2 Corinthians Chapter 12 - How Are You Gonna Handle It?

Read verses 1-11.

This is basically Paul telling about his vision or dream that he had of going to heaven.

And after this experience, after seeing what he saw, all he could talk about was taking joy in your weaknesses, your insults, your distresses, your persecutions, your difficulties for Christ's sake, for when you are weak, then you are strong. He did not describe what he saw (and what he saw had to be breathtaking) but all he could talk about was taking joy in weaknesses for then you become strong. This had to be a pretty important point since he was talking about it rather than the glorious sights that he had seen. He was really vague about what he saw.

My husband and I have been studying on this for quite some time now. He had been woken in the middle of the night with this story on his heart about a week before June 27. We couldn't really understand how a person could take joy in their weaknesses, their failures. It didn't make sense to us. Especially to me, since I was struggling with a desperate weakness from my past and I certainly wasn't taking joy in it. How could I? It was my darkest hour. How could I take joy in it?

And then I had my experience on June 27 and all things have taken on a real meaning for me. My past was taken from me and laid in Christ's lap.

And toward the end of last week, it all clicked for me.

You've got to swallow your pride in order to take joy in your persecutions. You've got to handle it with a Christ like mind to take it without dealing with it in the flesh, without it angering you or disheartening you. Pride is of the flesh and that is exactly how Satan would love for you to react.

Let's take it a step further, if you swallow your pride and you learn from your mistakes, your weaknesses, your failures, then you can take joy in the fact that it is making you stronger in Christ's love. For when you learn from your failures, then you gain strength, it makes you a more powerful person in Christ. Do not be fooled by apparent failures. There is such a thing as successful failures...failures in which you learn from your mistakes and weaknesses. Your failures can either make you bitter or better! It helps you grow in Christ! And you can gain joy from it! I certainly gain joy from knowing that I am growing stronger in Christ!

And then this afternoon, this revelation came on my heart...Satan will always be there to attack me. How will I handle it? Will I handle it in the flesh...with anger, disappointment, heartache, devestation? Or will I handle it with the Holy Spirit...by learning from Christ's teaching in the word and handling it with a Christ like mind? With a oneness of mind with Christ? For when I learn, I grow stronger. And when I learn, I also find joy!

In the past, I handled everything that came my way with the flesh, with my feelings. Even after getting my gift, I still struggled with handling things in the flesh. It will be a constant struggle for me, but hopefully as I learn new things, I will become more adept at walking with the Holy Spirit. Satan will always be there to tempt me to react with my flesh, but as I grow and learn in the word, the Holy Spirit will be more and more evident in my thoughts, actions and words.

Am I gonna handle my insults, persecutions, distresses, difficulties with the flesh or with the mind of Christ? Am I gonna learn and grow from them so that I can walk with Christ?

Thank you, God, for giving me the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide me in my walk! I thank you for teaching me how to walk with the Holy Spirit rather than in the flesh! I want to thank you for your instructions on life, the Holy Bible!