Christmas 2015

So for the sake of Christ, I am well pleased and take pleasure in infirmities, insults, hardships, persecutions, perplexities and distresses; for when I am weak [in human strength], then am I [truly] strong (able, powerful in divine strength). 2 Corinthians 12:10

There are a lot of people that I know who are really becoming weak and fragile in their flesh. This can be a scary and depressing thing during the Holidays and it would be if we didn’t have the Truth that sets us free from such fears. The Truth allows us to see past the physical condition of others and empowers us to see into the Spiritual. The Truth allows us to walk by faith and not by sight and it is the Truth that sometimes our Father allows our flesh to become weak. He does this so that His Spirit can be stronger in us. That may sound foolish to some, but it is the Truth. Paul was empowered by the Holy Spirit to welcome his weaknesses and my hope is that our Father allows all of us to as well.  

[No] for God selected (deliberately chose) what in the world is foolish to put the wise to shame, and what the world calls weak to put the strong to shame. 1 Corinthians 1:27

Religion so many times wants us to think that we have failed or sinned when our flesh weakens. Wolves in sheep’s clothing want us to think that satan has somehow been successful in penetrating our Seal of the Holy Spirit, so they encourage us to bind him and they try to cast him off of us. But I honestly believe that the Holy Spirit cannot be breached and that it is our Father weakening our flesh and not satan. Our Father does this so that we can truly become strong, because when we are weak in the flesh we can only trust in Him. Our Father is our Gardener and a gardener will prune a plant regularly so that it can become stronger and bare more fruit. This sounds foolish to the world and I would be lying if I said that I have perfect faith with these verses, but my not completely trusting them doesn’t change the fact that they are Truth. 

Moreover [let us also be full of joy now!] let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving endurance. And endurance (fortitude) develops maturity of character (approved faith and tried integrity). And character [of this sort] produces [the habit of] joyful and confident hope of eternal salvation. Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us. Romans 5:3-5

On the contrary, you know that it was on account of a bodily ailment that [I remained and] preached the Gospel to you the first time. Galatians 4:13

Our flesh being weakened is not always a bad thing. So this Christmas if you see someone that you know who is sick or frail remember that our Father is not limited by our weakness and that in our weakness He will actually become stronger in us. Weakness can allow us to be used to serve in greater and more powerful ways. Our flesh being weakened may even cause us to be used in secret, which will allow our Father to lay up treasure for us in Heaven, where moth cannot eat it and thief cannot steal it.