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I guess we all struggle with a weakness of one sort or another, and we tend to be hard on ourselves because we don't seem to be able to overcome what we would "do not." The Apostle Paul struggled, and, reading his words in Romans, I believe he was very hard on himself because of his weakness. He argues with himself about struggling with the "sin within himself." That which he hates.......... This is recorded in Romans, Chapter 7, and surely is food for our souls.
Paul prayed to God about the "thorn" in his flesh:
I am particularly interested in this answer because it "could be" seen as a "permission slip" from God to give into our temptations, desires.......because when we do, His "strength is made perfect in weakness." But this isn't true. Is it?
I believe that God does not remove all our earthly failings here and now because if He did, we would be made perfect in the flesh here on earth, and only Christ was perfect in flesh! As well, God, working through us (our being imperfect beings that all the world can attest to) accomplishes what He will and people will realize that what was accomplished had to be accomplished by God, for we are too imperfect to have done so by ourselves.
Through prayer and faith in God, we must not beat ourselves up because of our frailties, rather, we must focus on Christ within us and lean on Him to give us the strength to overcome. We are human, and until "this imperfect puts on the perfect," we will fail from time to time, but our Loving God is there for us and WILL NOT FAIL US!
Paul was filled with the Holy spirit, that just goes to show us how evil the devil and his demons actually are. God uses rubbish in this world for good and does everything for his glory and honour and i would say it is rightly deserved. There is no one like our God.
I guess we all struggle with a weakness of one sort or another, and we tend to be hard on ourselves because we don't seem to be able to overcome what we would "do not." The Apostle Paul struggled, and, reading his words in Romans, I believe he was very hard on himself because of his weakness. He argues with himself about struggling with the "sin within himself." That which he hates.......... This is recorded in Romans, Chapter 7, and surely is food for our souls.
Paul prayed to God about the "thorn" in his flesh:
I am particularly interested in this answer because it "could be" seen as a "permission slip" from God to give into our temptations, desires.......because when we do, His "strength is made perfect in weakness." But this isn't true. Is it?
I believe that God does not remove all our earthly failings here and now because if He did, we would be made perfect in the flesh here on earth, and only Christ was perfect in flesh! As well, God, working through us (our being imperfect beings that all the world can attest to) accomplishes what He will and people will realize that what was accomplished had to be accomplished by God, for we are too imperfect to have done so by ourselves.
Through prayer and faith in God, we must not beat ourselves up because of our frailties, rather, we must focus on Christ within us and lean on Him to give us the strength to overcome. We are human, and until "this imperfect puts on the perfect," we will fail from time to time, but our Loving God is there for us and WILL NOT FAIL US!
I would suggest thorns are used to awaken our sleeping hard hearts being accustomed to the callous of sin like leprocy no sensitivity to the flesh. In respect to the work of the Spirit of Christ hearing the gospel it pricked Paul. . . awakening the sleeping giant of faith as one of the renown.
Spoken of those faithless ones in Hebrew six.
Hebrews 6: 8-11 But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned. But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak. For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:
