Where are you? Are you ashamed, addicted, alienated? Or are you trapped, anxious or defeated? Or powerless, hopeless or frustrated? I have good news for you. You don’t have to be stuck in the mud. You can be accepted, valued and loved. You can be healed, strengthened and empowered. You can overcome. Not on your own. But by God’s grace.

The only way of letting go of weaknesses is surrendering them to Jesus. Self-help does not work. Believe me, I have tried. In some ways trying to better myself on my own only make things worse. Jesus is the only way in overcoming our weaknesses. I still have long ways to go but I know where my help comes from.

And He went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the good news (Gospel) of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every weakness and infirmity among the people. (Matthew 4:23, AMP, emphasis added)

God knows we are weak. God knows we need his help. He planned everything from the beginning so we could be helped in our weaknesses through Jesus Christ.

Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us.While we were yet in weakness [powerless to help ourselves], at the fitting time Christ died for (in behalf of) the ungodly.Now it is an extraordinary thing for one to give his life even for an upright man, though perhaps for a noble and lovable and generous benefactor someone might even dare to die. (Romans 5: 5-7, AMP, emphasis added)

We are powerless to help ourselves. We would not like to admit it. But when we do…..we will experience grace upon grace. With the words of Joni Eareckson Tada “Deny your weakness, and you will never realize God’s strength in you.” Wouldn’t that be a shame? Experiencing God’s strength is what faith is all about. Why wouldn’t we trust his amazing grace in this too?

But if we hope for what is still unseen by us, we wait for it with patience and composure.So too the [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance. And He Who searches the hearts of men knows what is in the mind of the [Holy] Spirit [what His intent is], because the Spirit intercedes and pleads [before God] in behalf of the saints according to and in harmony with God’s will. (Romans 8:25-27, AMP, emphasis added)

Okay, you say. What should I do with my weaknesses? First of all, don’t  let your weaknesses come between you and God. Instead bring your weaknesses before God. Because he knows you intimately. He knows your weaknesses. He knows you are powerless to help yourself.

Let Jesus bear you up in your weakness.
Let Jesus be Lord of your life.
Let Jesus be your strength.

How? Name your weakness and give it to Jesus. (You can pick a stone and after your prayer you can cast it away) Pray that God will take care of your weakness and help you. Ask Jesus to come to be your strength in your weakness. Say a big Amen and rejoice! And then go and live your life in God’s grace. And whenever you are tempted, pray and let God show you how to overcome.

Lorica is a prayer recited for protection. The Latin word lorica originally meant “armor” or “breastplate.” Here’s a short version of the Lorica of Saint Patrick. Read it prayerfully. God will be your armor today. God is your strength in your weakness.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through a belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness
Of the Creator of creation.

I arise today
Through the strength of Christ’s birth and His baptism,
Through the strength of His crucifixion and His burial,
Through the strength of His resurrection and His ascension,
Through the strength of His descent for the judgment of doom.

….. I arise today
Through God’s strength to pilot me;
God’s might to uphold me,
God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me,
God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me,
God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me,
God’s shield to protect me,
God’s hosts to save me
From snares of the devil,
From temptations of vices,
From every one who desires me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone or in a multitude.
Amen

Q4U: How do you deal with your weaknesses?

Be blessed, my fellow pilgrim, as you allow God become your strength in your weaknesses!

Photo courtesy of David Bruggink. Linking up today with Sharing His Beauty & Hear it on Sunday, Use it on Monday and counting blessings with Ann Voskamp: #1021 God is our strength in weakness.