When I Am Weak, Then I Am Strong

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

What are areas in your life in which you struggle to be obedient to God because you have weaknesses there?
 Being a more courageous witness of the gospel
 Committing to study the Bible daily
 Leading a Bible study
 Saying no to sin under pressure from others
 Submitting to an authority you disagree with
 Turning the other cheek when someone wrongs you, leaving justice to God
 Missing worship because you are busy or tired
 Giving money to the church when your finances are tight
 Praying in front of others for fear of sounding silly

Often we hear a multitude of excuses for disobedience:
 Knowing we should be better at evangelism we say, “Well, I’m just not a very good speaker…I’m scared I will be thought of as a fanatic…I don’t know what to say.”
 People tell me they don’t study their Bibles because they are good at reading.
 We lash out at people when we feel we have been wronged, and we say that they had it coming, or they deserved retribution.
 When we wake up Sunday morning feeling like a truck ran over us, we think that its not a big deal if we miss church this one time.

There are always good reasons why we shouldn’t do something. The priest and the Levite who passed by the beaten traveler in the story of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) probably had great excuses for not helping the man. The question is, are we being obedient to the call of God’s commands, whether we feel equipped or not.

Take a look at some examples of people in the Bible who were afraid to obey.
 Moses – Exodus 3 and 4
o Moses said he couldn’t speak very well
o God said He will give him the strength to lead Israel out of Egypt
 Gideon – Judges 6
o Gideon said he was the weakest in his house, from the weakest clan in Manasseh and couldn’t lead Israel into battle.
o God said He will be with him to defeat the Midianites.
 Esther
o This unknown Jewish girl was made queen and was called by God to save the Jews from annihilation.
 Jeremiah – Jeremiah 1:5-10
o Jeremiah said he was too young to take God’s word to the nations.
o God said He would put His words in Jeremiah’s mouth.
 Jesus’ Disciples – Matthew 26:56, 26:69-75
o The disciples fled in fear when Jesus was arrested and Peter even denied knowing Jesus.
o God gave His Holy Spirit to them and they were bold preachers to their deaths.
 Paul – 1 Corinthians 2:1-5
o Paul was a poor speaker. He looked like a bum. He was weak, fearful, and trembling when he preached the gospel.
o Paul was from the tribe of Benjamin, and a respected Jewish leader. He had seen Christ himself and had seen into heaven. But he refused to try and convince people of his message by using his own accomplishments. He rejoiced in his weaknesses (2 Corinthians 4:7, 11:30, 12:5-9) so that God’s power and glory would be magnified.

We were promised persecution. It is natural to fear it, but we should be overcoming it, fearing God more than man (Matthew 10:28). Allow your fear to drive you to trust more in Him who will strengthen you and accomplish His will through you. You will begin to see amazing things happening when you trust God in your weaknesses instead of using them as excuses. Prayer will become MUCH more important. Studying the Word becomes increasingly vital to ministry. Thoughts are less often focused on what will happen to you and more on seeing God’s will be done. After the fear is gone and the task is accomplished, you will step back and praise God for doing such a mighty work through you. You suddenly realize that most of the fears were sinful exaggerations of the power of other people. God becomes more real to you because you were trusting in His strength to obey in something you otherwise never would have been able to carry out.

Can you recall any time you experienced great fear, but relying on God, stepped forward in faith to obey? Were you still thinking about yourself or thanking God for His greatness? Did you experience the same fears the next time you were called to obey?

“The weaker the human instrument, there more clearly God’s grace shines forth.” – John MacArthur

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” - Nelson Mandela