(3.) Soldier, Priest – The Gift of Weakness

(3.)  Soldier, Priest = The Gift of Weakness.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For this struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm, then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” (Ephesians 6:10-20).

Another way of saying that first line above is, “Be supernaturally infused with strength through your life-union with the Lord Jesus. Stand victorious with the force of His explosive power flowing in and through you.” (TPT). Because these spiritual battles are in the spiritual realm, we are utterly helpless in these battles and will be of absolutely no use whatsoever. We simply are not meant to wage these wars on our own or in our own feeble strength, without God’s strength and power. And that is why our weakness turns out to be our biggest advantage. Our inherent weakness is actually a wonderful gift, because without it, God would not be able to have His entrance into our battle and wield His victorious strength and power.

A working definition of weakness as we consider how weakness may bring us delight and strength: In the biblical sense, weakness is a lack of strength due to:

a chronic sickness;

a handicap or disability;

an ongoing difficulty;

a distressing hardship;

insulting opposition;

a glaring vulnerability;

a limitation that puts one at a disadvantage;

the bearing of a difficult burden of someone else.

If any of these conditions above is true for you, rejoice! Now you are in the position in which God can use His power and strength! Now you are experiencing the blessing of weakness!

Ryan Ellis – Lean on the Lord (Official Live Video) – YouTube

Scripture Meditation: 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, a weaving together of the Message, NIV, and the Amplified Bible versions:

“I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations.

Satan’s angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees.

At first I didn’t think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me: 

‘My favor and lovingkindness are enough for you; My merciful love is all you need.

In fact, my strength comes into its own in your weakness.

My power shows itself most effective when you are weak.’ 

Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weakness and infirmities, so that the strength of Christ Jesus may pitch a tent over me and dwell upon me.

Now I take limitations in stride and with good cheer, delighting in opposition, in bad breaks, in insults, in weaknesses, in perplexities, in distresses, and in all kinds of hardships.

I just let Christ take over!

For when I am weak in human strength, then am I truly powerful in divine strength.

The weaker I get, the stronger I become!”

2 Corinthians 11:23-30, NIV:  “I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked. I spent a night and a day in the open sea. I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, from bandits, from my own countrymen, from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in the country, at sea, from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food. I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face the daily pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.” (St. Paul).

Ideas to Consider and Questions to Ask regarding the Gift of Weakness: 

1. “God is attracted to weakness.” (Jim Cymbala). Have you found that to be true in your observations of others’ lives and personal experience?
2. “God’s power is secure in us only when it is linked to something that keeps us weak.” (Richard Bieber). Is there anything in your life that keeps you weak? Have you been able to sense God’s strength in that weakness?
3. “I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency.” (Philippians 4:13, the Amplified Bible). Jacob’s clever self-sufficiency hit the wall when he encountered God in their famous wrestling match in Exodus 32. He thereafter walked with a limp, increasingly intimate with God and dependent on Him. What is your limp? Has it increased your dependency on God in any way?
4. “God desires that we come to maturity by using our strengths to get us into significant trouble that exposes our weaknesses.” (Dan Allender). Describe a time when that happened to you. When your weakness was exposed, did anything good come out of the situation, or are you still waiting?
5. “The weaker I get, the stronger I become.” (2 Corinthians 12:10, the Message). There are two types of weakness: the particular weakness of a certain season, a temporary inadequacy of some sort; then there is a permanent weakness, something that will not leave you. Try to describe both kinds of weaknesses in your life.
6. “The weakness of the flesh in suffering provides a firm working-place for the surpassing power of the Spirit.”  (St. Maximus the Confessor). When you feel weak, when you suffer, how clearly do you feel yourself as a working-place of the Holy Spirit? Is it possible to be God’s working-place and not even know it? If the Spirit goes to work when I am weak, what does He do when I am strong?

Southern Gospel Revival: Jamie Wilson – I Can’t Even Walk – YouTube