Any weakness you refuse to deal with will draw you towards the wrong things
and set you up for defeat. To live victoriously you must recognize that,
first, your weakness can emerge at any time. What you allow to take root,
will grow within you. What you fail to master now, will master you later. The
Psalmist prayed, ‘Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when
my strength is gone’ (Psalm 71:9 [4] NIV).
Second, God’s Spirit will repeatedly warn you. Jesus told Peter: ‘Satan hath desired to
have you, but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art
converted, strengthen thy brethren’ (Luke 22:31-32 [5] KJV). Imagine the Lord praying
for you. He does! ‘If anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the
Righteous’ (1 John 2:1 [6] NAS). He intercedes for you, clothes you in His righteousness,
and draws you back to Himself.
Third, God will continue to use you even while your weakness is growing within you. He
provides opportunity after opportunity to reach for His help. Jesus warned Jerusalem, ‘How
often I have longed to gather your children together but you were not willing, your house is
left to you desolate’ (Matthew 23:37-38 [7] NIV). When you neglect God’s grace, what’s left?
Your consequences! You ask, ‘What can I do?’ Turn to God. He’s neither shocked by
your weakness nor unwilling to help you. Acknowledge your weakness. Become an
enemy to it. Let God’s Spirit empower you. Not only can He deliver you, He
can turn your greatest weakness into your greatest weapon.
