For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:10)
I have learned by way of personal experience that the devil loves when we think we are standing strong and able to withstand any wind of temptation or trial in life that blows our way. Because when we think we are beyond the reach of temptation or certain trials, that’s when we are most vulnerable to find ourselves knee deep in it.
The apostle Paul gives us a wonderful reminder to acknowledge our weakness because we all have a tendency to think we are stronger than we actually are. We have a tendency to serve God in our own strength and ability and lean on our own understanding rather than His. And when we do, we are setting ourselves up for a fall. But when we acknowledge our need for God and our dependence upon Him, He is ready, willing, and able to fill us with His strength and that empowers us to withstand the slings and arrows of our enemy, the devil. Only when we are living in the power of the Holy Spirit can we be effective in living out the plan and purpose God has for our lives.
The key in understanding how Paul could live out this truth he penned is found in the words in the first part of the verse, “For Christ’s sake, I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecution, in difficulties” (2 Corinthians 12:10). It was for Christ’s sake, that Paul could acknowledge his weakness and depend totally upon the Lord to strengthen him regardless of the circumstances he was facing in life. Paul could actually find contentment in so many difficult circumstances because it was for Christ’s sake and the expansion of the cause of His Kingdom.
So, in Paul’s test of strength by acknowledging weakness, what grade do you get? We live in a world that abhors weakness. But God takes our weakness and uses it as a witness to His glory. As we trust and depend upon Jesus, we enter into the “Hall of Faith” along with some of the great saints of God “whose weakness was turned into strength” (Hebrews 11:34). Remember, when we acknowledge our weakness, God makes us more than conquerors through Christ who loved us.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 