Today we continue our new series entitled, “Press through it!”
We have been looking at the following passage for a few days. Let’s go back to it again this morning. The Apostle Paul said:
“I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows—was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell. I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, or because of these surpassingly great revelations. 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. 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 Cor 12:2-10 NIV)
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. The anointing of God on your life attracts both grace from God and opposition from satan. God knows this. So God does not only just give you the grace to operate in the gifts and talents required to complete His divine assignment. Along with grace to perform, God gives you the grace to withstand. Said another way: along with the gifts and talents God placed in you to do what He called you to do, God also gave you a measure of grace to be able to handle the opposition that is tied to the assignment.
2. You would do good to examine the area in which your enemy fights you the strongest. Satan has studied you all your life. He is trying to be efficient. He only attacks you the strongest in the area in which your value and potential impact is the greatest.
3. Get excited when you are attacked by the enemy. The place you are being fought the strongest is also the place where your value (in God’s eyes) and your potential for Kingdom impact in this world is the greatest.
4. Paul was assigned a demon to torment him 24x7x365. This is great opposition. But it’s important for us to understand why Paul’s opposition came. His greatest opposition was tied to his greatest gifting. In Paul’s case the opposition came after he was called up to heaven. He experienced heaven, in the fullness of God’s glory, and he came back to earth to share his revelations. Sharing divine revelation was Paul’s greatest assignment. So this is where he was attacked the greatest. The good news is that like Paul, we will always be given grace to overcome the opposition that is tried to our divine assignment. Paul embraced God grace to press through it. We must do the same.
5. The Apostle Paul’s greatest assignment was writing down what God revealed. He wrote more books than any other writer of the Bible (I say “writer” and not “author”, because the Holy Spirit is the author). It is true that he went on four missionary journeys, he started churches all over Asia minor, and he was a Pastor of Pastors. But his greatest assignment was sharing what God revealed. He wrote over half the New Testament. This is why God gave him round trip ticket to heaven. Paul saw things no human is supposed to see. Paul received revelation from the Father with a level of clarity is that is uncommon. As a result, his area of greatest gifting became his area of greatest opposition. Like Paul, you will always be attacked the strongest where your anointing is the greatest. The good news is that God’s grace is on you overcome. God did not just give you the grace for the gift. God gave you the grace for the fight!
6. When you know God’s grace is on you for both the anointing and the opposition the anointing will attract, you are not moved by the opposition. You just keep going, knowing that God has already equipped you to fight and win!
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You for teaching me to see things from Your lens. You gave me gifts and talents that support the anointing on my life to do what I was born to do. You have placed Your Super upon my natural, giving me supernatural ability. I can now do what I could never do with You. Along with the grace to perform, You have also given me the grace to withstand. Because the area in which I am anointed the greatest, will also be the area in which I am attacked the greatest. The anointing I received from You attracts opposition from satan. But I’m not moved by that. Because You have me the measure of I grace I need to withstand and WIN! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
