Today we continue to teach on our overall theme for the year: “GREAT FREEDOM.” In this series, we studied 2 Corinthians 3 and we then crossed over into chapter 4. In our last message, we looked at 2 Cor 4:7. Today we will look at verses 8 and 9.
(2 Corinthians 4:8,9 Easy to Read Version)
“We have troubles all around us, but we are not defeated. We often don’t know what to do, but we don’t give up. We are persecuted, but God does not leave us. We are hurt sometimes, but we are not destroyed.”
So what does this mean for you today? A few things.
1. Being Born-Again does not mean that we will never face challenges again. It just means that we will not face our challenges on our own, without God. God will never leave us, nor forsake us.
2. We house the Holy Spirit. Once the Holy Spirit is living INSIDE of us, there is nothing we cannot do. No challenge is too hard. No problem is too big. God is ON us, IN us, WITH us and FOR us. If we keep the right attitude and perspective, we can make it through anything.
3. God never said that we would not face trouble. But the text does say that we will not be defeated!
4. God never said that we would not face persecution. The text says, “We are persecuted, but God does not leave us.” If God is with you, it does not matter how much persecution you face. You know that you will ultimately be vindicated and exonerated!
5. God never promised a life without pain. The text says, “We are hurt sometimes, but we are not destroyed.” The truth is that sometimes bad things happen to good people. Sometimes we face things we would rather not face. Sometimes we are hit with things that cause us to question God. But in the end, the text tells us that WE WILL NOT BE DESTROYED! We may be down, but we are not out. We may be damaged, but we are not devastated. God is too big of a God, and His grace on us is too strong, for us to be defeated! No matter what we go through, we will come out on top!
6. I know I am teaching on FREEDOM this year and this passage may not seem like it applies. But it does. You are FREE to flow in the Holy Spirit, even when it means that you face things that would have crushed you before. When you are truly FREE, you embrace God’s grace to be the man/woman He called you be, even when it means you face challenges you never thought you were capable of facing. You do it by God’s Spirit and for His glory!
7. Yielding to the Holy Spirit does not just apply to pleasant situations. It applies to painful situations as well. On those occasions in which you are facing something you don’t think you can handle, the Holy Spirit will say, “You are right. This is something that is bigger than you… ALONE. But you are NOT ALONE. I am with you. Where you can’t, I can. Where your power ends, my power kicks in. Hold on. Don’t worry. We’ve got this!” Be so free that you acknowledge your weaknesses and embrace the Holy Spirit’s power to do what you could never do without Him. That’s when you know you are truly FREE!
That’s enough for today.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I embrace Your grace to do what I could never do without You; to face would have crushed me in the past. You are ON me, IN me, WITH me and FOR me. There’s nothing You can’t do. Therefore, there is nothing I can’t do. I am SO FREE that I even glory in my weaknesses. When I am weak, You make me strong. When I can’t, You can! Where my power runs out, Your power kicks in. So I enter this day relying on Your grace, Your power, Your ability, and Your strength. I may face painful situations, but I will never face them alone! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
