Strength in Weakness: Embracing Exhortation for God’s Glory

And today, though I am the anointed king, I am weak…

2 Samuel 3:39

You can be anointed and have weakness. 

Demonstrating weakness does not diminish your anointing. If God has called you to a life of radical faith and obedience to Him in your ministry of love towards others, He will not allow you to fall. He will give you everything you need to build His kingdom. You shouldn’t feel the need to strive or try to earn your spot in His kingdom. It is a gift that is freely given to us through the blood of Jesus on the Cross. We are chosen, anointed, holy people that God has so faithfully given spiritual gifts to so that we may prosper in accomplishing the plans that He has set out for us to do. 

However, sometimes we can become prideful if we are not careful to depend on God. On the other hand, we can delve into a pit of despair, hopelessness, fear, doubt, or unworthiness if we don’t have security in our identity when weaknesses arise. It is difficult to allow ourselves or others to see our weaknesses. In this blog, I am going to shed light on how you can be anointed and still demonstrate weakness simultaneously. 

You need to admit that you are weak and not just fix your gaze on the anointed part of your identity. Unfortunately, too often we can focus on one side more than the other but it is about having a beautiful balance between the two. It is important for you to be vulnerable with yourself about the aspects you struggle with or the characteristics that need to be improved. David was the anointed king of Israel and he was the first to admit that He was indeed anointed but also weak in this particular moment. He allowed himself to weep, mourn, and often made consequential decisions. However, His mistakes, failures, and character flaws didn’t take away his mantel. God still showed him abundant grace and mercy because He looked at David’s heart and not at his sin. God still called him a man after his own heart despite his weakness and sin. Likewise, God will look at your heart posture and uproot anything that does not bear fruit (John 15). 

Let others into your mess.

God created the body of believers to help one another walk in this life. He intended for us to confess our sins, practice accountability, and pray for one another.Conversations of accountability were never meant to carry the burden of condemnation, guilt, or shame. They were always meant to be liberating and helpful. 

We need to allow people to see the parts of us that are not okay. We can’t hide and pretend that everything is going well when in reality we are struggling mentally, physically, or spiritually. It can be hurtful when others call out your sin or weaknesses but if they are your true siblings in Christ, they will gently admonish you in love. 

Everyone is different in the way they express themselves. If you are a sensitive person, this 3 part method might be helpful. Receive from the person, process with God on your own, and come back with a clear response. It’s okay to say that you need to take time to pray and process what is being said with God. Don’t allow fear of man to keep you  from expressing yourself the way you need to in a healthy way such as weeping. Walk away if you need time or the conversation has become too much for you at that moment. 

It can be frightening to let people into your mess. Maybe you have people in your life who only criticize and don’t encourage you. Perhaps you have walked through abuse and don’t receive correction well without getting defensive. Or maybe you are already so hard on yourself that it’s difficult to receive exhortation from someone else. Whatever the case may be, I want to encourage you that receiving discipline from others can be a good thing. People who care about you will want you to walk with Jesus and shed light on the areas that need improvement. They only desire to bring you closer to God and your original design. Once you find people who you can trust and desire to share your life with, gently open the door of your heart to be vulnerable with them. 

It’s important to let trustworthy people see the whole picture of your life. Choose people that are safe and exhort you to be who God created you to be. They need to empower you to be strong in the Lord’s love and continue to walk in holiness. If they are not demonstrating faithfulness towards God, it is best to find a mentor or leader who can pour into you from a place of submission to the Lord. Only allow mature Christians to speak into your life and pour into you. They can call out your purpose and identity prophetically because they are able to see you in the Spirit who God created you to be. They are able to speak life into your situation and help you to shift the atmosphere, giving you the tools to do what is needed in order to walk in transformation with Jesus. 

If you are the one who is giving an exhortation, it is important to meet the person where they are at. Find the right time and place to give corrections, be honest, and vulnerable. Don’t catch them off guard. Some people struggle already with receiving from others, so they may not be in the right headspace. Ask for permission before you begin and see if they are willing to listen to your concerns at that moment in time. 

Sometimes, the freedom you desire comes from the honesty and vulnerability from others. God will use people to lead you down the straight path. 

God loves you in every stage of your life.

God doesn’t want you to live in shame, guilt or condemnation because of your weakness. He desires to use our fragility, powerlessness, incapacity, fatigue, insecurity, and other aspects that are hidden within us to bring us into a posture of deeper dependence. God will use weakness to guide us into obedience. Sometimes we don’t take action when He gives us direction unless we find ourselves desperate for God to push us forward. We need Him to encourage, empower, or catapult us past our weakness. 

Paul had a thorn in his flesh that he asked God to remove three times. God saw that there was something in Paul that would lead him to become prideful so he allowed him to go through trials in order to keep his humility intact. God does not want us to fall. He knows that we can become easily distracted or deceived by the world so He allows us to experience weakness as humans to remind us that we can’t do anything through our own strength. We absolutely need God. 

Jesus says in John 15 that apart from Him we can do nothing. It is true. Everytime that I have tried to do anything out of my own strength or power, it fails. We must acknowledge each day that we need God and lean on Him for guidance, power, and grace to do what He has called us to do. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus

Love Note

Just because you have weakness, doesn’t mean you don’t have strength. In the upside kingdom of light, when you are weak, God makes you strong when He gives you His power and grace to do the supernatural. God will use you in miraculous ways because you have surrendered yourself to Him. Don’t be afraid of weakness. Embrace both sides and see weakness as an opportunity to grow, mature, and gain wisdom. Walk in the love, grace, and mercy of Jesus who loves you in all of your ways. He is so proud of you for trying today. 

Love in action 

This week write down your weaknesses and strengths. Be honest. Pray over each one and give them to God as a living sacrifice for Him to do what He wants with them for His glory. 

Resource 

Check out my book, How to Trust God Today to grow in your intimacy with God.