“And lest the greatness of the revelations should exalt me above
measure, there is given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to
buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord three times that it might be taken
from me.And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee.” (2 Corinthians
12:7-9a (JUB)
Have you ever wondered about Paul’s thorn in the flesh? I’ve heard
preachers and scholars say it was bad eye sight, and various other aliments.
However; the scriptures clearly tell us Paul struggled with pride due to his
great revelations on the Word of God. Then a messenger of the devil attacked
him.
Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride goes
before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
According to the Holman Bible Dictionary, pride is undue confidence in
and attention to one's own skills, accomplishments, state, possessions, or
position. Some synonyms for pride include arrogance, presumption, conceit,
self-satisfaction, boasting, and high-mindedness. It is the opposite of
humility,
This sin of pride opened the door for an evil spirit to buffet or wear
him down.
God’s answer was, “My grace is sufficient for you.”
In Ephesians 2:8-9 (AMP) Paul tells us that God’s grace is. “... [God’s remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you
have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life]
through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through
your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God; not as a
result of [your] works [nor your attempts to keep the Law], so that no one will
[be able to] boast or take credit in any way [for his salvation].”
God’s grace is His Salvation offered to us and can only be received through
faith in the finished work of the cross. It is so much more than favor.
It is all that God offers us through Christ’s completed work on the cross
received by faith. It includes deliverance, salvation, rescue, welfare, safety,
prosperity, eternal salvation and victory over everything that comes against
us, whatever our thorn in the flesh might be.
God’s grace (salvation) has been made available to everyone, but not
everyone will choose to receive Him (Jesus).
So, how does a believer get rid of sin? “If we [freely] admit that we
have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just [true to His own
nature and promises], and will forgive our sins and cleanse us continually from
all unrighteousness [our wrongdoing, everything not in conformity with His will
and purpose].” (1 John 1:9 AMP)
When we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive our sins and
then Jesus leads us back into a right relationship with our heavenly Father. Our
attitude/heart comes into alignment with God’s heart. This is righteousness. By our confessing our sins we come into submission to our heavenly
Father, commanded in James 4:7 (KJV), “Submit yourselves therefore to God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
It is at this time we have the authority, given to us by Jesus, to cast
out the evil spirit that is coming against us because the evil spirit no longer
has a hold over us. He must flea in the name of Jesus.
This is not just about pride. It is about any sin that binds us: wrong
attitudes, hate, anger, unforgiveness, trauma, fear, or any other soul wound
caused by sin brought on by ourselves or someone else.
I have been working with many issues in my life through this process.
The more I submit myself to God in each area of my life the more the healing
comes.
My prayer is “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try
me, and know my thoughts: And see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me
in the way everlasting.”
As I repent, I find His grace (Salvation-Jesus) is truly sufficient for
overcoming any thorn the evil one uses to buffet me. I recognize this through my emotions: when something makes me cry, or angry, come into fear, etc.
As you spend time with the Lord today I would like to encourage you to
submit yourself, every part of your being, to God, to His Word. Then thank Him
and praise Him for His marvelous grace, His Salvation that is sufficient for
all your thorns. Amen!
Blessings on your day!
No comments:
Post a Comment