When There's Nothing Left

When There’s Nothing Left

2 Cor 12:7-10

7 And because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me— to keep me from exalting myself!

8 Concerning this I entreated the Lord three times that it might depart from me.

9 And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

Have you ever had one of those experiences in life where you looked around and thought, "I’ve got nothing left?"

Most folks who have lived very long have had that kind of experience come their way.

I.e. tornadoes, car wrecks, lost jobs, lost sweethearts, lost toys as a kid.

We are apt in those times to let the steam roller of life flatten us completely out.

We many times will just throw our hands up and heave a grand and glorious deep sigh.

But Paul had a different analogy or outlook.

2 Cor. 12:9

9 And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

(NAS)

As guys we are always wanting to boast about our hunting exploits, the biggest bass we ever caught, our football injuries, old war stories, or the deal we pulled off on the new truck, car tractor, or 4-wheeler we just bought.

Women want to talk about the great deals they found on dresses or shoes or jewelry, or the crafts they are currently working on.

No matter who we are, the only time we want to talk about our deep dark depression, and excessive misery is when we are wishing and hoping we can dump it on someone else and they will carry it off for us.

Ever know anyone like that?

I’m not making light of depression, that’s another sermon completely, and a very real and heavy part of life.

But God’s promises are still true.

1 Peter 5:7

7 casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.

(NAS)

Whenever we are overloaded with the cares of this world we cannot appreciate the gifts and blessings of Almighty God.

He is Good, and He’s Good all the Time.

Your life is a storehouse of the gifts of God.

You have been endowed with the tools of ministry.

But those tools can’t function properly when we are loaded down with the cares of this life.

So in order for Satan to keep us powerless he dumps this whole world on our shoulders.

WE then make a choice --- try to take on the whole world at once and completely fail.

Or, we take it piece by piece with God’s graces and abilities working within us and we have successes within our lives.

One Day At A Time, was a popular song a few years back.

Some of us need that prescription within our lives.

The weights and burdens of this life will burn out any ministry or any life.

That’s why Paul said for us to lay aside the weights that do so easily beset us.

James 4:7

7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

(NAS)

The word translated resist is anth-is-tay-mee it means to stand against or oppose.

So instead of allowing satan to do his number on us we automatically go on the offensive.

Tell satan you won’t accept his current load of garbage he can find another place to dump it.

Your heart and mind are not supposed to be a garbage dump or a sewage line.

You are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.

You have been washed by the Blood of the Lamb.

Let the Redeemed of the Lord say so.

Are you redeemed?

Then say so!!!

You have what it takes in God to resist the enemy.

If you had enough strength and power on your own to resist satan you wouldn’t need the Lord.

You would not have needed the sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf.

God from his position of Supreme authority and holiness and power, offered his only begotten Son in exchange for us who were in the dregs of depravity and sin.

Salvation is someone in a strong and safe position offering a lifesource to someone in a weak, dangerous and deadly position.

Without that salvation we would perish completely.