Strength in Weakness

“So then, we must cling in faith to all we know to be true. For we have a magnificent King-Priest, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who rose into the heavenly realm for us, and now sympathizes with us in our frailty.  He understands humanity, for as a man, our magnificent King-Priest was tempted in every way just as we are, and conquered sin.  So now we draw near freely and boldly to where grace is enthroned, to receive mercy’s kiss and discover the grace we urgently need to strengthen us in our time of weakness.”  Hebrews 4:14-16 TPT

I don’t know about you, but I just want to read those scriptures over and over again.  What reassurances!  I want to break the scriptures down because there is so much packed into these three verses. 

What do you think it means to “cling in faith to all we know to be true”? 

Early in my adult years with the Lord, I made the decision to believe that if one part of the Bible was true then all of it was true.  If I was going to believe that Jesus was my Lord and Savior, then every other scripture in the Bible had to be true.  It was all or nothing.  I could not and would not believe part to be truth and not the whole.  If I could prove something with scripture (like an attorney in court) then I could stand on it as absolute truth and by surrendering the things in my life that did not align with this absolute truth Jesus could and would cause these things to change and shift to align with truth.  For the past 22 years, I have been watching Him do just that.  I don’t try to justify my actions with scriptures.  I surrender the parts of my life that don’t line up with His word.     

When I first decided to stand firm and walk this out, my life and the lives around me didn’t look much like a reflection of scripture.  I am not talking historical and cultural contrasts; I am talking scripture and it’s promises manifested and reflected in our lives.  Sure, we went to church but were we as close to the word being manifested as possibly?  No.  We were far from it. 

I refused to accept this contrast as “just the way it is” and instead dug in deep and clung in faith to all that I knew to be true in scripture. If scripture said that Christians were to be a certain way or reflect certain things (remember the fruits of the spirit?) then I wanted my life to reflect this.  Faith is believing before we have the evidence to prove it. 

The overall truth in the scriptures above is that the Lord strengthens us in our time of weakness through mercy and grace.  So in a time of weakness, I would thank Him for making me strong through His mercy and grace.  Even if I felt like a disaster and looked like a disaster to others around me, I chose to cling in faith to what scripture said was true. 

Beautifully, this passage lets us know that Jesus can sympathize with our human frailty because he has been where we are.  He was tempted but conquered sin.  In Him, we too can conquer sin.  However, as we are learning and surrendering and stumbling and learning and stumbling and surrendering…this passage assures us that we can go directly to Him, and He will extend grace and mercy because he understands the weakness of our humanity.   

The Lord looks at our heart:  “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds,” Jeremiah 17:10.  If the position of your heart is to walk in obedience and grow in closeness and intimacy with the Lord, He encourages you, helps you, and extends grace as you are growing.  He is going to protect you and cover you from the enemy so that you have room to grow.  However, if disobedience is rooted anywhere in us, sometimes a little tough love is needed to bring us to a place of desiring to be back in full fellowship with the Lord. 

Remember that our God is a God of fullness and completeness.  He desires all of you not part of you.  Will you give Him all of you?

Things to reflect on…

Jesus extends grace to you so that you have room to grow.  Do you extend grace to yourself while you are learning and growing? 

Is all of you surrendered in obedience to the Lord, or do you hold some of yourself back?  Are you all in or on the fence? If you play the hokey-pokey with your relationship with the Lord, ask yourself why. 

Do you feel that you can boldly go to Jesus with anything that you struggle with?  Why or why not?

Moving forward…

Need help in this area?  I am happy to journey with you!  From resources, deliverance, freedom coaching and more to come, I am with you, friend.  I want to see you walking in complete freedom and in daily peace with the Lord.  It is not only possible, but He is waiting for you.  Do you need help getting there?

In Love and Service,

Andrea