Embracing Weaknesses: A Path to Recognizing Gods Strength, Not Our Own.

In a world dedicated to perfection, "Self Help" and "Self Love", when do we stop and look at our weaknesses? And when we do look at them, why is it with a negative connotation? We spend too much time relying on the latest trends that are supposed to "bring us closer to the best version of ourselves" that we leave God on the back burner, as if true enlightenment doesn't come directly from Him. In this post we will address how our weaknesses can bring us closer to Christ and help us look more like Him in a world devoted to looking like Barbie, Beyonce', and Taylor Swift.

Acknowledge Your Weaknesses

The first step to leaning into Gods strength is to acknowledge our own weaknesses. What keeps you from getting close to God? What distracts you from following the Lord all the way? For me, it's social media, I often need to fast from social media in order to reconnect and realign with God. I allow the posts and reels of others to distance me from my Abba. Another is my own thoughts, sometimes I over think about situations instead of bringing them directly to the Lord. So, what's yours? When you lay your weaknesses on the table, you open the door for God to redirect your focus to Him. If you have reached a place where you are willing to admit to God that you've allowed distractions in your life, keep reading.

God Can Handle Your Mess

Being vulnerable can be super hard, especially when it comes to God. But the thing to remember is God welcomes our vulnerability. He wants us to be raw with Him, and in that rawness we need to get out of our heads and into His arms. God can handle our mess when others can't! In a world that finds fault in true vulnerability, we can rest assured that God loves it when we humble ourselves and come ready to place our cares on Him because He loves us (1 Peter 5:6-7). The First step in allowing God to handle our mess is to acknowledge that we have mess and by admitting that we need God's help. If we could handle our own mess we wouldn't need Him; obviously this isn't the case right now. Scripture says "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (1 Peter 5:5), so stop thinking you can do this on your own! That's another weakness of mine and all humans for that matter. Give it all to Him! Don't hold anything back from God. Before you say "Doesn't God know everything, why do I need to admit my weaknesses to Him?" Us admitting our weaknesses, faults, and sins allows Him to do the healing work and it also humbles us to say it out loud. You tell all your business to your best friends and therapist right? So why not tell it to the Creator of the Universe?! Trust me, He can handle it!

You Don't Have to Try So Hard!

In this walk with Christ it can be easy to think we have to have it all figured out, we don't! God doesn't expect perfection out of us, He expects surrender. There is so much freedom in coming to God as yourself, you do not need to come to God with all the answers. Just come as you are! I recently learned that the fruits of the Spirit are not attained by us, they are acquired when we spend time allowing God to heal and transform us (a.k.a. full surrender). When God revealed that to me, it was like a weight was lifted off me. All of a sudden the pressure to be the epitome of Galatians 5:22 was taken away from me. We don' t have to try so hard to be patient, when we let the Holy Spirit control our reactions we display the patience of God. We don't have to try so hard to be gentle, when we let the Holy Spirit soften our hearts we gradually become more gentle to the people we love and to ourselves. God is the key to embracing our weaknesses. We need to see that God's strength is sufficient for us, His power is made perfect in our weaknesses, so, we do not have to try so hard to figure it all out! (2 Corinthians 12:9) We need to just let God have access to the parts of us that we keep hidden from Him. Once we start doing that step, God will radically transform you over time and you will start to boast or be open to your weaknesses because you know that God's sovereign power will be made perfect within you!

How to Look Like Christ

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and might, and love your neighbor as yourself. Spending time with God is a must! Jesus spent every moment He could with God, and He was surrendered to any and everything the Father wanted Him to do, even to the point of death on the Cross. Jesus loves you, and He wants you to love others as He does. It can be hard to do in our own strength, which is why it is important to do heart checks regularly. Ask God to reveal the parts of you that break His heart, and then ask Him to help you stop breaking His heart. It may sound crazy, but that kind of conversation with Abba (Father) is what builds your relationship with Him. The more you do these heart checks, the more you open yourself to God's direction, protection, and transformation. Remember friends, He transforms us from the inside out. Once we start embracing our weaknesses, ask the Holy Spirit to take hold of our lives, and allow God to perfect His strength in us, we will start to look and love like Jesus. That' s the goal after all.

Love ya,

Dimisha