“He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.”
Because of his ministry
and commitment to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ, God’s Word reveals that the
Apostle Paul faced many hardships, including the threat of imprisonment and
death. 2Corinthians 12:7 tells
us that he was assaulted and tormented by a messenger of satan, which he
referred to as a ‘thorn in the flesh’. Paul’s responsibility to the
faith was huge, and as he progressed in ministry and notoriety, he had more
than his fair share of enemies, but Paul didn’t allow any of this to keep him from
carrying forth God’s work. He could have thrown in the towel and given up, but
he had faith in God. He was confident that through the Holy Spirit, God’s
strength was the foundation of his life, and it should be the foundation of our
lives as well.
This is an especially important
truth for those enduring the abuse of domestic violence. There are so many
emotions involved in this struggle. We can be deeply devoted to the abuser, but
terrified and angry at the same time. We desperately want to break free, but
there’s a part of us that ultimately always gives in to what the abuser wants.
These are controlling behaviors, and for many individuals in situations of
domestic violence, this is their “thorn in the flesh.”
Whether this person is intimidating
you by body blocking, sulking until you give in to what they want, or being menacing,
mocking, and aggressive through their behavior and speech, it’s all an attempt
to have dominance over you. To fall victim to this kind of treatment is not God’s
Will for any individual, man or woman. Domestic violence and abuse is all about
someone trying to have power over you. When you’re being controlled this way, despite
your desire not to be, it is a sure indication that your mind and heart need to
be nourished by the bread of God’s Word.
We can’t walk and live
in a truth we don’t know, but when we know better, we have the potential to be
and do better. When someone we love isn’t treating us the way all God’s
children should be treated, we need a change of heart and mind. Our faith in God
needs to be increased, and Romans 10:17 tells us that faith comes by hearing
the Word of God.
Many of us don’t believe
that if we get out of an abusive relationship, that we’ll be okay. The person
that is being abused may not have a support system or financial backing in
place, and this can make leaving seem more riskier than staying in the
situation. This line of thinking seems rational to someone that is used to
being robbed of their strength and power on a continuous basis. The mind of a
victim remains blinded to possibility and confidence when it is not stimulated by
faith in God.
Reading His promises and
gaining knowledge of His love is transformative. 2Peter 1:3 (NLT) states, “3
By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly
life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us
to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.” According to the brilliance and perfection of
His intellect, love, and power, God has gifted us everything that is required
to live to the fullest. Right now, at this very moment, you are packed to
overflowing with His gifts. His strength is inside you. Coming to know God
through Jesus Christ is the thing that reacquaints us with the wonder of who He
created us to be. We become better acquainted with our truest and highest self by
learning about Jesus Christ and by following his example. Then what’s on the
inside begins to impact and change our outside reality.
Ephesians 2:8(NLT)
states, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take
credit for this; it is a gift from God.” All God’s promises points to the
magnificence of His plan to have us participating with Him in the way He
purposed. What exactly is the way God has purposed? It’s to fully walk in His
power and strength, and to be fully confident in the depth, width, and breadth
of His perfect love. Paul said in Romans 1:16 (NLT), “For I am not ashamed
of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone
who believes.” Through Jesus Christ, God has succeeded in putting humanity
right with Himself. He’s done it all for us, and He has made it our responsibility
to believe, trust, and make ourselves comfortable in all that He has
accomplished through His beloved Son, Jesus Christ.
God desires us to exercise
His power and strength in our lives so that we will no longer be blinded by
fear and paralyzed by darkness and terror. His desire is that we walk in the
liberty that Jesus Christ won for us. God’s grace and love is the winning strategy
in life. So, it just makes sense that we should make it our life’s ambition to
know Him more, because this is the way to put on more of His strength and wear
it like a second skin.
He tells us in Isaiah
41:10(ESV), “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your
God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my
righteous right hand.” If we lose sight of the greatness of God’s love and
being, we will lose sight of all He has created us to be. We were not put on
this earth to be blind-sighted, misled, and mistreated by a thorn in the flesh.
We’re here to live in Christ through God’s love. To do this we must embrace God’s
vision of who we are and get into His Word, because this is key to growing in
faith and allowing the strength of God within to transform your life inside out.
Scripture quotations
marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©
1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois
60189. All rights reserved.
English
Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright ©
2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
“The Strength of God
Within You”, written by Kim for
https://rescuefromdomesticviolence.blogspot.com© 2022. All rights reserved. All
praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.■
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