Welcome to Kendra Graham’s Online Bible Study! This is a place where we can come together and share in our journey towards Scriptural truths and spiritual maturity. We pray this will be a safe, respectful, resourceful place to come and discuss God’s Word…to discover What it says…What it means…and What it means to you!
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Kendra Graham notes from 2 Corinthians 12:10.
WHAT DOES IT SAY? THE FACTS ONLY PLEASE.
In this step you need to list the outstanding facts of the passage. DON’T get caught up in the details, just list the facts. Do not paraphrase. Use the actual words of the passage. This is God’s Word, a lot of times this step seems tedious to some, but I urge you, as we read, and say and write God’s Word, it begins to sink deep into our hearts. If you just pick one fact out of the verse, write it down and meditate on it.
FACTS :
“When I am weak, I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:10)
WHAT DOES IT MEAN? THE LESSONS.
Look for a lesson to learn from each fact. What are the people doing that they should be doing? What are the people doing that they shouldn’t be doing?
Is there a command to follow? A promise to claim? A warning to heed? An example to follow?
LESSONS:
My dear friend had the worst weekend… and now it’s Monday, and she has a huge task set in front of her. Her boss has said no, twice already, yet today, she has to ask again. God has moved her heart to do so. She has no more energy to be winsome, no more power of persuasion; no strength to even get out of the car actually…. it’s perfect timing for God’s power to be displayed in her life, because she is a canvas of weakness.
A friend calls her en route to work… and prays that in her weakness God will go before her and that the hand of God will be seen, and His glory will be revealed to her, no matter the outcome. When the two finished praying, in her weakness a strength welled up in her soul, as the burden of her work shifted to the shoulders of God… and…GOD WORKED in an unmistakable way she may have missed… not because of her strength but in her weakness. When she was emptied of herself, God flipped the switch. Through it all, miracles were accomplished right before her eyes. The hearts of everyone, changed in a moment; when she was weak, then she was strong. This testimony of my friend, encouraged me, and really described to me, the essence of this verse.
The Apostle Paul wrote this verse in 2 Corinthians, and honestly, I don’t like to be weak! In 2 Corinthians 12:9 Paul states that God’s power is “made perfect in weakness”. This is so contradictory in society today, isn’t it? Power and strength through weakness?
A mark of a disciple of Jesus, is faith and trust in Him. We love when God finally decides to use the “strength” of our “natural talents” for Him, don’t we? When God uses what we think He should use how we think it should be used, it is easy, it’s a natural outflow of what we want to do for Him, and… it is something we are familiar with, so the amount of faith and dependence on Christ is…minimal.
BUT GOD…wants to increase our faith and dependence on Him to show us how much He loves us, and what He wants to do right in front of our eyes… SO God… in His grace, mercy and love… brings us to a point of weakness so that we have nothing left to do, but trust that He’s got us.
God was pressing Paul to have confidence in His strength through the fact of his weakness. The weaker we are… the more dependent we become. God wants us to depend on Him, so He will bring us to the point of that dependence, not because He hates us, but because He loves us and wants to show us what He can and will do for us. The power of God is put on display, when we get ourselves out of the way. It’s often not until we are desperate that we see the mighty hand of God work in unspeakable amazing ways!
I want to see God work, but I don’t want to be weak and desperate. If I refuse to allow myself to be broken and bread and poured out wine in the hands of Jesus, then I am choosing to settle to hear of all the testimonies of those who will. I will miss the miracles and testimony that God has for me. Jesus was broken bread and poured out wine in the hands of His Father. The Apostle Paul here, is broken bread and poured out wine in the hands of Jesus. A loaf of bread will never feed someone, it’s pretty to look at in its state of perfection, but useless, unless it’s broken into bite size pieces; then those pieces can feed a crowd. A grape never satisfied the thirst of a single person, yet a crushed grape can make the finest wine after it is squeezed. Trust God in your weakness.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO ME NOW? APPLY IT…. TODAY.
Take the lessons you learned and put them into the form of a personal question that you would ask your spouse, or a friend or your son or daughter.
As you write the questions, listen for God to communicate to you through His Word.
*Do not rush. Do not write things down just to have something on paper, this step takes more time that you may think. This is where Scripture meditation becomes real, this is where you begin to hear that still small voice speak to you, and place His finger in your life and begin to direct your paths…. this day, and the next, and the next. Do you trust Him enough to put into place that which He is moving you to?
If God’s power becomes more evident in your weakness, then are you looking for God to work in BIG ways when He seemingly has gone out of His way to bring you to your knees?
When has God brought you to a state of total dependence on Him so you could see His glory, love, grace or mercy displayed more fully?
Will you walk away from a God who is relentless for you because in your pride you refuse to be weak and desperate so you choose to be angry and bitter?
LIVE IT OUT!
Hold yourself accountable to LIVE OUT in your daily life that which God impresses upon your heart. Write it out, sign it, date it and claim the transforming power of God’s Word and His presence in your life.
It’s in the things that drive us to our knees, those moments of weakness that God allows, in our lives to show us His power. We run from all things that make us out to be weak, but what if today, in your weakness you pressed into it, and asked God to make you strong in Him? Today, run to God in your desperate state today, fighting the crowds of your feelings, frustration and hurt just to touch the hem of His garment and rest in the strength of His arms.
How has God used your weakness to display His strength in your life? Will you encourage someone today with the testimony above?
*Please note: Kendra will no longer assign specific homework for this study. She will still use the Three-Question approach and recommends you do the same. Kendra would love to hear what Scripture is speaking to you at this season in your life. Please leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
Get stuck? www.annegrahamlotz.com and Anne will walk through the Three Questions with you and help you along!