Paul’s “Thorn”~ The extraordinary level of the revelations I’ve received is no reason for anyone to exalt me. For this is why a thorn in my flesh was given to me, the Adversary’s messenger sent to harass me, keeping me from becoming arrogant. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to relieve me of this. But he answered me, “My grace is always more than enough for you, and my power finds its full expression through your weakness.” So I will celebrate my weaknesses, for when I’m weak I sense more deeply the mighty power of Christ living in me. So I’m not defeated by my weakness, but delighted! For when I feel my weakness and endure mistreatment—when I’m surrounded with troubles on every side and face persecution because of my love for Christ—I am made yet stronger. For my weakness becomes a portal to God’s power. 2 Corinthians 12:7-20 The Passion Translation
Stormy Life Seasons
Life Transitions, you gotta love them! NOT! I have been in a very long and stormy life season, which was ushered in by a “thorn” in my soul. Every day I get up, the thorn is there and I know it will remain until I transition out of this stormy life season. But, the ending date, it keeps changing and that pushes the thorn deeper in my soul. I just want it out. I have asked God, I have sought to remove it, but He said no. I get up every day and think, I can’t bear this, I can’t make it through another day of this. There are times I am so distracted by this thorn, that some days, I can’t even think straight. Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever been in a life season that you can’t wait for it to be your “heavenly hindsight”? I am and I do, and I anticipate and hope to be able to read my life story and see how God penned an overwhelming victory out of my personal battle and changed up my thorn to a testimony of living legacy.
Thornology: “From Mountain Of Awesome To Valley Of Awful, God permits pain, ordains discipline and allows thorns to squeeze out of us everything that keeps us from trusting in God.” Darrin Patrick ~ Listen Up To The Whole Message Here: https://www.seacoast.org/seacoast_go/part-4-receiving-power-story/
Growing Through The Stormy Life Seasons
The truth of the matter is, I have grown spiritually in this life season that I despise, because it has humbled me. I can’t just “do it” with my personal self-dependence. This season of life has been one that I can’t even will-power through it. I have learned about a wholly-holy dependency on God. I have seen God’s power at work in my weakness, as I humbly bow before Him. I am never without the aching of a thorn in my soul, which daily humbles my flesh and reminds me of my need for Jesus. I have acknowleded that God is writing my life story and I submit the pen to Him. This has been a very long and stormy life season and I can see from the glimpses of the preface of the my new season, which is being written circumstantially, that God is bringing this stormy life season to an end soon. I realize that it is in this transitional time between the old and the new that all hell likes to break forth and I know, I must keep my eyes on Jesus in followship of Him and not be distracted by my thorn or any sudden devices of the enemy of my soul.
This gospel unveils a continual revelation of God’s righteousness—a perfect righteousness given to us when we believe. And it moves us from receiving life through faith, to the power of living by faith. This is what the Scripture means when it says: “We are right with God through life-giving faith!” Romans 1:17 The Passion Translation
Vital-Vertical Relationship ~ Heart To Heart
Intimacy with God, a personal heart to heart relationship with Him, assures a life which is fruitful in the goodness of God, ripe in the character of God and attractive to others and able to draw people to God and into His Kingdom. Our stormy seasons of life, do not change this, because in Christ, heart to heart, in vital-vertical relationship with His Holy Spirit, it is possible to ride out the storms of this life in God’s strength; a power within our inner core that fuels a faith to faith reality of truth in our today.
And have you forgotten his encouraging words spoken to you as his children? He said, “My child, don’t underestimate the value of the discipline and training of the Lord God, or get depressed when he has to correct you. For the Lord’s training of your life is the evidence of his faithful love. And when he draws you to himself, it proves you are his delightful child.” Fully embrace God’s correction as part of your training, for he is doing what any loving father does for his children. For who has ever heard of a child who never had to be corrected? We all should welcome God’s discipline as the validation of authentic sonship. For if we have never once endured his correction it only proves we are strangers and not sons. Hebrews 12:5-8 The Passion Translation
My Thorn Is My Training
Clinging to God, digging our life roots deeply in Him, is being anchored with an anchor that can hold us steady in every stormy life season, this is Kingdom Living. Fleshing out and truthing in is what I do every day in this stormy life season, where I feel way over my head in uncomfortable loneliness. I realize God has purposefully uprooted me from the comfort I have known of having a home, and from being rooted in a community I know. This is part of my training and equipping for my future. God has even separated me from my close heart relationships, from my children, grandkids, neighbors and kindred friends. I have cried out to Him, letting Him know this thorn is more than I can bear. Yet, in the loneliness, I know without a doubt, God allows it. Why? Because He loves me and He knows His powerful purpose is working in me, changing me, preparing me, training me and personally equipping me for what is to come. This transitional training, it too shall pass and my stormy life season will, God purposefully, slow fade into the new life season He has prepared in advance for me. I put all my expectations in Christ, (Psalm 62) as I rest in Him with my thorn fully in tact.
As we enter into God’s faith-rest life we cease from our own works, just as God celebrates his finished works and rests in them. So then we must give our all and be eager to experience this faith-rest life, so that no one falls short by following the same pattern of doubt and unbelief. For we have the living Word of God, which is full of energy, and it pierces more sharply than a two-edged sword. It will even penetrate to the very core of our being where soul and spirit, bone and marrow meet! It interprets and reveals the true thoughts and secret motives of our hearts. Hebrews 4:10-12 The Passion Translation
Keep God’s Word Alive And Active In You
Living in a vital-vertical relationship with God, one that makes it personal between us, (The Father-The Son-The Holy Spirit), this is how I will be changed up to maturity in Christ. I know God is purposefully allowing this stormy life season to work out my salvation, so there is less of me and more of Him. My choice is clearly between these two plans: Plan A~ I humbly accept my thorn, choosing to surrender to God’s Will in this stormy life season, as I diligently follow after His lead, learning and growing through this thorny time with my identity wholly-holy in Him. With my heart guarded by gratefulness, praise, God’s Word and my shield of faith, I add value to everything and everyone in my life path and experience God’s overwhelming victory. Plan B~ I pridefully try to figure everything out, working to fix it on my own, and settling in with the disappointment, loneliness and despair, as I bitterly complain through this time I did not ask for. Exhausted by failed self-striving I am brought so low, deadened, I arrogantly kick and scream with my will bucked up against God, devaluing everything and everyone in my life path. Which do I choose? I choose Plan A. God’s Word is powerful, and as I stay in it, I feel it convicts my flesh and strengthens the resolve of my spirit to make the choice for life, the one where I grow through this stormy life season and add value through it. I know without a doubt, God’s Word plays a big part in empowering my right choice.
Wisdom, Our Hiding Place~ My child, never drift off course from these two goals for your life: to walk in wisdom and to discover discernment. Don’t ever forget how they empower you. For they strengthen you inside and out and inspire you to do what’s right; you will be energized and refreshed by the healing they bring. They give you living hope to guide you, and not one of life’s tests will cause you to stumble. You will sleep like a baby, safe and sound— your rest will be sweet and secure. Proverbs 3:21-24 The Passion Translation
A Heart Guarded With God’s Wisdom
I guard my heart in this stormy life season with God’s Word. My soul has its emotional flare ups as my comfort zone grows smaller and smaller, my reacts and sometimes I flesh out. I know I am but flesh and I realize I have this arrogant human condition, but God, with His Words living powerfully within me, conquerors my weak flesh and He strengthens my self-control. In this stormy life season, there is no rest from my flesh. The thorn pokes me and I react, so God and I have this kind of scenario going on. A lot of times in the morning, I get up thorn weary, facing another day and I flesh out. I wake up crying and I tell God: “I can’t do another day like this, being alone, the loneliness is overwhelming me” Poor me, poor me and the pity party begins. God waits until I am finished fleshing out. He is still there, waiting for me to be done. He says: “Are you done yet? Now listen up, my daughter, bow before Me and let’s start this day anew, empowered by Me, because you can grow through this day in my strength, with overwhelming victory. Because, my child, even if the thorn stays, I too remain. Where is your focus going to be? Will it be me or will it be that thorn? Humble yourself before Me and I will lift you up into this day, with joy, on the wings of an eagle.”
“It is humility or humiliation. Plan A you can humble yourself. Plan B, you can be humbled. If we won’t get low before God, He will humble us.” Darrin Patrick
Adding Value Through Our Life Choices
So, the pity party, I still have them, but not very often, because as I surrender to the thorn of loneliness, in this stormy life season, I am experiencing God’s power like never before in my weakness. God’s purposes are in play, every day, teaching and equipping me, therefore, I am not just going through this stormy life season, gaining nothing of value, I am growing through it with gain in my spiritual maturity and adding value to God’s Kingdom. If I choose the way of hating my stormy life season, complaining about my thorn, and being bitter about what I have lost in this season of life, then I devalue myself, I devalue God’s reputation, and I devalue God’s Kingdom. This is not the choice I want to make. I choose the living of giving up what I want, to gain the spiritual treasures God has for me. I choose to surrender to the stormy life season, with the painful thorn, and in doing so, I choose Christ, His way, His truth, His life and His power. Today is His day, not mine and I give Him total access to me, to use me, this day according to what He perfectly and purposefully has willed. On This Day My Thorn Remains, But So Does My God.
“I am the sprouting vine and you’re my branches. As you live in union with me as your source, fruitfulness will stream from within you—but when you live separated from me you are powerless. If a person is separated from me, he is discarded; such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire to be burned. But if you live in life-union with me and if my words live powerfully within you—then you can ask whatever you desire and it will be done. When your lives bear abundant fruit, you demonstrate that you are my mature disciples who glorify my Father!” John 15:5-8 The Passion Translation
Connected To God ~ Heart To Heart
I am learning amazing things in this stormy life season, which has been a big life challenge, yet connected heart to heart with God, I grow through. The Holy Spirit is my Advocate, my encouragement in this life seasons where the days are not what I had planned and I have to navigate through rough waters. I had a dream, it was my personal dream, it died. So here I am in this stormy life season where I feel my comfort zone is being stretched so far that my soul aches from the spiritual pressure. Sometimes I feel as if I can’t face the dawning day. I even get up with this feeling, that this is more than I can bear, another day, another lonely day. But I don’t chase those feelings into my day. I have learned the power of bowing. My first step out every day is down, I bow. I humbly bow before God, and as the new day dawns, I give it back to Him, I surrender to Him every moment ahead and ask Him to empower me for whatever He has planned for this day. He grows me through every day in overwhelming victory, despite the thorn.
So it is when I declare something. My word will go out and not return to Me empty, but it will do what I wanted; it will accomplish what I determined. For you will go out in joy, be led home in peace. And as you go the land itself will break out in cheers; the mountains and the hills will erupt in song, and the trees of the field will clap their hands. Prickly thorns and nasty briers will give way to luxurious shade trees, sweet and good. And they’ll remind you of the Eternal One and how God can be trusted absolutely and forever Isaiah 55.
Make It Personal With God
Connected to God, making it personal with God, I have His mind, His power, His Word, His Strength, His Joy and His Peace and I can, yes I can. I can meet the challenge of this stormy life season, because I know His purposes are in play for my best. I experienced God’s purposes in play on this day, working throughout this day, and I know they are greater than the challenge I face in this day, in this stormy life season. I humbly bow before God each morning and He infuses my weakness with His power. I know I can grow through, being led by His Holy Spirit from every moment to every choice, because this is the day He has made and He is in it, His purposes are in play and I am being changed up by Him in ways that would never happen without His strength, direction and support. I do hope this stormy life season, the bad dream that I wish I could wake up out of, will be over soon. But no matter how much longer it takes, I know the only way I grow through this with value, is attached to The Vine, and in my personal, vital-vertical relationship with God, I find joy, purpose and peace that surpasses the pain of my thorn and I know the joy of the overwhelming victory of God.
“The power of Christ rests upon me like a tent or tabernacle” providing me shelter.” TPT Commentary
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