Franklin Church of Christ

Set Free: Admitting Our Weakness

For over ten years now I have counseled people struggling with sin. I am not sure I have helped a single one. Why? Because I was getting it wrong.

People said, “I am just not strong enough.” I would say, “Yes you are. You are strong enough, you must not want it bad enough.” Or “You are not committed enough.” We would look at a few Bible verses. I would pump them up with positive thinking and self-esteem and send them to the wolves.

The ironic thing is I have been in the same boat. I know what it means to not feel strong enough. I responded to myself the same way I did to everyone else. “Quit your whining, Edwin, buck up and do what you know is right. You are strong enough.” It never worked for me either. However, like a broken record, this was my constant advice.

Recently, I have been corrected by God’s word (cf. II Timothy 3:16). If we actually want to overcome sin, we need to quit proclaiming how strong we are and start proclaiming how weak we are.

In II Corinthians 12:9-10, Paul wrote, “And He 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, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 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.”

Here is the crux of the matter. We spend too much time pumping up our self-esteem. We spend too much time trying to convince ourselves we are strong enough to make it. I have been right there, making that mistake.

The truth is we are not strong enough to make it. This is true regarding life in general. We are not strong enough to handle insults, persecutions, distresses or difficulties. If we are not strong enough to overcome these manmade or life-generated problems, how much more are we not strong enough to deal with the attacks of “the rulers,…the powers,…the world forces of this darkness,…the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12-13).

Look again at II Corinthians 12:9-10. To the extent we are looking at our strength, we cannot be filled with Christ’s strength. Perhaps we even need to check our vocabulary. How often do we talk about what we have done or will do? Let’s face it. We can’t. We are weak.

Don’t believe this means we have no hope. We have amazing hope. But the first step to experiencing the hope of Christ’s grace and strength is admitting we are too weak to overcome. We need strength from someone else.