My Weakness for His Glory - All the Time

That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:10)

This statement sounds silly to the non-believer and to many of us who follow Jesus. It feels like I am asking for trouble or "borrowing trouble," as my grandmother used to say. Truth time here. I don't suffer well. I don't do pain and I avoid arguments at all costs. It used to be that I would do everything in my power to appear in control at all times. To be honest, I was mostly out of control.

The pain of being raised in an alcoholic home brought with it, embarrassment and shame. I felt like I was responsible for the actions of my parents. I have since learned that I am only responsible for my own actions, and I can only change myself, no one else.

I do know my weaknesses, and they are many. That is one good reason I begin every day reading my Bible and studying those scriptures which speak to my heart. I use a journal to record much of this precious time.  

My weakness becomes my strength because it drives me to the foot of the cross. My troubles chain me to that cross and reveal how much I need a Savior. I draw strength from God's Word and I know I don't have to be in control. I have given up control; I have submitted to the Will of God and I rely on Him to handle those things I cannot.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Don't Hide, but Seek

Was there a time you were a slave to your life? Before you knew Jesus, did you feel trapped by your lifestyle? Sin will do that. If we are honest with ourselves, we can all admit this. I know that I was a prisoner to so many things because of my captivity; my unholy lifestyle. And, lest you begin guessing this lifestyle, anything not based on a faith in and love for Jesus, us unholy.

But, now that I believe and I love Jesus, I am free. This freedom comes at a price. Jesus' death was the ultimate price-tag. As I learn to accept my salvation and repent, I find freedom I never experienced before. Trusting Jesus and submitting my worries and fears to His care has provided indescribable freedom.

For instance, I had a business that failed and creditors were pursuing me day and night. I was afraid to go to the mailbox, to answer the phone. I lived in a perpetual state of worry. Until one day, I gave it all up to Jesus. I admitted I could not do anything about my situation and I begged for His help. Jesus did not make it go away, I had created the situation and needed to work through it. But, He showed me how to face up to it and quit hiding.  That was almost 30 years ago, but a lesson I never forgot.

You love righteousness and hate wickedness;
    therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
    by anointing you with the oil of joy.  Psalm 45:6-7

Holiness means sin has no place anymore.  Running and hiding from my problems was sin. In the message I heard at church today by Brodie Taphorn, he said, "To enter Jesus' kingdom isn't where we go to hide, but where we go to participate in taking ground from the enemy. I know the enemy was not happy when I submitted to Jesus' and His will. But I know I was ecstatic, and I still am today.

Hebrews 1:1-9

Trust and Obey

Psalm 37:3-8 (NIV) 
Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. 

Trust was my 'word' a few years ago. You know what I mean, the word God gives us to work on in a given year. Each January He seems to convict me on a different topic, and always in an area I am severely lacking. It astounds me how often the selected word will pop up.  

I will stumble across it in a daily devotional reading, and sense God is trying to get my attention. I dream of ways I can perfect this area so that by year's end I consider myself successful - or at least much improved.  

There are those years when that word is not one I want to deal with; like the season when submission was the focus. Not fun!

I am once again in a season where God is working on my trust issues. Giving up control of a few things, I can do; letting God lead me in some areas, I got that. But trusting God for EVERYTHING.  Whew, not easy at all. That means I must quit obsessing about my diet, my exercise (or lack of it), my job, my finances, my future. Oh, no, not that! 

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him...

Psalm 37:3-7

Submit or Surrender?

 (Submit to God)

James 4:1-10

 

 

No matter how you say it, if you submit or surrender to someone, it sounds like you’ve lost.

 

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?   James 4:1 NIV

 

My first year of marriage was very difficult. It was a battleground of wills over the smallest decisions. Do you fold your towel in thirds or half? Do you squeeze the toothpaste tube in the middle or the end? Do you roll your toilet paper over or under? The battles seemed endless.

 

Each decision was a contest with the winner maintaining their position of power and control, while the loser took another step towards losing their personal identity. (In case you’re wondering, we will celebrate our 42^nd anniversary this week.)

 

The fact is that we all struggle with submission and surrender. It’s in our nature. Adam and Eve failed to submit to God’s will and it’s been like that ever since. Really it’s a matter of pride, and the symptoms are often visible through our attempt to control our world. Here’s an example.

 

Someone with an addiction, like drugs or alcohol, will use in order to feel better. In other words, it is their way of trying to control their world.  It’s the addict saying to God and to anyone else, “I can handle this myself thank you very much”.

 

That’s pride, and if we are honest with ourselves, our pride keeps us from submitting or surrendering to God just like the addict. In fact, you could say that we are addicted to sin.

 

God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you.            James 4:6-8 NIV

 

Going into my marriage, I had the best of intentions to be a good husband and to have a wonderful marriage. But my pride and my sinful nature were working against my best desires. Nobody wants to submit or surrender.

 

It takes work to draw near to God. It takes an intentional effort. It doesn’t just happen. However, God’s word promises that if you draw near to Him, then He will draw near to you.

 

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=james%204%3A1-10&version=NIV;NLT

https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/niv/Jas.4.1-Jas.4.10

 

 

 

 

 

Prayer is Working

Psalm 124:8 (NIV)  Our help is in the name of the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. 

Do you ever feel caught, stuck in a situation that has no sign of letting up?  Do you feel like your prayers for help are like a broken record, repeating the same plea over and over again?  Often we will have a season where the prayer journal we use lists the same theme day after day.

The things that keep us down, situations that stop us from moving forward often appear too big to handle. Circumstances of life have us stuck in a time-warp and we feel as though we will never escape a desperate situation.  It is time for the big SOS to go out.  It is well past the time for us to call upon God for help and then 'let it go'.  It is time to Submit Or Sink.

Submit to God, just hand it over to Him.  With God there is always a way out and nothing is too difficult for Him. Once we recognize that His timing (which may not be the same as ours), is perfect, and He will come through for us.  He is on our side and He will provide a way out.  By submitting to God's timing we are exhibiting our Trust in Him.

Those mornings when I am praying once again, for that thing that has been on my heart for days or weeks or even months, I am drawn to Romans 8:28 and received comfort from the Words. "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."   That's good enough for me!

 Psalm 123,124,125