Weakness

[Mooky]

Just thinking of weakness and strength.Some people do all they can to be strong and encourage others to do the same.
However, the Lord Jesus said that His strength is made perfect in weakness.
In what ways have you witnessed this truth in your own life and in what ways have you been tempted to be strong within yourself?

 

[wwjd_kilden]

Hmmm... I guess that the more I try to be "strong", the weaker I become.
In part because I forget to hand it over to God, in part because it builds up.

I am not good at hiding my feelings, so if I try to hide one feeling, it comes across as another one, which can cause some problems (I.e if I am tried and people thing I am sad, sad and people think I am angry etc)

 

[Blain]

I am all to aware of my own weaknesses I have so many flaws I am lacking in almost every way there is and I am anything but strong. However it is because of how well I know my weakness that his strength is so amazing to me. Like an adoring child mimics their parents I want to be strong like him. The strength I see in him amazes me, the depth of the love that his heart shines the way he sees things the way he thinks even just his divine nature is mesmerizing to me.
Whenever I think of what it means to be strong and of what real strength is I see how far Jesus was willing to go out of love for us, he would have done what he did a thousand times over for just one of us if that is what it took that is how important we are to him.

My weakness was never the deciding factor it was always his love and his strength, from the very beginning of my journey with him I sought to be strong like him knowing my weakness and knowing my flaws. I consider all the time why i am a Christian why I continue to fight day by day no matter how hard things get and I consider all the time the reason why I seek to be strong as a Christian, as a believer and as a child of God. Real strength can only be recognized by ones weakness, but to achieve that strength one must have the correct motive in their hearts.

If love is the reason why one seeks to be strong they will find strength, as i have said many times I didn't seek to be strong in love and as a Christian for myself because love does not seek self and that is where his strength is known and found. Surprisingly it's because of our weakness that we adore his strength

 

[Desertsrose]

Hi Mooky,


Great topic!


When Paul received his thorn in the flesh, it was so that he could see his own weakness and rely on God's strength.


Paul's trials:
Was imprisoned numerous times
Was flogged often
Faced death his whole life
Received 39 lashes from the Jews 5 times
Was beaten with rods 3 times
Was stoned once
Was shipwrecked 3 times
Spent a day and night in the sea
Was in continual danger from rivers and robbers
Was in danger from his own countrymen, as well as the Gentiles
Was in danger in the city, in the country, at sea, and from false brothers
Was weary and in pain often - without sleep
Was often hungry and thirsty - cold and naked


All these things caused Paul to be weak in his flesh so that he would rely on the power of God at work within him instead of defaulting to his own strength.


Our trials, suffering and persecutions work in us so that we can see how weak we really are so that we'll put our trust in God, putting our trust in His strength.


And so many times I've failed in doing that and all the while thinking that I really was relying on His strength instead of my own.


But during the difficulty, as the suffering continues I finally do get to the point where all I have is the strength of the Lord to rely on. There's nothing I can do, it's out of my control, I just don't have the strength of my own to endure through what life throws at me.


So when I can deny my own devices, plans, ideas, etc I can finally place all my fears, doubts, hurt, pain, and suffering upon His shoulders and He carries my burdens......every single one.


He carries them perfectly and I can rest in His strength growing within me through the power of the Holy Spirit.


He is my strength and my power and my comforter. What a great and powerful gift God gave us when He came to live in each and every one of us through the power of the Holy Spirit.


Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Ephesians 6:10-12


Life’s circumstances is the tool that God uses to teach us that God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness. For when we are weak, that is when we’re strong…………………IN HIM!

SaveSave​

 

[resurrection33]

Just thinking of weakness and strength.Some people do all they can to be strong and encourage others to do the same.
However, the Lord Jesus said that His strength is made perfect in weakness.
In what ways have you witnessed this truth in your own life and in what ways have you been tempted to be strong within yourself?

I don't know that I can give a good answer to your question, but life can get very difficult. This is probably when we can grow the most, if we try to walk with the Lord.

 

[Blain]

I don't know that I can give a good answer to your question, but life can get very difficult. This is probably when we can grow the most, if we try to walk with the Lord.

I believe that God created the human body specifically the way it works for more than functionality. You can tell a lot about a person from something as simple as a handshake. A person who is a hard worker and who has labored a lot has thick rough hands and an iron grip hand this is because our skin when put under physical hardship breaks and then rebuilds itself to be even tougher and rougher, notice also how the muscles in our bodies do not grow bigger stronger and more lean from living it easy and doing nothing, they have to go through trials and tribulation of tearing down and rebuilding. However notice also that if you don't give the body the nutrients it requires and give it enough water the muscles tear down but don't build back up so well and can even become damaged.

If you think of the way I just described the human body with us spiritually what do you think happens if we never go through anything and don't feed our hearts and souls the nutrients it require like constant communication with God and the word of God and the living water that refreshes out souls?

 

[EarsToHear]

2 Corinthians 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.


Each time that Paul would ask God to remove the thorn, this is what God would reply. Pay attention to what Christ said to Paul for this applies to you and I also as we walk our everyday lives. "My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Friend, don't you ever forget those words of Jesus Christ.


This is why Paul would boast about his weakness, for it is the words that Jesus said to him. "My grace is sufficient for thee..." Christ's strength is what we are to rely on when the going gets a little rough, and the obstacles seem unmovable. That is when we are at our strongest, for it is Christ that does the moving then.

Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 11:28?

 

[Stephen63]

Just thinking of weakness and strength.Some people do all they can to be strong and encourage others to do the same.
However, the Lord Jesus said that His strength is made perfect in weakness.
In what ways have you witnessed this truth in your own life and in what ways have you been tempted to be strong within yourself?

Honestly as christians I believe there's been times we thought we were strong during struggles in our lives & it was really the strength of God & not us.

It's kinda strange how we can come thru a trial victoriously only to immediately go through another one due to our arrogant thoughts we have about ourselves about being strong enough.

 

[breno785au]

I'm so tired of trying to be strong. I wish I could see all the areas in my life where I subconsciously try to be strong and admit that I'm weak so His strength can be perfected.

 

[celib]

Just thinking of weakness and strength.Some people do all they can to be strong and encourage others to do the same.
However, the Lord Jesus said that His strength is made perfect in weakness.
In what ways have you witnessed this truth in your own life and in what ways have you been tempted to be strong within yourself?

The weaker we get the more strong Jesus is in us. God bless

 

[Seekingfamily]

Got to ask...what is considered weakness? Is this in physical strength or is it spiritual? Gots me intrigued!

 

[graceNpeace]

Actually, in the ultimate analysis, weakness or strength could be physical, intellectual, emotional, or spiritual; the spiritual cannot really be separated from any of these things...

 

[oldethennew]

the struggle we all have is between our 'good nature and our evil nature' -

it gets down to, 'For all that is in the world, the lust of the eyes, the flesh, and the pride of life',
this is 'weakness' - and Paul breaks it down even further in GAL. 5:19-20-21.
'Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as
I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit The Kingdom of God.


these things can take a 'foothold' in our lives, if we don't pursue the Spiritual Life,
GAL. 5:22.-23-24-25-26.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

Paul was very honest about our struggles, ROMANS, chapter 7, and John tells us,
'Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.'

we're talking lots and lots of practice here, if we so desire to 'walk as He commanded us to'...

 

[Meggido]

1 Sam 30.1-6


Then it happened when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had made a raid on the Negev and on Ziklag, and had overthrown Ziklag and burned it with fire; [SUP]2 [/SUP]and they took captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great, without killing anyone, and carried them off and went their way. [SUP]3 [/SUP]When David and his men came to the city, behold, it was burned with fire, and their wives and their sons and their daughters had been taken captive. [SUP]4 [/SUP]Then David and the people who were with him lifted their voices and wept until there was no strength in them to weep. [SUP]5 [/SUP]Now David’s two wives had been taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite. [SUP]6 [/SUP]Moreover David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, for all the people were embittered, each one because of his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.

Clearly, we see something here...

1 Sam 30.7-10

[SUP]7 [/SUP]Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Please bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. [SUP]8 [/SUP]David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I pursue this band? Shall I overtake them?” And He said to him, “Pursue, for you will surely overtake them, and you will surely rescue all.” [SUP]9 [/SUP]So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those left behind remained. [SUP]10 [/SUP]But David pursued, he and four hundred men, for two hundred who were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor remained behind.

1 Sam 30.18

[SUP]18 [/SUP]So David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and rescued his two wives. [SUP]19 [/SUP]But nothing of theirs was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that they had taken for themselves; David brought it all back.

There a is a powerful message that fits the OP here if you study this out.