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A thorn just for you

A thorn just for you
2 Cor. 12:7 (NLT)
even though I have received wonderful revelations from God. But to keep me from getting puffed up, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from getting proud.

Say it with my just for me.
1. Keep my humble-
a. Deut. 8:14-16 (NLT)
b. that is the time to be careful. Do not become proud at that time and forget the Lord your God, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt. [15] Do not forget that he led you through the great and terrifying wilderness with poisonous snakes and scorpions, where it was so hot and dry. He gave you water from the rock! [16] He fed you with manna in the wilderness, a food unknown to your ancestors. He did this to humble you and test you for your own good.
c. What does it mean to be humble?
d. 2 Samuel 22:28 (NLT) You rescue those who are humble, but your eyes are on the proud to humiliate them.
e. God loves humble people and likes to hang around them but when they get prideful he walks away from them. Pride is not a fruit of the spirit nor one of the gifts.
f. When God chose Moses to be the great deliver He had to break him of his own ideas and the plans he had.
g. How does a thorn help us be humble You might ask? Well it makes us look for answers that are only found only in Christ. We think we are self-sufficient until things begin to pile up and we have to admit we cannot handle it.
2. The power of Christ
a. Philip. 3:10 (NLT)
b. As a result, I can really know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I can learn what it means to suffer with him, sharing in his death,
c. The thorns that are giving to us will help us experience the power of Jesus so we can learn from Him.
d. Hebrews 13:20 (NLT)
e. [20-21] And now, may the God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, all that is pleasing to him. Jesus is the great Shepherd of the sheep by an everlasting covenant, signed with his blood. To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.
f. When God called Paul to preach to the Gentiles He had to take him through many trials to shape him and mold him. So that he could be a witness and a testimony by his obedience to the Lord
i. Acts 20:19 (NLT)
ii. I have done the Lord's work humbly—yes, and with tears. I have endured the trials that came to me from the plots of the Jews.
g. The thorn that was given to Job was to lose everything dear to him his family, money and even his health. Job was put in a position to see if he believes God was who He said He was.
3. Hardships, persecutions and trouble
a. Romans 8:38 (NLT)
b. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can't, and life can't. The angels can't, and the demons can't. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can't keep God's love away.
c. When God chose Joseph to be a great leader in Egypt, He had to train him by emptying him from all of the pride he had.
i. You have to understand that Joseph was spoiled by his father from his child hood. His father always gave him the best and put him first before his other brothers. He was Rachel’s son, so he was his favorite.
d. The pain that we experience today will lead us closer to the Lord to be able to learn to trust Him and grow closer to Him, if we let it or we grow bitter and rebellious.
e. In the life of Isaiah we see that before he could say “Here I am, send me” there came a cleansing in the form of a burning coal this was done to cleanse his lips. Our lips speak death… we speak how we feel, what it looks like, what others are saying, instead of what God has said in His word.
f. God uses things in our life to cleanse us of all the junk we grow up with.

God knows everything you go through and He does not ignore it. He wants you to see Him in everything that happens to you.
Genesis 50:19-20 (NLT)
But Joseph told them, "Don't be afraid of me. Am I God, to judge and punish you? [20] As far as I am concerned, God turned into good what you meant for evil. He brought me to the high position I have today so I could save the lives of many people.

Posted by pastoral on 2009-10-06 21:17:28 | Rating: