Accept Your Thorn
Like all people, Paul had something in his life that tormented him. He prayed that God would take it away, but He didn't. He offered Paul His grace instead, and His power in weakness. God wants to do this for you too.
This boasting will do no good, but I must go on. I will reluctantly tell about visions and revelations from the Lord. I was caught up to the third heaven fourteen years ago. Whether I was in my body or out of my body, I don't know - only God knows. Yes, only God knows whether I was in my body or outside my body. But I do know that I was caught up to paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell.
That experience is worth boasting about, but I'm not going to do it. I will boast only about my weaknesses. If I wanted to boast, I would be no fool in doing so, because I would be telling the truth. But I won't do it, because I don't want anyone to give me credit beyond what they can see in my life or hear in my message, even though I have received such wonderful revelation from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.
Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness. So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That's why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. ~ 2 Corinthians 12: 1-10 (English Edition - The Bible for Women)
If you have been praying for God to remove something from you or your life - perhaps He is saying the very same thing above. Accept your thorn, for my grace is sufficient for thee and that His perfect strength is made in your weakness so that His power (that anointing you have) can work though you.
Prayer: Thank you Father for the thorn. Lord, although we may not understand sometimes why we have to go through the some of the things that we do, we trust you completely and we know that through whatever trials, tribulations, hardships, and insults that you are working out Your perfect will in our lives. We thank you that your strength is made in the weaker things which will make us strong through You! In Jesus' Name, Amen.
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