More Grace
7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
2 Corinthians 12:7-10
Let us get it right. This was a work of the devil. It was allowed by God for humility purposes. It was no fun. Buffet is not a place with a lot of good food. This buffet was quantitative but of no pleasure.
Strong’s defines it from the Greek as: to strike with the fist, give one a blow with the fist; to maltreat, treat with violence and contumely. Contumely is an insulting display of contempt in words
or actions; contemptuous or humiliating treatment. A humiliating insult.
Satan’s pummeling affected Paul physically, verbally, and emotionally. While it was Divinely allowed, the Lord granted a spiritual armor to keep Paul. My grace is sufficient for thee. So grace is not only an allowance to be human, as I have said before, it is strength to endure. Longsuffering, a fruit of the Spirit that Paul had listed in Galatians 5:22, was being developed. Longsuffering intrinsically accompanies grace. It is embedded.
Paul was a perfectionist. This matter was the one thing that kept him reliant on grace. Remember he had noted his blameless estate regarding keeping of the law.
In Philippians 3:6 he declares: Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
As a Pharisee Paul was proud of his flawlessness. But in the next verse he states: But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. As a Christian he had to admit to imperfection. But the temptation was always there. And then throw in all the magnificent revelations and visions he had. It was not easy to keep the pride in abeyance. So God helped him. Ironically, God allowed the master of pride, the one who had thought he could be as God, Satan himself, to send his cohort to buffet Paul. Really humbling.
Otherwise Paul would have been unbearable. He would have been perfect, if only in his own eyes, and perhaps in the eyes of some of his followers. People tend to place their preachers on pedestals. But that could not be allowed. There is only one perfect one that has walked the earth. Jesus. No man can exist without the ministry of grace. And so Paul was maintained in a position of dire need of God’s unmerited favor.
But that was enough. For another aspect of grace is that it excels in weakness. When one understands his imperfectness, and relies solely on the finished work of Christ on the Cross, he is strengthened perfectly to meet the need. That perfection is the right one. It does not consist of human attempts. It is acceptance of God’s gift of grace through which he sees us righteous by the work of His Son Jesus.
Do you have a weakness? Acknowledge it, and appropriate the gift of grace to move you forward. Satan thought his buffeting would stop Paul. God brought out a supernatural response that moved Paul forward in victory. Grace is God’s response to your flaws. Accept that, and walk like Paul, forward in victory. -PJF-
And now a word from our Pastor…
God Wants it All
One of the ways God speaks to me is through songs. Not just Christian worship songs but secular songs too.
About 20 years ago, I was singing a secular pop song while washing the dishes. There are a few lines in the song that says:
I’ve had the rest of you,
now I want the best of you,
I don’t care if that’s not fair.
Cause I want it all, or nothing at all.
When I finished singing those lines, I paused and thought about those lyrics.
I focused on “I don’t care if that’s not fair” and thought that’s a bit rough.
Before I got too deep in my sassy way of thinking I heard the Lord say, “You know, I’ve had the rest of you, now I want the best of you, I don’t care if that’s not fair.”
I was both shocked and convicted… Needless to say that I finished washing the dishes in silence that night.
I knew in my spirit that the Lord was talking to me. I was aware of His presence and I was learning his voice. I knew that he was speaking to me through that dumb love song. It just made sense to me. But one way to confirm what’s being said is to look to the written word of God, the Bible. I found these verses:
Luke 14
26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
Those verses hit me hard. That’s what it means to be a disciple?! Does the Lord really want all of that from me? Am I willing to give up my family if I had to? Can I give up my friends or my home to follow Jesus?
I didn’t know if I could give up everything if I had to, but I knew I wanted Jesus. If I had to give up my family, friends, or even my home then I’d deal with it then. I chose Jesus.
Years later the time came for me to give up my family, give up my friends, and even give up my home to follow Jesus. It was a little painful. It got lonely at times, but I was content in knowing that I was in obeying the Lord. I was where God wanted me to be and that was worth more than family, friends, or even a home.
I also knew that God restores and He would restore everything when it was time. And He has.
God will use anything to get your attention. He will use whatever it takes to get through to you, even a silly secular love song. I love the Lord. I love that He chooses to speak to me.
God wants to talk to you too. Allow Him to speak to you. You might be surprised at what He has to say. -SAF-
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Defense – Psalm 124
Psalm One Hundred and Twenty Four is a testimony Psalm. David wants to testify for the nation. Listen:
1 If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, now may Israel say; 2 If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us: 3 Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us: 4 Then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul: 5 Then the proud waters had gone over our soul. 6 Blessed be the LORD, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth. 7 Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped. 8 Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.
Number one:
It is not only whose side you are on. It also matters greatly who is on your side.
Secondly:
You will deal in life with antagonists.
Third:
God does not allow his children to be gobbled up by their Godless enemies.
Fourth:
The believer has the help of the creator of heaven and earth. No one better to have on your side. Amen.
Whatever enemy you are facing today, whoever is angry at you, whatever the depth of your predicament, as a child of God you have special defense.
Someone reading this is battling with a legal imbroglio.
Yes Imbroglio. I-m-b-r-o-g-l-i-o. I believe you know what that means. Things have been against you in the matter. Today I want you to claim verse 7.
7 Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped.
The snare IS broken. What your lawyer has not been able to accomplish God is stepping in to your legal team and his defense will be successful. The Lord is turning that around for you and within a few days you will hear good news. Thank you Jesus.
As I was saying: Whatever enemy you are facing today, whoever is angry at you, whatever the depth of your predicament, as a child of God you have special defense. God is on your side, saint, and victory is yours.
Go ahead and praise him!
Purpose! Ministries Inc.
16605 Sunrise Lakes Blvd Suite 6
Clermont, FL 34714
Sundays 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm
Join us in person or live on Facebook.
Pastors PJ and Shirley Flores
Purpose! Ministries
A Praying Church - A Healing Church - A Holy Spirit Church - A Preaching Church
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