Friday, January 1, 2010

WHAT WEAKNESS OF YOURS HAS GOD TURNED INTO A STRENGTH?

WHAT WEAKNESS OF YOURS HAS GOD TURNED INTO A STRENGTH?

 

A weakness is a good thing when you give it to God to use for his glory, and he turns it into a strength! Has that ever happened to you? If so, did you bow and give credit to Almighty God? It’s a treat of a lifetime to watch God in action. There are few experiences like it in this world. Trust him to turn your weakness into a strength, so you can better fulfill your mission.

 

A WEAKNESS = A GOOD THING?

 

Has God transformed your insecurity and fear of public speaking into an unexplainable, roaring courage, which reflects your trust and confidence in who he is? Has he been so creative as to take your loud personality and give you a love of auctioneering?

 

Has he used your extreme shyness as a perfect complement for the role of a gentle, quiet hospice chaplain? Was your doubt in yourself changed to faith in him? Has he funneled your hate into championing justice for the oppressed?

 

Did he reveal to you how large your ego had become, causing you to be humbled? Did he show you the ugliness of your impatience, causing you to crave patience? Babbie Mason, Dove award-winning songwriter and singer, needed God’s intervention to breathe his strength into her weakness.

 

BABBIE MASON HAS SEEN GOD AT WORK

 

Babbie is a recording and concert artist, with fourteen albums and a host of Dove awards to her credit. She is a wife, mother of two adult sons, and doting grandmother of one darling baby girl. Babbie is grateful to have closely observed the lives of her parents, who were deeply committed to Christ. She says that they made it easy for her to fall in love with him and call him Lord. She tried to imitate them in their love for God and service to others, and she worked alongside them in the church that her father pastored.

 

For as long as Babbie can remember, she knew that her assignment from God would involve music. But she says that she was well into adulthood before she really began to understand that the music he instructed her to write and sing transcends race, culture, and denominations. She is now certain that God is using her music to bring worshipers together as his family.

 

She says, “What a beautiful sight it always is to see the body of Christ in worship. It’s dress rehearsal for heaven!” She believes her job is to rally the troops. She feels that the members of the body of Christ have been wounded and beaten down by life in general. She reminds them that, although life takes us from one test to another, we have Christ, the best Teacher available, to help us pass each one.

 

How did God turn a weakness of Babbie’s into a strength? She once had a horrible fear of flying until God used a very dear friend to remind her that although the enemy tries to target and torment us, God has power to protect us and accomplish his plans. It was a real time of spiritual growth for Babbie, and her “return to the air” gave her a bold personal testimony to share about the magnificence of God. She says, “God’s grace is sufficient for every weakness. When you come face to face with weakness, it is not the time to back down and surrender to feelings and emotions. That lack of trust is like saying to God, ‘I don’t think you’ll come through for me, so I’ll take matters into my own hands.’ Instead, bathe yourself in the Word of God. Memorize it. Go with what you know about the eternal God, not with how you feel at the moment. And ask him to give you his strength.”

 

What Weakness of Yours Has God Turned into a Strength?

 

The Disciples at Pentecost Had a Weakness That Was Turned into Strength

 

On the Day of Pentecost, 120 disciples—scared, ordinary men and women—were gathered in an upper room in Jerusalem, waiting for Jesus (who had ascended into heaven) to send “power from on high.” He did so in the form of the Holy Spirit, who filled the disciples with a boldness they had never known before. Read Acts 2:1–13. With what weakness do you need Jesus to help you? Do you want him to make you a bold evangelist like the disciples or do you have a different request in mind?

 

SCRIPTURE TO PONDER

 

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I willboast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

 

SUGGESTED PRAYER

 

Dear Lord, you said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, _________, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that your power may rest on me. I am so grateful that you know my shortfalls and that you are willing to take me from where I am today, powerfully using the not-so-good parts of me for your plan. I pray that I will learn to release more of my weaknesses to you. Help me, when I feel inadequate, to remember that I can trust you to be strong.

 

So . . . What Insight, Prayer, or Action Step Has God Laid on Your Heart Today?

 

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