God, In My Weakness, Reveal Your Strength

52 Simple Prayers for 2018

Our suffering for the cause of Christ, even the inner pain we feel at our own failures, weaknesses and shortcomings, is our only basis for boasting. When we are able to live in victory and accomplish great kingdom advance through faith, still our spiritual accomplishments have been enabled only as God empowered us in our flawed humanity and revealed his strength in our deep brokenness. Make no mistake, on our best day, we accomplish nothing through our own charisma, ability and power. And on our worst day, it is God who reveals his strength in us.

A Simple Prayer for God’s Strength in My Weakness:

God, I have far too many areas of weakness in my life, so often I have failed, and I have nothing but a poor track record of falling short of being the kind of person you have redeemed me to be. Yet I thank you for your all-sufficient grace. Today, in my weaknesses, failures and shortcomings, I boast insofar as that they show how your strength is revealed in me.

God, I’m Waking Up To Satan’s Schemes

52 Simple Prayers for 2018

The truth is, Christians are under attack—but the real assault comes from an invisible enemy. Satan is bombarding our faith, targeting our homes, putting our churches in his crosshairs. We see his devastating barrage in broken marriages, ruined families, moral filth, widespread anger, pandemic depression, spiritual anemia, divided congregations, and the list goes on and on. It’s time to wake up, armor up, pray up and take him on. Yes, it’s time…the battle is on!

A Simple Prayer for Doing Battle:

God, I come into your presence with boldness because Jesus opened the way to you by his death on the cross. I come to find the grace and mercy needed for strength in the battle against Satan today. I ask that you would deliver me from his schemes and lead me away from the temptations he sets before me. Keep me alert to his ways and ready for his attack. Remind me to stay suited up in the armor of God, and grant me spiritual victory. Amen.

Giving To Get In Order To Give

Reflect:
II Corinthians 9:81

“And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”

As is usually the case with some of the great “promise verses” in the Bible, there are surrounding verses that set the conditions for fulfillment of God’s committed favor. Such is the case here, where we are told that God will bless us at all times in every way with every thing we need for life, joy and success.

What are the conditions of such an amazing promise? Paul has been teaching the Corinthian Christians for two whole chapters now about the ministry of giving. Of course, God gave to us first, so our giving to him doesn’t initiate his giving. Our giving is simply a thankful response to what he has already done, yet our liberality is also a catalyst for a continued, if not even greater flow of divine favor into our lives. Here is how Paul says it:

“Each one should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” (II Corinthians 9:7-8)

Paul gives some pretty clear guidelines as to how God desires for you to give in order to bless you with greater abundance:

First, you are to give authentically. No one should tell you how to give or how much to give—not even the preacher. “You are to decide” about giving, Paul says. You need to dig way down deep and come to grips with the ministry of giving, until it is a value that drives your stewardship.

Second, you are to give eagerly. Give because you really love God and want to demonstrate your love with a tangible expression of your devotion to him. Don’t do it because it will make you feel better, ease your guilt or make you look good. Don’t do it just because you feel pressured to give, “not repulsively or under convulsions,” as the little boy who misquoted the verse said. Rather, “each one should give what he has decided in his heart to give.” You are to give because it’s just the right thing to do. Give because it is the nature of love to give. Give because it is consistent with Christian character. Give from a convinced heart. If your gift doesn’t send the message of genuine desire, it won’t count as love.

Third, you are to give delightfully. Why? “For God loves a cheerful giver.” Truly authentic and heartfelt givers will enjoy giving the gift. They don’t think giving as a loss or a requirement or a burden, rather they think of the joy it brings and the love it communicates to the recipient. That’s what Hebrews 12:2 says about Jesus, our example of joyful generosity: “For the joy set before him, he endured the cross.” Now that was the ultimate act of joyful giving!

Fourth, you are to give expectantly. Paul teaches that when you give in a way that is pleasing to the Lord—authentically, altruistically, joyfully—God will make sure that you will always have plenty to give away: “And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.” As someone has wisely pointed out,

“Give according to your income, lest God make your income according to your giving.”

What a privilege it is to give back to God. When we get giving right, God takes it upon himself to makes sure that we will abound in every good work.

“Since much wealth too often proves a snare and an encumbrance in the Christian’s race, let him lighten the weight by ‘dispersing abroad and giving to the poor’, whereby he will both soften the pilgrimage of his fellow travelers, and speed his own way the faster.” ~Augustus Toplady

Reflect and Apply: Offer this prayer to your Heavenly Father: Lord, you are the Supreme Giver. You gave your best, you gave your all, you gave yourself. From the depth of my heart, I thank you. It is now my honor and joy to give back to you. May the sacrifice of my offerings be acceptable worship pleasing to you.”

A Lopsided Transaction

Reflect:
II Corinthians 4:1-6:2

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (II Corinthians 5:21)

What an amazing exchange that took place when Jesus hung on the cross as the sacrifice for sin!

  • Jesus became sin so that I could become saved.
  • Jesus was abandoned and I was embraced.
  • Jesus received God’s wrath and I received God’s righteousness.
  • Jesus got what he didn’t deserve and I got what I didn’t deserve.
  • Jesus didn’t get what he deserved and I didn’t get what I deserved.
  • Jesus got what I deserved and I got what Jesus deserved.
  • Jesus went through hell so that I could go to heaven.
  • Jesus endured hatred and I was showered with love.
  • Jesus died so that I could live.

Redemption is such a lopsided transaction, but such is the love of God. I got the far better deal in this exchange, and for that I will never cease to be grateful.

“At the heart of the story stands the cross of Christ where evil did its worst and met its match.” ~John W. Wenham

Reflect and Apply: All you can say in response to what God has done for you is “Thank you!” All you can do in response to what God has done for you is to offer your life as an extended thank offering. That is your assignment: Start thanking, in word and deed.

Grace For Your Weakness

Reflect:
II Corinthians 12:9

“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.”

Do you ever wonder why God allows you to struggle with certain things? Perhaps there is a physical limitation from which you have asked God time and again to heal you, but to no avail. Maybe there is a limitation in your ability to learn or speak or a lack of confidence in interacting with others that holds you back vocationally or relationally, and you have desperately sought for God to give you victory over it, but to no avail. Perhaps there has been a struggle with a particular sin over the years, and you have agonized in prayer that God would remove it, but your prayers seem to have fallen on deaf ears.

The Apostle Paul had something like that going on in his life, too. He called it a “thorn in my flesh”. He saw it as a direct assault from Satan. And he prayed intensely that God would deliver him from whatever it was. There has been speculation as to what the thorn in the flesh actually was. Many think it was a physical malady. Tradition tells us that Paul had plenty of physical limitations. Some think the “thorn” was a person who was opposing Paul and his work. Then there are a few who surmise that it was a temptation to which Paul was particularly susceptible. Who knows for sure, but what we do know is that it was really bugging Paul—to the point that he felt frustrated enough to get really serious before God about it.

One of the things I appreciate about Paul is his ability to gain an eternal perspective on things. He was able to re-theologize the negative circumstances in his life to where he could see the mighty hand of God aligning things for his benefit. Such was the case here. If God saw fit to leave this pesky thorn in Paul’s side, then God must have a purpose. And the purpose in this case, he finally figured out, was to keep him from conceit, since throughout his ministry he had been given so many unusual experiences in the supernatural dimension that it would have been easy to become spiritually prideful. Paul needed a little humility, and God gave him a thorn to keep him weak, and therefore humble, in a particular area.

But it wasn’t just humility for humility’s sake that Paul needed, God wanted Paul to come into a much more important understanding of how the Kingdom of God works. God wanted Paul to have a firsthand experience of grace. Paul was the Apostle of grace, so through this experience where all he could do to survive was depend on God’s unmerited favor, he learned to hang on to grace for dear life. Paul learned one of the most important lessons a Christian can ever learn: Through grace, our weaknesses are parlayed into God’s supernatural strength, which enables us to achieve kingdom success that result in all the credit going to God.

That’s why Paul could be grateful for his weakness. That’s why he could tolerate his thorn. That’s why he could turn his disadvantage into an advantage. Satan afflicted him with a thorn, but God watered it with grace and it budded into a rose. Charles Spurgeon wrote,

“Soar back through all your own experiences. Think of how the Lord has led you in the wilderness and has fed and clothed you every day. How God has borne with your ill manners, and put up with all your murmurings and all your longings after the ‘sensual pleasures of Egypt!’ Think of how the Lord’s grace has been sufficient for you in all your troubles.”

God’s grace is sufficient—always. It was sufficient for Paul. And because God is the same yesterday, today and forever, and because he loves you just as much as he did Paul, God’s grace will be sufficient for you! Start looking at your thorn from a different perspective. It might hurt a little—or a lot—but God is going to use your present struggle to achieve an eternal glory that will far outweigh any discomfort you feel in the present.

In that sense, go ahead and glory in your weakness, for when you are weak, God is strong.

“To all who find their days declining, to all upon whom age is creeping with its infirmities, to all whose strength seems steadily to ebb…God seems to take our last things, and as it were, pack them up for our journey. These are tokens that you are approaching land. They are signs that the troubles of the sea are almost over.” ~Henry Ward Beecher

Reflect and Apply: Do something a little unusual today: Thank God for you weakness. Then reimagine that weakness as an avenue for you to receive his strength! Once you have done that, allow God to reveal his grace in your “thorn in the flesh”. Finally, do a little boasting that in my weakness, you are being made strong in God’s strength. This exercise might seem a bit weird, but you are in good company—it’s what Paul did!

The Victory Parade

Reflect:
II Corinthians 2:14

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.”

What a great promise: God always leads us in triumphal procession! In other words, we are marching in Christ’s victory parade. He has taken us captive and we are happily his trophies of grace in the Victor’s procession. Wherever the parade leads, we are giving off the smell of victory!

That sounds a bit ethereal, but in reality, what that means for you is that in every turn of the path, good or bad, smooth cruising or rough road, not only have you already won, even better, your winning is a witness to the triumph of Jesus Christ. Whatever comes your way—it doesn’t matter—in the end, you win. Since you are in Christ’s victory parade, you are a victor!

Now in reality, the road you are on may seem like anything but a parade. But if what the Apostle Paul wrote is true—which we confidently accept by faith—then in a practical sense, we never need to be discouraged in this journey by unknown outcomes. Perhaps you can’t see the twists and turns in the road ahead, but God knows them, and that’s all that matters. He is steering you to the finish. So travel with confidence! It is really a victory parade you are in, and Christ is leading it.

Moreover, don’t be intimidated by the either the impossibility or the length of the journey. It could be the road you are traveling is difficult, even treacherous, and with no end in sight. In truth, the path to victory always is, so get used it. You are only walking where the greats have trod! And since the path is really the parade route, take courage, Christ is leading you to victory.

Victory Parade

As a follower of Jesus, the Bible promises that your current journey is in reality, a victory parade. And at every turn in your spiritual path, good or bad, smooth cruising or rough road, not only are you already victorious, more importantly, your victory is a witness to the triumph of Jesus Christ. Now it may not seem like much of a victory parade at times, but that doesn’t matter because in the end, victory is guaranteed. So since the outcome has been predetermined, walk through life like it is a victory lap—soon enough it will be!

Finally, don’t get disturbed by delays. Perhaps you feel like you have bogged down in the journey, but remember, you are in a victory parade. Don’t allow your faith to rise and fall on the empirical evidence of right now. Patiently trust in spite of delays, because soon enough, the procession will take you by the final grandstand. Others have already finished the parade, they’ve stood in the winner’s circle, they’ve received the victor’s crown. Now they are waiting for you in the cheering section at the finish, urging you on to victory.

And best of all, so is the One who has led you in this triumphal procession all this way. Once you see him, what seems like a difficult journey now will appear in reality then as nothing more than a victory parade.

So let me say it again: this journey you are on is really a victory procession, and Christ is leading you in triumph. So act like it is a victory lap—soon enough it will be!

“To choose what is difficult all one’s days, as if it were easy, that is faith.” ~W. H. Auden

Reflect & Apply: Is there a fear or discouragement impeding your faith journey at the moment? Rethink it—Christ has already won your victory and is leading you in triumphal procession. Allow that truth to make a difference in how you walk.