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This morning we continue our series, “Grace that is Simply Amazing” by continuing to teach on the fact that “God’s Grace is Sufficient.” Last week we left off with the 6th verse of 2 Corinthians 12. Let’s pick it up from there. The Apostle Paul wrote:
“Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” (2 Corinthians 12:7-9 NIV).
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. Less pain or more grace? The Apostle Paul asked the Lord three times to take away the messenger of satan. Satan’s messenger was his “thorn in the flesh” and he wanted relief. But instead of removing the messenger, God gave Paul the grace to overcome his attacks and to continue on in the pursuit of his purpose in spite of the opposition. Guess what? God will often do the same with you. You ask Him to remove what is bothering you, but instead, He gives you the grace to deal with it, to rise above it, and to continue on in spite of it. God’s grace is truly amazing.
2. God’s power will not flow freely through you when YOU are in the way. You have power and God has power. You have ability and God has ability. You have knowledge and God has all wisdom. God has placed His Spirit down inside of you so that you would have access to His supernatural power and wisdom. You can choose to operate on your own, without God, and He will stand by and watch you stumble your way through life. Or you can get out of the way, die to self, and allow God to flow through you. Which will you choose today?
3. When your power runs out, His power can take over. As men we often don’t call for or rely on God’s grace until we get to the end of ourselves. We shouldn’t wait until it gets that far, but we often do. Whether we wait until we are exhausted because we attempted to do it on our own, or we called on God right up front, the point is that God’s power will kick in when we acknowledge that our power is not enough. When you decrease and die to self, you will see God’s power increase and manifest in your life.
4. God’s power is fully manifested in your weakness.
a. You are both human and divine. You live in a body, here in the earth, and God Himself, in the form of the Holy Spirit, lives in you, connecting you to heaven.
b. The supernatural power of God can flow through you daily, and this is God’s goal. But God is not going to compete with you. If you choose to do something on your own, without God, He will let you do it in your own strength.
c. The things God has called you to do are going to be SO BIG that you will not be able to do them without God.
d. When you look at the magnitude of your assignment, and you compare it to the limited power you have on your own, you will quickly realize how weak you are in your own strength.
e. God knows His plans are too big for you to accomplish without Him and that is why He gives you grace. When you acknowledge your weakness it unlocks the door to His strength.
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for taking the time to teach me about Your amazing and undeserved grace. I can identify with the Apostle Paul. There have been times when I asked You to take something away from me; something that was clearing bothering me. But instead of taking it away, You gave me the grace to face it, to overcome it, and to press on in spite of it. Your grace is sufficient to empower me to overcome every challenge, to rise above every obstacle, and to win every battle. But You won’t complete with me. If I choose to face something on my own, in my own strength and my own ability, You will stand by and watch me flounder. I have done enough of that. From this day forward, I declare by faith, that I will face every challenge head on, in faith, fully relying on Your grace. I am not good enough or strong enough on my own. But I don’t have to be. Your power is made perfect in my weakness. Your strength freely flows when my own is not in the way. So, by faith I declare that I die to self, I minimize my humanity, and You live through me; maximizing the divinity You placed in me in the form of Your Spirit. I enter this day and this week fully confident that I will succeed. Not in my power, but in Your strength. Not because of my goodness, but because of Your grace. I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
