Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.Ephesians 6:10 NIV
Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.Ephesians 6:11 NIV
Be strong, don’t act strong.
God says for us to be strong, we have to stop “acting” strong.
Most of us are caught up in doing, not being. Being strong won’t come from how we’re acting, but from how we’re being.
To be stronger, we have to talk about weakness. We have to acknowledge where we’re weak.
To get stronger, we have to let God sit in our weakness.
God says to be strong… but put on armor. Why is armor needed? No matter how strong you are, you still have a weakness. Armor covers weakness.
There is always a weak area. If you’re human, you have a weakness. For example, pride, greed, and gluttony is just as toxic as substance abuse. We many times fail to acknowledge our weaknesses hidden from public view.
You have to go to war, even with a weakness.
When we have a weakness, we usually just want to rest.
You have to get ready to go to war, with your weakness. Your weakness isn’t “why you shouldn’t”. If you focus on what you don’t have, you won’t go to war.
God factors in your weaknesses. You have to go to war with the weakness.
Winning in Weakness
In 2020, we will win, even in weakness.
2 Samuel 9:1-13
“A dead dog like me” — is how Mephibosheth viewed himself.
2 Samuel 4:4
He was dropped as a child and became crippled.
What happens when the weakness you’re experiencing is not warranted?
1. Weakness is Not Always Warranted
Sometimes the people who are supposed to care for us, are contributing, historical factors as to why we’re weak in some areas.
Even though it’s valid, it can no longer be your excuse.
The weakness was not warranted, but it’s real. You have to know it’s real.
You have to admit your weakness is real, or you can never get strong in that area.
Mephibosheth had no choice. After being dropped, he had to hide for the rest of his life. He was royalty, and because of shame, he went to a place of “no word”. The same way we don’t want God to speak a word in an area we’re weak in.
We go to a place where we insulate ourselves and try to keep weak areas from God. For God to use all of you, he has to use the weakness too.
2. Weakness is Allowed
When David was looking for someone to bless, there were no stipulations.
Like Ziba, others may want to define us by our weaknesses, or a season of our life. They try to create stipulations when there are none.
God doesn’t care if you have a weakness.
When others try to disqualify you, it just gives God even more glory when he uses you.
Weakness is allowed.
Toxic masculinity is the antithesis to what Jesus modeled. He wept, he was moved by compassion, and he wasn’t a punk, he took 39 lashes and said it’s that all you have? He could be meek even among people who would betray him.
Even with the weakness, men, God is saying he needs that. That’s why he asks you to tithe, at the beginning. When you partner and depend on God, he’ll rebuke the devourer and pour out a blessing that you don’t have room enough to receive.
God will have ways of breaking you down. For example, giving men daughters.
Your real strength is in your weakness. Your weakness is allowed in the presence of God.
The thing that you’re trying to protect, is allowed. Your weakness is allowed.
You can’t get stronger in something you don’t admit you’re weak in.
The king overrides the notions of others trying to disqualify you. In fact, something about the weakness might even be appealing to the king to show his power.
3. Weakness is Attractive
When you think of the prominent characters in the bible, they all had weaknesses.
God is attracted to your weakness.
The grace of God covers us.
It seems like God is attracted to people who have weaknesses in their life. Maybe stop trying to cover them up, but offer them up.
God cares about who you trust.
If your worry, fear, and shortcomings are attractive to God, then it’s an advantage.
4. Weakness is an Advantage
Mephibosheth’s weakness was an advantage, even though he laid, and was content in his weakness.
When the king sends for you… Do you have to get out of the comfortable state and trust God with the unknown, versus the weak known? Mephibosheth got in front of the king and bowed.
His weakness was allowed. The king wanted to show him kindness, because of a promise that was established before he got there. The king never addressed his weakness. The kindness was not based on anything of his own doing.
God is so gracious. He lets you sit and eat at the table/ place he designed for you. You are to pull up a spot, under God’s grace where your weakness is covered.
When you pull up to the grace of God, you are still winning in weakness with your purpose. At that table, you’re covered.
Even when being extravagantly weak, God gives you the opportunity to submit your weakness to his grace.
God can make your weakness your advantage.
When God says be strong, it won’t be acting strong, because you’ll be aware of your weakness, which becomes your advantage at the table. God will cover you by the grace of God.
God gives you permission to be weak. You can win in your weakness.
5. Weakness Can’t Change Your Association
There are covenants, and blood covenants made. This was the case for Mephibosheth, even though the king didn’t need to show any kindness.
Mephibosheth, with his weakness was still blessed because of the covenant.
In 2020, when you call on Jesus, there was a blood covenant formed when you believe what Jesus did for you on the cross. God says, with your weakness, when I see you, I don’t see you, I see the covenant i made with the one that you believe in. Your weakness is no match to what Jesus did on the cross for you. When God sees my weakness, he actually sees Jesus’ blood
Whatever your weakness is, God is prophetically speaking over your life. When you put your faith in Jesus Christ, that weakness no longer disqualifies you from the promises of God. When he sees your weakness, your addictions, your problems, your issues, he sees the promise he made with Jesus. He can weave all weaknesses in to give God glory.
6. Your Weakness is a Witness
Even with the weakness, it becomes a witness for everybody else dealing with that same thing.
God says, with your weakness, you can still win. Your weakness becomes a witness.
Your weakness doesn’t disqualify you at the moment you’re at right now.
Becoming stronger takes a process. You can still win in weakness though. The marriage is not where it’s going to be, but we can win and have the best year of our marriage right now!
God will take what everybody else counts as my weakness, and he will make a seat for me at the table.
Mephibosheth got all the land that was for his grandfather, staff, he got upgraded, and never had to leave the king’s table. The bible never tells us that his weakness went away.
God can heal, but what if your weakness stays? And it’s not a miracle, it’s management. What if the miracle is management? What if you always have a desire to do that thing, but something greater comes in to manage what your weakness is? Paul asked God to take the thorn away 3 times, and Jesus said his grace was all Paul needed. Sometimes, God wants to manage you.
What if God gives you peace in the midst of the storm.
Make a decision: “I will win in my weakness!”
