Weakness
There’s something about pain, hurt, brokenness, refinement, vulnerability, walking through the valley, and weakness that we tend to shy away from…I tend to shy away from. I have shied away from them. We ask for them all the time. We say, “God refine me. Purify me. Break me!” But when God does exactly that, we turn on God, question Him, and doubt His goodness.
Can you imagine being God! Your sons and daughters are asking to be refined and purified, but when you take them through the fire, they question you!
These are exactly the things that God has been taking me through. About three months ago I told God I wanted more refinement…I wanted Daddy to break and mold me to be more like Him.
Ask…and you will receive….
The past two weeks I have gone through some of the hardest moments of my life. I have known a pain that felt as if a knife was in my heart, felt like a failure, been under what has felt like an all-out assault by the forces of darkness, felt like one of the weakest men on the face of the earth, been lonely, and felt like throwing in the towel.
In the midst of the attacks, when I felt as if everything was finished and I could hardly move, just the thought of getting back out in the fight has felt as if it was ten thousand miles away from where I was. Thoughts went through my head…“Will I ever be strong again? Will I ever be able to fight again?”
Despite my weakness and brokenness, the presence of God has never felt closer. I have become jealous over my intimacy with Jesus. It is what sustains me and gives me life. Intimacy is the first place we need to go to in our fight against the enemy!
I have come to realize how much God loves the weakness that I am in. HE LOVES YOUR WEAKNNESS! He does not enjoy seeing us go through our pain, or seeing us under attack from the enemy, but He knows our destiny and who we are becoming and that is why He allows us to go through difficult situations..
God loves our weakness because in it, He is glorified and He can be everything He wants be, in us.
-And the Holy Spirit helps us in our WEAKNESS. For example, we don’t know what to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. -Romans 8:26
-Our bodies are buried in BROKENNESS, but they are raised in glory. They are buried in WEAKNESS, but they will be raised in strength. -1 Corinthians 15:43
-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 12:9, 10
At first, I had a passive attitude in my weakness. I was ok with being weak, but I was passive about it. Now I am realizing how my weakness can be my greatest strength. It’s when God shows up the most!
Since I am a follower of Jesus Christ, I am choosing to live my life on the battlefield in the clash between two kingdoms. The attacks that come against me are there to separate me from who God is for me. But the enemy will not prevail! God is in me! If God is in me, who can separate me from the love of God!
Though I am going through a season of brokenness right now, I plan to come out of this better than when I went in and the enemy will pay! THE ENEMY WILL PAY! I will not allow my life to be defined by what I feel. I want something better. I will start with the outcome rather than the present. I will allow my destiny-who I am becoming-to affect my identity-who I am now.
I will not allow my mind to be a playground for the enemy. It will be a place of worship and power. Even though the attacks continue to come, I will continue to take every thought captive, I will continue to fight, and I will continue to press in for the fullness of God even through the pain and tears because I know who I am becoming. And even though I am weak, Christ will continue to be my strength!
Life in the Spirit is not about avoiding difficult situations. It’s about making a profit from them!
