Today we continue our series “God is faithful!” The Lord led me to 2 Corinthians 4. In this passage, we are looking at what it looks like to believe God is faithful. Because of God’s faithfulness towards us, we can withstand and overcome anything!
(2 Corinthians 4:1, 7-13, 16-18 TPT)
1 Now, it’s because of God’s mercy that we have been entrusted with the privilege of this new covenant ministry. And we will not quit or faint with weariness.
7 We are like common clay jars that carry this glorious treasure within, so that this immeasurable power will be seen as God’s, not ours.
8 Though we experience every kind of pressure, we’re not crushed. At times we don’t know what to do, but quitting is not an option.
9 We are persecuted by others, but God has not forsaken us. We may be knocked down, but not out.
10 We continually share in the death of Jesus in our own bodies so that the resurrection life of Jesus will be revealed through our humanity.
11 We consider living to mean that we are constantly being handed over to death for Jesus’ sake so that the life of Jesus will be revealed through our humanity.
12 So, then, death is at work in us but it releases life in you.
13 We have the same Spirit of faith that is described in the Scriptures when it says, “First I believed, then I spoke in faith.” So we also first believe then speak in faith.
16 So no wonder we don’t give up. For even though our outer person gradually wears out, our inner being is renewed every single day.
17 We view our slight, short-lived troubles in the light of eternity. We see our difficulties as the substance that produces for us an eternal, weighty glory far beyond all comparison,
18 because we don’t focus our attention on what is seen but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but the unseen realm is eternal.
Today’s message will flow in the same vein as yesterday’s. I will continue to focus in on verse 16, while also looking at 2 Corinthians 12:8-10.
(2 Corinthians 4:16 TPT)
16 So no wonder we don’t give up. For even though our outer person gradually wears out, our inner being is renewed every single day.
(2 Corinthians 12:8-10 TPT)
8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to relieve me of this.
9 But he answered me, “My grace is always more than enough for you, and my power finds its full expression through your weakness.” So I will celebrate my weaknesses, for when I’m weak I sense more deeply the mighty power of Christ living in me.
10 So I’m not defeated by my weakness, but delighted! For when I feel my weakness and endure mistreatment—when I’m surrounded with troubles on every side and face persecution because of my love for Christ—I am made yet stronger. For my weakness becomes a portal to God’s power.
So what does this mean for you today? A few things.
1. Jesus is our perfect example of being a human conduit of the divine.
— Jesus’ authority in the earth came from His submission to heaven. You are called to live with the same power and authority Jesus had. But this also means that you must live with the same level of submission He lived with. The more you die to self and the selfish desires of this world, the more the power of God will be manifested in, with, and through your life.
— Where there is no submission, no dying to self, and no crucifying of the flesh, there will be no manifestation of supernatural power.
— There was a human side and a God side to Jesus. Jesus did not live like God on the earth. He had to learn things. He had to go to school. He had to develop from a baby, to a toddler, to a boy, to a young man, to a man. He did not perform miracles until He was filled with the Holy Spirit. In other words, Jesus did not perform miracles until He was a human with God on the inside of Him.
— Once God was inside of Him, Jesus let God out. Jesus’ power was not in His humanity. His power was in the God living IN Him, His divinity. He was fully obedient to the Father in every way. That was His power. Guess what? We can do the same! We can live the same way. We are humans with God on the inside of us. If we submit to God, we can live as Jesus lived in this world! If we do, nothing will be impossible for us! This is how we withstand and overcome anything!
— Jesus was the only perfect human ever to walk the planet. If there was ever a human who COULD rely on His humanity, it was Jesus. But Jesus refused to do it. He did nothing in the flesh. We should all be glad He did not. If Jesus had chosen to do what He did in His perfect humanity, then He could not be an example for us because our humanity is not perfect. But since Jesus refused to operate in His humanity and He found His power in the God living IN HIM, Jesus becomes the perfect example for us. We can do that! We can emulate that! We can adopt that mindset. We can submit to God. And if we do, we will live as Jesus lived, in this world!
— Your power is found in your submission. If you are Born-Again, God Himself is living in you. But the only way His power will be released in your life is if you submit to Him. If you choose to live your own life, make your own decisions, pursue your own desires and do things your own way, you will go to heaven, but you would have missed your ONE opportunity on the earth. You will make it to heaven, only to realize that you had an assignment on the earth and you never fulfilled it because you were too selfish to die. God was not able to be seen IN or THROUGH you because there was too much of YOU in the way. Wouldn’t it be a shame to get to heaven, only to realize that you walked around with God on the inside of you for decades, and you never let Him out?
2. Don’t RELY on the WRONG PART OF YOU!
When you rely on the wrong part of you, your human side, you say things like:
— I am so tired
— I can’t take it anymore
— I can’t do this anymore
— I don’t know if I can do it
— I don’t know if I even want to do it
You say things like this because your humanity is frail, finite, and flawed.
Your divinity, on the other hand (the Holy Spirit IN you), is INFINITE, LIMITLESS, AND IMMEASURABLE!
— DON’T BE FOCUSED on the wrong part of you!
— Jesus did NOTHING in the flesh. He is our example.
— If you want to operate in supernatural power, if you want to maximize your purpose and potential in this world, if you want to make the most of the ONE CHANCE you get at life, you must be willing to DIE TO SELF. If you do, you will also DIE TO YOUR LIMITS, and God will be free to live through you.
— When God lives through you, there is nothing you can’t do. When God lives through you, you see challenges like Paul did. Instead of saying things like, “I can’t take it anymore.” You say things like:
“I’m not defeated by my weakness, but delighted!”
“My weakness becomes a portal to God’s power!”
“My troubles are small in comparison to my God. My challenges are short-lived troubles in the light of eternity. Actually, my difficulties are the substance that is producing for me an eternal weight of glory that is far beyond all comparison!”
“I can have trouble on every side, but I am not troubled by my trouble!”
“At times I don’t know what to do, but I know this: Quitting is not an option!”
“I may be persecuted, but my God has not forsaken me!”
“I may get knocked down by life from time to time, but I will never get knocked out!”
“The only way I can lose is if I quit, but ther is NO QUIT in me!”
You have a choice. You are both human and divine. You have the ability to live off of the seen and the unseen. You can live as a mere man if you want to. Or you can be naturally supernatural. The choice is yours. You have a human side and a God-side. You can choose to live by either side. Please don’t choose the wrong side!
The life of faith means you are led by God’s Word and His Spirit every day. It means you only say what you are led to say, and you only do what you are led to do. To be honest, most Christians don’t live this way. They go to church. They sing songs. They give a few offerings. But they are not committed to the Holy Spirit the way Jesus was. This is unfortunate because I am convinced that we are supposed to live the way Jesus did. Those that don’t, those who love God, but are not completely dead to self, are people who will make it heaven. But they won’t maximize their time on the earth. I pray this message convicts you of the righteousness you are supposed to walk in. As Jesus is, so are you in this world!
That’s enough for today.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, this is a season of LEVELING UP for me. I LEVEL UP by embracing the power of Your Spirit. I die to self daily. I refuse to rely on the human side of me. I am human, but I am also divine. You placed Your Spirit in me. Your Spirit also recreated my spirit. I am Born-Again. I am born from above. I get my insight, wisdom, revelation, and understanding from You. I am naturally supernatural. I am led by Your Spirit in all things and at all times. Living this way, I don’t ever get stressed out, disillusioned, or depressed. My heart is never in a state of despair because I know You are IN me, You love me, You made plans for me, You are working through for me, and You will see to it that everything works together for my good. I trust You, Father. This is why I will continue to declare: GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
