Exchanging Weakness for Strength...

Bible readings... 
“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. (8) For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. (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. (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.”
II Corinthians 12:7-10
​--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hello everyone! Welcome, to Sunday Inspiration…at the Risen Hope Ministries! I am so glad that you decided to join me today and my prayer is that we all will truly experience a very special touch, from a very special God!
 
As we begin today, I hope that you will take the time to read the Bible reading that I have posted on this page. These verses are actually my life verses and I have held tightly to these Bible verses, for about 26 years of my life.
 
I will never forget the day, when God first opened these verses up within my heart. I was sitting in our living room…recovering from one of the many knee surgeries I had gone through, for most of my life. My husband had gone to work and as I sat there all alone, I looked up to a picture of Jesus that we had over the fireplace at the time and with tears coming down my face, I cried from the depth of my heart. This was one of the many times, when I sat hopeless…feeling as though my world had completely come crashing down…with not one glimpse of hope in sight.
 
As I sat there, with my Bible on my lap…pouring my heart out to God, until there were no more tears to cry; God began to work with my spirit and these are the verses He led me to that day. As I began to read each word, I remember saying to God… “You are asking me to rejoice, when my heart is broken and there is no hope to hold to?” Then I said… “This doesn’t make sense to me.”
 
As I quietly sat there…once more, God began to open up my heart and show me the true meaning of these verses. That day, I learned that when we can truly have a heart of rejoicing, while facing the difficult struggles of life; then we are showing God…through our hearts; that we believe that this is one of the greatest opportunities, to experience His hand at work within our lives. Just think…when we feel as if God has walked away; these are actually the moments, when He longs so much to step into the darkness with us and touch and heal our broken spirits. Wow!
 
So many times, we look at weakness, as though we are lost in the middle of darkness…with no way out, which can feel pretty hopeless; but when we have God in our lives; this becomes the greatest opportunity, for us to not only experience His hand upon us; but this is also the greatest way to experience the strength of a strong and mighty God through our weakness.
 
Today, we need to realize that weakness isn’t the end of the story, of what we may be experiencing at the time; but instead, it’s the beginning of all God longs for us to experience…only through Himself, instead of ourselves. When we are willing to make a trade with God…our weaknesses for His strength; then we will come to see how He can truly use these moments of affliction, in a very powerful way!
Blessings on your Sunday!
It’s Always & Only Because of Him…
Diane
​

---