I Have To Be Weak... (Exposing The Lie & Revealing The Truth)


Jesus said in John 8:44, “When the devil lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar, and is the father of lies.”

One of the most common lies that our spiritual enemy wants us to believe, is the lie that we have to be strong enough, that we have to hold it all together. That if it’s going to be, it’s going to be up to me. That we have got to pull ourselves up by our own boot straps, that we have to work harder, that we have to perform, that we’ve got to produce … that we have to be strong enough on our own.

Jesus, gives us the answer for the lies in John 8:32, He said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Satan wants you to believe the lie, “I have to be strong enough.” Jesus, though, wants to reveal the truth, and when you experience the truth, the truth will set you free.

No matter how strong you are, your strength is limited. You are not created by God to have all the ability in your own strength. Your strength is intentionally limited. God’s strength, is unlimited, and that’s why God wants us not to depend on our own limited abilities, but to live empowered by His unlimited spiritual power.

So, here’s the lie, “You’ve got to be strong enough. You’ve got to try harder. You’ve got to be better! If you just cared more, if you were more faithful, if you just worked harder at it, then you could get it done.” All straight from the father of lies.

The lie is, “I have to be strong.” Here’s the truth, “You have to be weak, broken, vulnerable, and dependent.” You have to be weak.

The Apostle Paul learned this. Paul had something in his life that was driving him crazy. He called it a thorn in his side. We don’t know what it was, but we know he begged God, “Take it away.” He begged three times, but for some higher purpose, God, left it there. And we kind of see God’s lesson in 2nd Corinthians 12:9-10.

In Paul’s desperation and frustration, God spoke to Paul in verse 9 and said this, “My grace is sufficient for you. For my power is made perfect in weakness.”

You can’t do it. God’s got to do it for you.

“My grace is sufficient for you. For my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Look at the literal translation of these words from the original Greek for the true meaning... 

Grace. This is the word KHARIS. It is translated as grace or unmerited favor. It literally means a divine influence upon a heart. It is from God, not from us.

Sufficient. It comes from the word ARCHAEO. It literally means sufficient or exactly enough.

Power. This is the word DUNAMIS. We get our word dynamite from this word. It means explosive, miraculous power.

Perfect. This is TETELESTAI. This root word is the same word that Jesus said while on the cross when He said, “It is finished.” It literally means completely fulfilled.

Weakness. The last word, ASTHENEO is translated as weakness, and. It means disease, infirmity, or brokenness.

“My KHARIS is ARCHEO for you, for my DUNAMIS is made TETELESTAI in ASTHENEO.”

A very literal translation of this verse would look and sound more like this...

“God’s divine influence is exactly enough to meet your every need, for His explosive miraculous power is made completely perfect in you when you are broken before Him”.

Your spiritual enemy would love for you to believe that if you can be stronger, that you can work it out, that you can pull it off on your own. You can’t.

In verse 10, Paul goes on to say, “...because of this, I delight in weaknesses.” That word "delight", literally means to embrace. Let me ask you...What weakness do you need to embrace today? What human limitation do you need to embrace, accept, and surrender to God today, so that you can begin to see Him move in your life like He wants to?

Apart from Christ, we can do nothing, for it’s not by our might, it’s not by our power, it’s not by our efforts...but it is by His Spirit.

God is waiting and He is ready to make His strength, His miraculous power, exactly what you need for this very moment.

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