“For just as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.” (2 Corinthians 1:5 BSB)
“Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad – for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world. If you are insulted because you bear the name of Christ, you will be blessed, for the glorious Spirit of God rests upon you. If you suffer, however, it must not be for murder, stealing, making trouble, or prying into other people’s affairs. But it is no shame to suffer for being a Christian. Praise God for the privilege of being called by his name! For the time has come for judgment, and it must begin with God’s household. And if judgment begins with us, what terrible fate awaits those who have never obeyed God’s Good News? And also, ‘If the righteous are barely saved, what will happen to godless sinners?’ So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you.” (1 Peter 4:12-19 NLT)
“So I am well pleased with weaknesses, insults, with distresses, with persecutions, and with difficulties, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak [in human strength], then I am strong [truly able, truly powerful, truly drawing from God’s strength].”
This is the last day I will be writing about Paul’s Thorn in the flesh. As always, the subject is far from exhausted. However, I will turn it over to the Holy Spirit to take anyone reading this farther, and deeper, in the Truth of this lesson. For now, I feel impressed to finish up by looking closer at what this demon was throwing at Paul.
Paul was suffering at the hands of a demon (messenger of Satan) due to having received abundant “visions and revelations.” Just like in Jesus’ parable of the sower, as soon as Paul received the Word the thief came to steal it away. He did this by assigning a demon to Paul with the assignment to kill, steal and destroy. Paul described this demon’s methodology in verse 10: “with weaknesses, insults, with distresses, with persecutions, and with difficulties” (notice that, physical ailment, sickness, and disease are not found in this list). Anything that Jesus suffered for me on the Cross (sin, sickness, poverty, bondage, addiction, captivity, etc.) are not part of what I identify as suffering for Christ in my life. While I may do battle with them, He bore those things for me on the cross so that I could receive His healing and deliverance from them. Paul described his sufferings in more detail in 2 Corinthians 11:23-28: “…in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in death often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles,in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness – besides other things, what comes upon me daily…” (NKJV)
Paul suffered serious persecution for Christ’s sake. Most of what he suffered was orchestrated by Satan, and carried out by his “thorn in the flesh…a messenger of Satan” sent to “buffet” (torment, harass, suffer terribly, beat, batter, trouble, pound away, dealing blow after blow) him. Paul told Timothy that, “…everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” (2 Timothy 3:13 NLT). Jesus Himself said, “”Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you.” (John 15:20 NLT)
The end of the matter is that when I receive “visions and revelations” (the Word revealed by the Spirit) I will be tempted to become prideful (look how God talks to me, I must be special). If I will humble myself before God, and only boast in the Lord, He will exalt me to a position of influence and impact in, and for, the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth. At that point Satan will do everything in his power to steal the Word that I received. He will assign at least one demon to my life to cause me to suffer persecution. His goal is to kill me, steal the Word from my life, and destroy my ministry, before I have the opportunity to make Jesus known to those to whom I am sent. I can either use the power of Grace to take a stand against the enemy (resist him and he will run away in terror), or I can accept my “thorn” and live below the level of blessing in life that Jesus paid for on the cross.. The choice is mine.
Time to move on. I am leaving this with a lot to ponder from…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 80: “Time to turn over the apple cart.” Part 15: It’s my thorn in the flesh. (I’ve got some tweezers you can borrow) conclusion