Did you know that you were designed with weaknesses? And that those weaknesses are not flaws? A few weeks back we went over the idea of how some believe that showing emotion is a sign of weakness while others believe that NOT showing emotion is a sign of weakness. But, at the end of the day, technically we are all weak because we are all human. If we were strong we wouldn’t need God, right?! We all have something we were called to be and when we walk into anything other than that calling, we will usually fall short. There was sooo much more to that message so if you haven’t checked it out, you need to. But there was something mentioned at the end that God put back on my heart this week, which means it needed to be shared! And that is, “even our weaknesses can be strengths!”
Per usual you are probably like “what in the world are you saying right now!” It sounds wild but stick with me!
Have you ever seen that Friends episode where Monica finds out she’s bad at giving massages and freaks out so chandler explains to her that she’s the best worst back massager and then she becomes thrilled that she’s still “the best”? Lol We are going to build on that idea for a second. I am not saying that we should strive to be the best at everything like Monica, but what I am saying is that our perspective/ mindset dictates who we give our weaknesses to and how we use them.
You see, a lot of people see their weaknesses as things they should hide, but in fact even our weaknesses were intended to be used by God! In 2 Corinithians 12, Paul quotes Jesus who said “my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Which means that in our strength God gets the glory and in our weakness God gets the glory. However, that can’t happen when we are scared to show our weakness, right?!
Listen, I get it! Showing our weakness can be scary. It puts us in a vulnerable spot to be hurt or judged. Obviously we don’t want that. But do you remember what we learned in part one of this message and honestly every message that I’ve written? Being judged by others is an indication that they are in an unhealthy place and it has nothing to do with you! And you want to know what is worse than being hurt and judged by others? Giving free rein of your weaknesses to the devil.
Here’s the thing, the ONLY way the enemy can affect us is in our mind and in our vulnerabilities. Every story in the Bible that we see the devil tempt others is through their weaknesses. And literally EVERY choice we make, we are ultimately giving the glory to God or the enemy. There is no in-between. So, you may think that tucking those weaknesses away and working on showing everyone our strengths is going to bring you happiness or fulfillment, but it won’t because we are taking those weaknesses out of God’s hands and putting them straight into the enemy’s.
Now, am I saying that we should constantly be walking around flaunting those weaknesses? Not at all. That would be silly. What I AM saying is that we don’t need to be afraid of our weaknesses. We should always strive to be who God made us to be, but the unfortunate reality is that most of us don’t because we are afraid of failing. Or we are afraid of it being hard. Or we are afraid of it taking too much time. Or we are afraid of others walking out of our lives or judging us. But what do all of those things have in common? FEAR. And what is fear a sign of? THE ENEMY BEING A BULLY AND USING OUR WEAKNESSES AGAISNT US. Those weaknesses were intended for God to get the glory, not to stop us from being who we were called to be!
What does this mean? How do we give our weaknesses to God?
We learn what it means to trust. Notice that I didn’t say “you just trust God”. Trust is not something you can just do, and that is why we fall short in this area. We have to learn to trust, and learning to trust means allowing yourself to be in situations to trust. It also means getting to know the one you are trusting. Do you know who God is? You may have said yes, but do you? Because if you did, wouldn’t trusting Him be easy? That is hard to write so I know it was hard to hear. The harsh reality is that once we get hurt and face wounds that produce coping mechanisms, we tend to shut out everyone from those areas, including God and sometimes even including ourselves. Yes, getting to know who God is looks like reading His word, talking to Him, etc. But it also looks like EXPERIENCING life WITH HIM. He already knows who you are because He made you, but He wants to know the version of you that LOVES HIM and TRUSTS HIM. He wants to be a part of every situation in your life, good an bad. Is it going to be scary or hurt walking into those situations that make us vulnerable? Yup. But what do we always say? So is staying where we are and allowing ourselves to be a playground for the enemy. I recently heard a pastor say something that shook me around a little bit inside. He said “the enemy HATES you. He hates your kids. He hates your family. And his goal is to tear you down and bring you as far away from truth as possible”. DON’T GIVE him THAT POWER! Notice how I didn’t even capitalize the him in that? The enemy is so small. He ONLY has the power you give him. That’s how weak he is. He is permanently miserable and he wants to take you down with him. You will NEVER be as weak as the enemy and that is why he hates you. And if you aren’t careful and continue to allow him to use your weakness against you, he will also be able to use your strength against you as well. An example of this may be that you are a giving person, but now you’ve fallen into people pleasing because of fear that if you don’t you’ll lose everyone.
Let that sink in. Really evaluate everything that was just said. Let it register.
Now think about this. God made you so he could love you. He wants you. He desires you. He longs for you. He wants to heal you. He sees you. Hears you. All the things you desire when it comes to craving those feelings of joy, peace, fulfillment, etc. It’s ALL found in HIM and it’s all right in front of you. YOU just have to choose who gets the glory. Who gets to hold your weaknesses. Who gets the say so in who you were made to be.
When we allow God to have access to our weaknesses they become strengths! They are used for Him glory! They become ways that God uses us to reach others! How we respond to our weaknesses allows others to see God. Allows others to see HOPE! Allows others to see opportunities for healing. Whether you are christian or not, that is what we all want: hope and healing. And not only can others find that through your weaknesses, SO CAN YOU. No longer living in fear is the biggest breath of fresh air you’ll ever have. This is where you find peace! This is also where you will experience God in His fullness! Doesn’t that sound amazing?!
It is time to allow yourself to be who God wants you to be. And the only way you will be able to know who that is is by living in the light. By making the choice to “do it scared”. By recognizing the red flags in your feelings. Knowing when something is a coping mechanism. And then making the decision to believe what God says, and not how you feel. You start basing your beliefs around God’s experiences, and not your own! (See Proverbs 3:5.)
This week I challenge you to make a list of your what you are passionate about. Even if you gave it up because of something you faced in life, what brings you joy? What allows you to feel fulfilled and peace at the same time? What desires do you have but you’re afraid to go after or find reasons why you shouldn’t? And go deep with these answers! You are safe to talk about what you want, even if a voice inside tells you this is a waste of time and doesn’t matter. IT DOES. That voice is the enemy. Listen for the still small voice that tells you that you are safe! Do this scared if you have to. Rebuke the enemy, because when you tell him to leave he has to and only can come back when you agree with those negative thoughts about yourself or others he puts in your head. Remember why you are here and write down those answers! Those answers are a part of who you were called to be, and when you walk into agreement with those you will find freedom and joy and peace! You will find fulfillment.
Then I want you to write down what has been stopping you. The fears you are having or the beliefs about yourself you’ve been hearing. Those thoughts that made you almost not even write down those first answers. The things you think are your weaknesses. And then I want you to think about how God could use them. How could your weakness, bring Him glory? You may have to pray and ask Him to help you. An example of one of my weaknesses, or at least what I thought was a weakness, was overthinking and talking a lot. This is something I’ve been made fun of for and had become very insecure about. I believed that I was annoying others and I was being judged often for it. But what I’ve learned through healing is that when I don’t let that hold me back, and I am talking about things that matter, He often will speak through me, mid sentence, with some pretty amazing God bombs. And overthinking is negative when its in the form of worrying, but when I’m focused on God my thoughts allow me to dig deeper into truth and into information that allows me to become more knowledgeable, and again, that allows God to speak through me.
I really hope you follow through with that exercise. I pray that God gives you wisdom and that you are open to receiving this truth. I hope you allow yourself to “do it scared” and try something new this week! You Got this! If you need anything, reach out and if not, I’ll see you next week!