Strength Through Weakness – Part 1

Today we’re going to begin a new series.  As you all know we teach on faith often.  It is the foundation of believing the Word.  So we believers need to be careful to understand faith works by our need for God; not our need for our own self-efforts.  Faith works by our belief in God’s efforts through us.   So let’s delve into the Word and see how this works.

1 Timothy 6:12:   Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made the good confession before many witnesses.  ^Berean

1 Timothy 6:12:   Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.   ^KJ

How do we fight the good fight of faith?  How do we take hold of eternal life?  We trust God that His Word works and is true.  Trusting God is knowing we cannot do anything without Him.  It is being weak in ourselves, and laying the burden of truth on God, and His Word.

.

Proverbs 3: 5-12:   ⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.  ⁶ Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.  ⁷ Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom.  Instead, fear the LORD and turn away from evil. ⁸ Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones.  ⁹ Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce.  ¹⁰ Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine.  ¹¹ My child, don’t reject the LORD’s discipline, and don’t be upset when he corrects you.  ¹² For the LORD corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.   ^{NLT  heart-labe-the feelings, will and intellect   fear-yawray- to reverence; to revere   honor-kabed- to be a heavy burden to bring before}

When we trust God, we revere His Word by doing what the Word tells us to do. It is an act of our will to humble ourselves and follow God’s Word; God’s principles.   On the subject of giving our finances to God.  We do so by honoring His Word and placing a heavy burden on ourselves to follow the principles of what God’s Word tells us to do.   We honor God, not our own selves.  We trust God, not how things appear to look, but we trust God over how things look.  When we do that, it shows we cannot do anything in our own power.  It shows God is our strength, and He will do what His Word says.  It is not me making anything happen.  It is God doing it by me believing Him.

Genesis 8:22:   While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.  ^KJ

Ephesians 6:10:  Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.  ^KJ

Mark 11: 20-26:   ²⁰ And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. ²¹ And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away. ²² And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. ²³ For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. ²⁴ Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. ²⁵ And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. ²⁶ But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses. ^KJ

^{Mountain- oros- to rise or rear; to expiate (make amends for) sin, or put away with, remove}

Jeremiah 17:7:   “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD.   ^ESV

2 Corinthians 12: 1-10:   ¹   I must go on boasting. Though there is nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. ² I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. ³ And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— ⁴ and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. ⁵ On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses— ⁶ though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth; but I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me. ⁷ So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations,  a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. ⁸ Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 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 of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. ¹⁰ For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.   ^{ESV
——————————————————————————————————-}

Did you enjoy  the message?  We sure hope you did and will come back and grow with us!  God loves you and He wants you to have the abundant life!