Often times when we’re confronted with a life changing situation, we tend to respond back with an emotional response based upon our carnal mind. So the result we’re looking for is not according to the response we gave. Thereby leading us to doubt the validity of our salvation and walk in Christ. Every situation that comes up in our lives should be met with prayer so that the results will be what God wants for the situation and not what we want. Then, we will not be allowing our situation to dictate our salvation, and it will be done because of the Spirit and not of the flesh. So in the following scriptures, hear what Paul’s response is in certain situations; he’s letting you know that these situations can not and will not determine his salvation and understanding of the Word of God. So his boasting that you will see is not of his flesh, but his confidence in his walk in God.
2 Corinthians 6
Paul is talking about its supernatural characteristics and also the appeal for separation and understanding of Paul.
11, 12, 13 chapters
2 Corinthians 6:1-9
We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed: But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; By pureness, by knowledge, by long suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true; As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed;
2 Corinthians 10:3-5
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
2 Corinthians 11:3-33
But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him. For I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles. But though I be rude in speech, yet not in knowledge; but we have been throughly made manifest among you in all things. Have I committed an offence in abasing myself that ye might be exalted, because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely? I robbed other churches, taking wages of them, to do you service. And when I was present with you, and wanted, I was chargeable to no man: for that which was lacking to me the brethren which came from Macedonia supplied: and in all things I have kept myself from being burdensome unto you, and so will I keep myself. As the truth of Christ is in me, no man shall stop me of this boasting in the regions of Achaia. Wherefore? because I love you not? God knoweth. But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we. For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. I say again, let no man think me a fool; if otherwise, yet as a fool receive me, that I may boast myself a little. That which I speak, I speak it not after the Lord, but as it were foolishly, in this confidence of boasting. Seeing that many glory after the flesh, I will glory also. For ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise. For ye suffer, if a man bring you into bondage, if a man devour you, if a man take of you, if a man exalt himself, if a man smite you on the face. I speak as concerning reproach, as though we had been weak. Howbeit whereinsoever any is bold, (I speak foolishly,) I am bold also. Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I. Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not? If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not. In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king kept the city of the damascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me: And through a window in a basket was I let down by the wall, and escaped his hands.
Paul is trying to tell the Corinthians, “I come not boasting about myself, but let me boast a little bit about myself to let you know what I’ve done to get to you, so that you are hearing the true word of God and understanding the structure of God. I’ve people who want to kill me and even want to arrest me, but I’m telling you now, there lie among you false apostles and teachers.” The Corinthians had gotten comfortable and thought they had it all. In other words “I had God, so I don’t have to worry about anything else. My salvation is secure and I don’t have to worry about anything else.” So Paul was trying to let them know that no matter what, you’re going to go through trials and things, but not to be comfortable and satisfied in that state. You get locked into your Christiandom that you don’t help anyone but yourself. You don’t even help your fellow man, you don’t give anything of the knowledge you’ve gained from the struggles it took for you to get through to teach you. You’re locked in your own self. Now, look at this, I’m trying to tell you, I got caught. I was stoned, I was beaten, they let me down in a basket to get away from the trouble that was pursuing me. You see the king of so and so, he had a garrison waiting to arrest me at any time if they could catch me. But you all go and listen to false apostles who haven’t done anything for you, or kept the word true to you, and now your satisfied because you figure you have the word that you want. I’m here to tell you right now that you don’t have anything. You don’t listen; you have your own form of salvation. Your locked into who you are; what you think, feel and believe. It isn’t about you, its about God and the Holy Ghost operating in you. Many of you have shut the Holy Ghost, and operated on you own by another spirit, but I’ll tell you right now, that spirit is not of God. That is the same old deceitful spirit that deceived Eve, and you all are walking and operating in the same craftiness of that spirit.
Paul was trying to warn those folks that they had gotten comfortable in their salvation. They’d fallen prey to wolves coming in sheep’s clothing. That is why he made reference to other men coming as other Apostles. But Satan can also appear as an angel of light. Paul was trying to warn them, don’t get comfortable in your seat, don’t get comfortable in your salvation that you can’t go out and do what you were originally assigned to do, to spread the Gospel and bring more sheep into the fold. They were looking at Paul, saying “who are you to say this?” Paul said let me explain to you who I am. You say you’re a Jew, I’m a Jew too. You’re a Hebrew, well I am too. I’m everything that you are, I’m an educated man, and you know where it comes from. I went around killing folks too until I came to the understanding of what I was to do in God.
2 Corinthians 12:1-6
It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities. For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me.
Paul was trying to let them know right there that “I’m real.” Don’t add to me don’t take away from me. I am one of the Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ. I have not left Him, and He has not left me. I’m in touch with the Holy Ghost, the presence of God at all times. And though I have infirmities in my flesh and weaknesses in my flesh, don’t use my weakness as an excuse not to hear the word of God coming out of my mouth. Don’t take my weaknesses as though they are failures in God’s dealing with me.
2 Corinthians 12:7-8
And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
Every true man, woman or child of God has a weakness. Satan tends to exhort that weakness. Satan has taunted me, the people, the children of God with their weakness. My weakness kills me on a daily basis. You can’t allow it to cause you to falter in your mission and calling to God, you can’t allow it to take over your Holy Ghost. I preached a sermon some time back called “Don’t let your situation dictate your salvation.” Sometimes it causes you to have a situation, and it will dictate your salvation. It will cause you to think negative about yourself or someone. It will cause you to make a move out of God that you should not have made. In the process of that happening, you are delayed, directed or misguided out of the will of God for that moment. Then you can’t do the work and because of that, there is a soul that needs to be touched by you verbally or physically who needs to hear a word from you that you had the ability to deliver. They will not hear that word at the time and fall to the wayside because you weren’t doing what you were supposed to do. Paul said he sought the Lord about the thorn in his side, but a lot of times a thorn in your side will constantly cause you to seek God, to have faith in God, and constantly keep you in your knees in prayer. The Corinthians couldn’t understand that. You need to constantly pursue God, not God pursuing you, because He won’t. God loves you and you know that. What was God’s response?
2 Corinthians 2:9
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
How can you get strength out of weakness? His grace, caring and love are all we need. He will not put any more on us than we can bear. We have that confidence in Him. He is not trying to break us, He’s trying to make us. He is allowing weakness to keep us on our knees and to seek Him more. “If you are My child, you will not like that part of you.” You will say, Lord deliver me, and you’ll be on your knees the next day or week. But if that thing wasn’t there, you’ll get comfortable and be complacent in your salvation. It’s like water land locked with no well feeding it, becoming stagnant. What happens to stagnant things, they begin to smell. That is exactly what a child of God who lacks tests experiences. They become self-righteous becoming a stink in God’s nostrils. But if you’re constantly going through something, all the saints and apostles in the Bible, were all going through something. Even Christ, he was always praying, his disciples always praying, the prophets always praying. Look at Daniel, constantly going through stress because of the people around him. A child of God without a test going through in their lives, cannot be a child of God. They will never grow or mature. They will become stagnant and die. A lot of people in church today aren’t going through tests; they feel it isn’t necessary, that their salvation is secure, their good to go, no problems or issues. And they never see themselves situated in a place where there is a test upon them, they never go through an issue, people bothering them, a flesh issue. People delivered from smoking have a tendency to go back and smoke. And then a saint sees them and says they aren’t saved. They are saved, the Lord doesn’t deliver out of all your symptoms totally. It keeps you on your knees and constantly crying out to the Lord, to keep a constant relationship with Him.
2 Corinthians 12:9
..for my strength is made perfect in weakness…
You are being perfected in your trials, you are being perfected. Lord don’t take my weakness away, but give me strength to go through.
2 Corinthians 12:10
Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
Isn’t this what saints go through now? But sometimes they let their weakness take control of them, and use their weakness as an excuse to leave the church. We know that we have a weakness, a thorn in our side that Satan has placed there. He knows that your weakness keeps you from your destiny. But he now knows it makes you draw closer to God. He can only delay you. That is what Satan wants to do.
In my conclusion, being a Child of God is not an easy thing, as some of the people from the ’60s and ’70s portrayed it to be. Going around with a smile of joy on your face, handing out pamphlets of love and no worries. Telling people to be born again and all your trials will be over. That is not true. It’s just the beginning of your walk. Like anything else you do in life, if you are going to succeed in a goal, you’ll encounter pitfalls, snares, trials, headaches, and sometimes it seems like all the above, just to make it through as a Child of God in this life. But the Word of God says the suffering in this world is only temporary because it does not yet appear what we shall be.
Romans 8:18-19
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
1 John 3:2
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
So just like Paul said, to live is for Christ and to die is to gain. As Paul was caught in a betwixt to go and get his reward or stay here and win more souls, we should not allow the sufferings we go through to slow down our work and walk for Christ. We should endure as good soldiers, so that He can say well done good and faithful servanat, enter into the house of the Lord.