Braille Blog: volume 1 – Weakness
First off I want to thank Sphere of Hip-Hop for this opportunity. I’ve attempted to run a few blogs/journals during my life but I feel like right now is the start of something significant. My love and compassion for the hip-hop community has been burning up inside of me (burning up in a good way) and I’ve been waiting for the proper outlet. My goal with this blog is to dig deeper then just my own personal opinions, thoughts, emotions and experiences – but actually take time to look in God’s word and allow the Holy Spirit to set a higher agenda then my own. It’s exciting to sit here and write this because God already KNOWS who will read this before I even finish typing it. I pray for His will over mine, I give Him the glory and I thank all of you for tuning in.
This first blog is all about “weakness”. It’s a word that takes on many shapes and forms in our lives. For the men reading this, many of us grew up with a chip on our shoulder. We were told that showing our weakness or exposing our weakness is a bad thing. I’ve went through seasons in my life where I tried to hide my weaknesses or cover them up. I’ve also went through seasons where I made myself very vulnerable and left my weaknesses out in the open. If I was to compare those two contrasting seasons, I can honestly say that I’ve felt closer to God during those times when I was vulnerable. When I confessed my weakness, when I realized I couldn’t survive on my own, when I became desperate for God in my life – that’s when my relationship with God was growing the most. I also want to clarify that knowing that we are weak is not an excuse for sin. Knowing that we are weak on our own should actually motivate us to rely on God more. That is the intention of this message.
The truth of matter is, we should ALWAYS be desperate for God. We should always long for more of him. But sometimes we slowly distance ourselves. We drift, we get caught up in our routines and agendas – and we don’t even notice how far we’ve drifted. Then one day we wake up and say “God, where are you?” – but he didn’t leave us, we were drifting and he was waiting for us to notice and become desperate again. Being aware of our weaknesses can help us stay desperate. On the other hand, self righteousness and self reliance can cause us to drift. When we feel like we got it all figured out and we feel like we got everything that we need – then we don’t have any motivation to seek after God. Our self righteousness and self reliance isn’t based on truth – because we could not provide LIFE for ourselves. Our existence, our eternity, our grace, our favor – all these things are gifts that were given to us.
I’m going to close out this blog by referencing a few passages of scripture that demonstrate what I’m taking about. Paul mentions the “thorn in his flesh” in 2nd Corinthians. Many people have thoughts on what that “thorn” might have been but I think it’s ok if that “thorn” remains unidentified as well. We all have “thorns” and if I gave one specific example it would be easy for people to think this didn’t apply to them simply because their “thorn” is different. The emphasis isn’t on what the “thorn” is – the emphasis is on how Paul’s awareness of his “thorn” kept him humble before Christ. Look at the passage below.
2nd Corinthians 12:9-10
9But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Paul says that he delights in his weakness, and then lists many other things we all face such as hardship and difficulty. He delights in these things because when he comes to the end of himself, he’s able to meet with God and see God’s mighty hand move in his life. He’s able to surpass what he’s capable of alone and be a vessel…
The passage below should make us all feel comfortable bringing our weaknesses to God.
Hebrews 4:15-16 (New International Version)
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
The high priest who can sympathize with us is Jesus!!! Let us be honest about our weaknesses and lay them out before God. Let our confidence and strength not come from a place of self righteousness or self reliance – but from a place of humility and faith. That we would believe that God is capable to finish the good work he has started in us. Don’t try to hide who you are from God, offer your life to him and allow him to make the necessary changes in your heart. I am not a scholar or even a qualified teacher so please excuse any errors that might be found in my writings. I am weak, but I am willing and therefor my hope is that God would be GLORIFIED through my efforts. Feel free to leave comments and discuss this topic.
Peace and GOD Bless
