Weakness

1 Corinthians 2:1-4(NIV)
1 And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.[a] 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power

Paul address the church in Corinth not as a "Know it all", but rather as someone led by the spirit. In verse three he says he comes in weakness with great fear and trembling. Paul has realized, just as many of us have, that we are only human. And being human, we have limitations. BUT, with God, and having fear of God, we can do many great things. But just as Paul dealt with weakness and weaknesses, so do we.

I'm sure you've heard the saying "you're only as strong as your weakest link". I feel we can look at the church the same way. Its viewed only as good as its weakest link. All it takes is the actions of one Christian to tarnish the label. I'm not saying lets find all the "weak" Christians out there and make them better. I do feel we need to remove the planks in our own eyes before we can even think of that. So where's the best place to start? Our weaknesses. After all, who am I to judge others to assume they're weaker (or have more weaknesses) than me? I'm not perfect by a long shot!

We know our weaknesses, but the devil knows how to take advantage of that. He tempted Jesus in the desert. Jesus Spent (Matthew 4) 40 days and 40 nights fasting. The devil knew Jesus was hungry, so the first thing he tempted him with was food. Anything to draw Jesus away from his communion with God. That's what we need to realize, our temptations don't always lead us into a major moral sin. Sometimes the devil is satisfied in his small victories, like that one puff of a cigarette when your trying to quit, or that one piece of candy on when your on a diet, or that one beer when you know you shouldn't, or maybe you snickered at a joke that was inappropriate. whatever the case, we should try to overcome these small victories. They'll add up and help us when we really need to deal with the larger ones. If you cant say NO to a small test, how will you say no to the tough ones?

So how do we deal with our weaknesses? Identifying them is the first step. From there, discuss them with your brothers and sisters. You're not the only one with those weaknesses. Your church probably has a small group or some kind of support system where you can share these in confidence. You can share your struggles and weaknesses, and have other Christians who share your struggles give you good Godly advice. You may also talk to a pastor or elder. You may even find christian books or websites to aide in your conquering of the weaknesses you've identified. I have found it's good to have a partner or buddy you can talk to on a regular basis that allows you to hold each other accountable. Share your progress daily, and pray with each other. This could be a someone in your church, a christian you work with, or a friend that goes to another church.

I'm not guaranteeing this will rid you of all weaknesses and troubles. But in my experience this helps. And after all we're not perfect, and in our weakness God's power is made perfect. (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Think about your weaknesses, Pray that God makes them known to you and that God strengthens you in you weaknesses.