When I am weak, then I am strong

“…but He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you [My lovingkindness and My mercy are more than enough—always available—regardless of the situation]; for [My] power is being perfected [and is completed and shows itself most effectively] in [your] weakness.” Therefore, I will all the more gladly boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ [may completely enfold me and] may dwell in me. So I am well pleased with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, and with difficulties, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak [in human strength], then I am strong [truly able, truly powerful, truly drawing from God’s strength].” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10 AMP)

This morning as I came before the LORD, I came in a whole new level of brokenness. Not a brokenness due to current circumstances or even due to the attacks of the enemy (though there have been many of both lately). Rather, it’s a brokenness born out of a deeper revelation that I am totally reliant on God because He alone is my source. My source of strength. My source of hope. My source of love, forgiveness, joy, peace, power…..everything.

Over the years I have heard many people quote this scripture, “when I am weak, then I am strong,” but I have to wonder how many people understand what this means? I’ve quoted it many times since receiving salvation through Jesus Christ, but today I actually know what it means. The more I seek God, the more I realize that there are deeper meanings to the scriptures beyond what I see on the surface. New depths are revealed by the Holy Spirit which brings a whole new understanding of the scriptures and often, like today, reveals new depths of my dependence on God.

This morning, I was OVERTAKEN by and ENGULFED in those very depths.

Here is today’s God-lesson from the School of The Holy Spirit:

As I laid before God, letting go of myself, my thoughts, my reasoning, my strength, I came face to face with the computer’s power cable. One end was plugged into the wall and the other end was plugged into the computer, which was playing some worship music. Without even thinking, I grabbed ahold of that cord like my life depended on it. In the Spirit, I saw it as a lifeline in the middle of a dark, stormy sea. I could grab it and live or let go of it and die. That’s when I heard the Lord say, “Stay connected.”

You see, that cable was connected to my computer and to the source of my computer’s power. The computer could not function in its purpose without being connected to a power source.

The same goes for us in regards to our CONNECTION to God.

Jesus gives us an “old school” example of this need for “CONNECTION.” He said:

“Remain in Me, and I [will remain] in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself without remaining in the vine, neither can you [bear fruit, producing evidence of your faith] unless you remain in Me. I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him bears much fruit, for [otherwise] apart from Me [that is, cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown out like a [broken off] branch, and withers and dies; and they gather such branches and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.” (John 15:4-6 AMP)

From this example we learn:

We must STAY CONNECTED to Jesus, our source, in order to fulfill our God given purposes here on earth.

Notice also about the computer: A computer cannot connect itself directly to the electric port in the wall. It needs a “helper,” a “mediator” so to speak, that connects it to the power source. Without that power cable, my computer would not work. The “power cable” that connects us to God is none other than God’s Holy Spirit Who is our ever-present Helper (John 14:26).

It is this CONNECTION that allows us to truly say “when I am weak, then I am strong.” When we are plugged into God by the Holy Spirit, we are not relying on our own strength, our own ways, our own reasoning. We are acknowledging and embracing God as our source. We are saying, “God alone sustains me”.

So what does all of this have to do with brokenness?

Brokenness is defined as:

- being reduced to fragments; fragmented

- being ruptured; torn; fractured

- not functioning properly; out of working order

When we experience new levels of brokenness before God, it is because He has revealed a place in us that was not connected to Him. It was like a “broken branch,” DISCONNECTED and POWERLESS. He is showing us that there is an area in our lives where we are trying to be self-reliant, trusting in our ways, our strength, and our reasoning. In order to grow in maturity, this DISCONNECTION had to be dealt with.

This morning, God dealt with me!

What I have come to understand is that we must stay in this place of brokenness BEFORE Christ in order to not be broken FROM Him.

Our connection to God is so important, not just for ourselves but for others. How can God show Himself mighty through us if we are resistant to Him? When we resist God, we cease from being a vessel He can use. It’s like trying to fill a bottle with the lid still on. There is a barrier that prevents things being poured in and things being poured out. That is why brokenness is such an integral part of our relationship with God. To be broken before God, means that He can put things in us that we then pour out into others. It is in our surrender, where we embrace our reliance in God that His power is perfected (and poured) through us.

When the LORD told Paul that His grace is sufficient for him, this was to remind Paul that by grace he was saved, and it is that same grace that will keep him. Paul's self-reliance and religious works did not bring him salvation. He received salvation by the grace of God.

Paul writes to the Galatians warning them of self-reliance. He writes,

“Are you so foolish and senseless? Having begun [your new life by faith] with the Spirit, are you now being perfected and reaching spiritual maturity by the flesh [that is, by your own works and efforts to keep the Law]?” (Galatians 3:3 AMP)

And he reminds the Ephesians:

“For it is by grace [God’s remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God; not as a result of [your] works [nor your attempts to keep the Law], so that no one will [be able to] boast or take credit in any way [for his salvation]. For we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art], created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used] for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He set], so that we would walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us].” (Ephesians 2:8-10 AMP)

TRUTH BOMB: We are saved by grace therefore we continue in that salvation with grace, allowing God to work in us so that He can show Himself powerful through us. 

I just have to ask you:

Did you save yourself?

Did you wipe away all of your sins forever?

Did you heal yourself?

Did you free yourself from addiction or depression?

No. No you did not. Jesus did that for you. Jesus did that and SO MUCH MORE for all of us. Not because we earned it and not because we deserved it. He did it out of GRACE and He was the only one who could do it. So when we receive Him and all that He has done for us, how is it that we think we can move forward relying again on ourselves? If we were not able to begin the Christian walk on our own, how can we continue in it on our own? We cannot. We must stay connected to Jesus, trusting in and relying on Him to work through us in this world. It is in Him that we are made a new person and the old “self” has passed away (2 Corinthians 5:17).

In my experience I have discovered that it is a fine line to walk between self-reliance (rejecting the grace of God) and hyper-grace (using the grace of God as a license for immorality - Jude 1:4). That is why we must stay CONNECTED TO CHRIST by the Holy Spirit so that we can walk as Jesus walked, in perfect surrender to the Father.

The LORD told me once that our surrender is beautiful to Him. I had never really thought of surrender as something to be admired or even as something beautiful. To me, surrender always came with negative connotations because you were acknowledging to others you had a weakness and that you were a failure in that particular area. To me this was a flaw. To God, though, it is a mark of beauty!

To acknowledge your weaknesses and embrace God is to actually have the greatest strength of all, the power of Christ Jesus dwelling inside of you. This is the place where the miraculous happens. Where change occurs. Where we are transformed from old to new. This is the place where God’s strength is made PERFECT in and through us. It is the place of BROKENNESS and SURRENDER to God. And oh, what a BEAUTIFUL place it is!