When I’m Weak Then I’m Strong, Explanation Of 2 Corinthians 12:10
Our strength does not lie in the flesh. The flesh has to weaken, the apostle Paul says: “When I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10), but when I am strong, then I am weak. We do not know what extraordinary circumstance, agony, or determination Paul found himself in. Still, he cried out to heaven, he cried out to the Lord to remove a string from his flesh that slapped him, that hit him continuously, the divine response was immediate, the Lord He replied: “My grace is sufficient for you; for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Weakness is when the power of the flesh weakens. When the person is beaten through trial, pain, illness, economic situation, persecution, slander, mockery, the person then feel weak. Spiritually speaking, he is no longer haughty, he is no longer rude, so he feels helpless in the flesh; and when the glorious power of the Spirit arises, then the Spirit has been strengthened, that person begins to be more humble; because when he was powerful in the flesh, he did not accept anyone’s advice, he did not allow anyone to point out an error to him, he wanted to live independently of others. That’s why I thank God for the tests we went through, knowing that all this is just a process.
What God intended to do with this man of God was to weaken his flesh through a thorn that buffets him, humiliates him, so this man in his Spirit understands that he is weak. When a person feels weak (in his flesh), certain very attractive characteristics, such as humility, kindness, simplicity, and other virtues, begin to appear in his life. His flesh weakened, and he is no longer thinking of himself; he thinks of others. When a person is carnal, he does not greet anyone, and rather he waits to be greeted; he waits for everyone to give him a glass of water, but he doesn’t give it to anyone; that everyone speaks well of him, but he does not speak well of anyone; that is the flesh, but the power of the Spirit is going to weaken that flesh.
The Word of God clearly says: “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. Because the desire of the flesh is against the Spirit, and that of the Spirit is against the flesh, and these oppose one another so that you do not do what you want” (Galatians 5:16-17). When the flesh is strong, it opposes the Spirit. The Spirit says I am hungry and thirsty for God, the flesh will never be hungry for God, it knows that it is hungry for beaches, cinemas, horror movies, the flesh feeds on pornography, he feeds himself with miniskirts, with unseemly fashions, dirty and corrupt fashions, that is the flesh, but the Spirit inclines him to hunger and thirst for God.
“The desire of the flesh is against the Spirit, and the desire of the Spirit is against the flesh” (Galatians 5:17); they fight with each other. The flesh likes the things of the earth like laziness, sleep, going only on Sunday to the temple; what luxury and the rest of the week resting, watching television, watching soap operas, watching dirty movies, because those who do that don’t even come to the convention; it is a powerful fight endorsed and supported by the devil, the flesh is advised by darkness. But the Spirit is advised by the Spirit of God; that is why the apostle Paul cried out that we are strengthened in the inner man by the Spirit when we have that strength of the Spirit of God in us, then the flesh cannot stop us.
The Word clearly says in Ephesians 6:10, and we read: “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” Not in the power of our strength but in the power of God. Furthermore, it says: “Put on the full armour of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:11-12); That is why this is not a game against religion, God is forming a battalion, because here we have to have the sword in hand, we have to fight, we have to have a strong spirit. Amen.
