Today’s New Covenant nugget is from 2 Corinthians 11:30-31 (NLT)
If I must boast, I would rather boast about the things that show how weak I am. God, the Father of our Lord Jesus, who is worthy of eternal praise, knows I am not lying.
In 2 Corinthians 12:9 (TPT), Jesus said this to Paul, “My grace is always more than enough for you, and MY POWER FINDS ITS FULL EXPRESSION THROUGH YOUR WEAKNESS.” So, I will celebrate my weaknesses, for when I’m weak I sense more deeply the mighty power of Christ living in me. So, I’M NOT DEFEATED BY MY WEAKNESS, but delighted! For when I feel my weakness and endure mistreatment—when I’m surrounded with troubles on every side and face persecution because of my love for Christ—I am made yet stronger. For MY WEAKNESS BECOMES A PORTAL FOR GOD’S POWER.”
I read something that Joseph Prince wrote a few days ago, and have been meditating on the revelation that he shared since then. He said something like this, “In the New Covenant it is not about us focusing on how strong we are… the longer that we serve the Lord, we become more and more aware of ‘how weak we are’, and how much we need Jesus to succeed.”
Friends, you and I do not have what it takes, and we will never have what it takes to successfully do what we are called to do! The good news friend, is that your weaknesses becomes a portal for God’s power, as you walk and live by grace through faith.
David never boasted about his strength and ability when he faced Goliath… Goliath was bigger, stronger, and had greater ability and skill as a fighter than David could ever have had… David boasted on his covenant, on his powerful God and on the mighty name of the Lord.
The problem that I have with many of today’s teachings that emphasize leadership based success, is that much of their bottom line is… ‘if YOU get better, do it better, and do it EXACTLY right, you will succeed, and if YOU fail, it is because YOU are doing it wrong, or because YOU do not have what it takes!” To that I say, “Please teach me the leadership skill on how to walk on water, how to get water out of a rock, how to raise the dead, or on how to multiply two fish and five loaves to feed thousands.” Unless your answer is to teach FAITH and reliance on God’s miracle working power, you simply cannot teach SKILL, or leadership ABILITY to ACHIEVE the supernatural!
Everything that God has called us to do can ONLY be done by His power, ability, strength and might; NOT by our ability, strength or power! It is not about how strong, and how skilled you are, it is about realizing that you are weak, and that you need Jesus… His strength, His ability, His wisdom, His favor, His provision and His power. The just LIVE and move and have their being BY FAITH!
The WEAK can indeed say, “I am strong”, but ONLY ‘in the strength of the Lord’. Some Christians mistakenly say, “I am strong, and I can do all things.” Instead, they should say, “I am strong IN THE STRENGTH OF THE LORD, and I can do all things THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME.” It is IN HIS NAME that we can heal the sick, and IN HIS NAME that we can do miracles, not in our strength and ability!
If you are going to have a successful marriage, a successful ministry, if you are going to be successful at raising your children, or doing ANYTHING that Jesus has called you to do, it is going to be by the power of His might, not by your strength and ability! Instead of spending all of your time, trying to learn, how to do it right, use your faith to let Jesus’ supernatural strength, ability and wisdom operate THROUGH your weakness. Let your weakness become a portal for God’s power!
Jesus demonstrated this to Peter… Peter fished all night… he used all of his skill as a fisherman, all of his knowhow… all of his knowledge on where to fish… he did EVERYTHING in his strength, and yet still came up with nothing after many hours of toil! Yet when he did the same thing by the power of God, he caught more fish in a few minutes, by the power of God, than he did all night in his own strength. Peter’s weakness became a portal for God’s power, and he was supernaturally used to catch enough fish for his whole village.
In His amazing Love, Nick
