim of sexual abuse from her father for many years while she lived at home. God never delivered her out of the problem, but He strengthened her. Joyce now helps women all over the world who have or are going through the same horrible situation.
Don’t turn inward and keep your pain to yourself, but let God in. Turn your eyes to God and let Him in to heal and comfort you through your sufferings. Let other believers in and allow them to see your weakness. Then in relying on the strength of God, allow Him to strengthen you to comfort others.
CONCLUSION
No matter what you’re facing, no matter the weight that you feel has been placed on your shoulders, God is always there. He is there through good and bad times because He loves us and wants to have a relationship with us. When we feel weak because of the trials of life, keep your eyes upward, not inward. Look to Him. Pray to Him in all things, then rest in Him. He will meet you with grace and mercy. When we are hurting, sometimes praise and thanksgiving can feel like a sacrifice, but choose to praise and give thanks to God. Humble yourself before the Lord in submission, and He will meet you wherever you are. Jesus and the Apostle Paul faced trials and felt weakened; they were strengthened by God to do the good works that He set out for them. Seek the Lord’s grace and mercy and His comfort so you can be strengthened to do God’s will for your life, and then be strengthened to do the same for others who are also facing problems. His light is shining down on others through you; He will receive all the glory. His grace is all we need.
