<blockquote>
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us" (<a id="verse_1632879390352240" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Romans/8/37">Rom. 8:37</a>)
</blockquote>The world, the flesh, and the devil say, Be powerful. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit say, Be powerless - "for My strength is made perfect in [your] weakness" (<a id="verse_1632879390476198" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/2-Corinthians/12/9">2 Cor. 12:9</a>)"There would be little harm in trying to imitate Christ if such an endeavor did not hide from us what our Lord really desires; and so keep us back from life more abundant.' Christ has come Himself into our hearts to dwell there, and what He wants is to live His life in us, as the Apostle Paul says, For to me to live is Christ.' Christ was the very source and mainspring of all he was and did. What a wonderful thing this is! We would be driven to despair if Christ had simply left us an example to follow or imitate, for we have no power within ourselves to do it. We must have a new source - a new spring of action, and Christ Himself wants to be just that for us." -E.C.H."The man in Romans Seven is occupied with himself, and his disappointment and anguish spring from his inability to find in self the good which he loves. The man of Romans Eight has learned there is no good to be found in self. It is only in Christ; and his song of triumph results from the joy of having found out that he is complete in Him.'" -H.A.I."I have strength for all things in Christ who empowers me - I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses inner strength into me" (<a id="verse_1632879390896484" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Philippians/4/13">Phil. 4:13</a>, Amp.).

A 365 day devotional that will help you in your Christian growth and walk with the Lord Jesus Christ.  This devotional is a collection of quotes from some of the best authors in the realm of Christian growth that has been organized by Miles J Stanford.  This devotional study is divided into 12 sections each containing 31 daily portions.

None but the Hungry Heart

 Powerless Recipients 

When my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. O Lord, I am oppressed; undertake for me! § Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you. I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. § If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God … and it will be given to him. Who is sufficient for these things? § I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells. § My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you. Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness. When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches.

Daily Light on the Daily Path or Daily Light is a Christian daily devotional scripture reading published by Bagster & Sons about 1875. It has been reprinted continually since then. It consists of brief groupings of scripture passages which speak to prominent Biblical themes—two themes (morning and evening) for each day of the year. It appends no commentary, but simply allows scripture to speak for itself.

Evening Daily Light

 In the multitude of my anxieties within me,  Your comforts delight my soul. 

When they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. § Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. The God of Israel is He who gives strength and power to His people. Blessed be God! § He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. § I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. § O my soul, march on in strength!

Morning Daily Light

 As your days, so shall your strength be. 

<blockquote>
 My grace suffices for you, for power matures in weakness" (<a id="verse_1632879547954643" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/2-Corinthians/12/9">2 Cor. 12:9</a>, Wey.).
</blockquote>There can be no true and intelligent rejection of the self-life without thorough heart preparation by the Holy Spirit. We read in the Word that self is to be hated and rejected, but the development of this attitude may be long removed from the initial revelation. Years of processing separate Romans Three from Colossians Three, in our experience."Why are we so deficient in divine power? Simply because we do not like the way it begins. Its beginning is to hate one's own life, and this is an awful start; but there is no tower' built without it. You must refuse human material, or you cannot build to true structure. Power enabled Elisha to take hold of his own clothes and tear them into two pieces. It begins with self-abnegation. This explains the reason why there is so little power. Very often one lingers over his losses like an exile, but he must rise out of it; he must bury his dead out of his sight; it is a great day when that comes to pass, and then he can be useful to others." -J.B.S.  "To be willing to accept crucifixion with Christ, to leave all yourself, your plans and your longings, your abilities and your possessions, all of them at the Cross, so that you only trust and love and live for the Lord Jesus, hurts a great deal. It requires an absolute venture of faith; but beyond it, God says, much fruit.' And the way to it is into the ground and die' - it is the only way; His way.""Most gladly therefore will I boast of my infirmities rather than complain of them - in order that Christ's power may overshadow me" (<a id="verse_1632879547104210" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/2-Corinthians/12/9">2 Cor. 12:9</a>, Wey.).

 Matriculation 

In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the Angel of His Presence saved them; in His love and in His pity He redeemed them; and He bore them and carried them. § He whom You love is sick. § “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” … Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. § I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. We do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. § In Him we live and move and have our being. § He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. § The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.

 The Lord will strengthen him on his bed of illness; You will sustain him on his sickbed. 

<blockquote>
My grace is sufficient for thee; for My strength is made perfect in [your] weakness" (<a id="verse_1632880153166214" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/2-Corinthians/12/9">2 Cor. 12:9</a>).
</blockquote>In self we are crippled; in Christ we conquer. The secret is to face up to the former, and rest in the latter. The disadvantaged believer has all the advantage - he knows it must be "not I, but Christ.""It is a great step when the believer fully consents to his own weakness, and the abiding consciousness of it, and so works faithfully on, fully assured that his Lord is working through him. He rejoices that the excellence of the power is of God, and not of us. Realizing his oneness with his Lord, he considers no longer his own weakness, but counts on the power of Him of whose hidden working within he is assured."It is this secret assurance that gives a brightness to his look, and a gentle firmness to his tone, and a perseverance to all his efforts, which of themselves are great means of influencing those he is seeking to win. He goes forth in the spirit of one to whom victory is assured; for this is the victory that overcometh, even our faith. He no longer counts it humility to say that God cannot bless his unworthy efforts. He claims and expects a blessing, because it is not he, but Christ in him, that worketh. The great secret of abiding in Christ is the deep conviction that we are nothing, and He is everything." -A.M."Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God". (<a id="verse_1632880153239719" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/2-Corinthians/3/5">2 Cor. 3:5</a>).

 Handicapped For Christ 

Hear my cry, O God; attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. § He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me… When I am weak, then I am strong. When [Peter] saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” §  If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. § He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. § The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. § [Be] strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power.

 My heart pants, my strength fails me. 

“My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. §  I will go in the strength of the Lord God; I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only. § The gospel of Christ . . . is the power of God to salvation. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. § I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily. § We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. The joy of the Lord is your strength. § Strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy.

 My brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 

In the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him. § We do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. § My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.

 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 

Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will. § A thorn in the flesh was given to me … Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities. I pour out my complaint before Him; I declare before Him my trouble. § [Hannah] was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish … Then she made a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and … will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life.” … We do not know what we should pray for as we ought. § He will choose our inheritance for us.

 Let your requests be made known to God. 

He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. § My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. § He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him. § The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms; He will thrust out the enemy from before you. I looked for someone to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none. For every … priest taken from among men is appointed for men in things pertaining to God … He can have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray … So also Christ … Though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey. § Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.

 If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. 

<blockquote>He said to me, My strength is sufficient, for it is only by means of conscious weakness that perfect power is developed" (<a id="verse_1632877567590737" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/2-Corinthians/12/9">2 Cor. 12:9</a>, Wms.).</blockquote>Our Father does not test our faith so much as He exercises and develops it. In time, He makes us aware of our utter weakness; and, in time, we trust and rest in His all-sufficient strength."Until we are carried quite out of our depth, beyond all our own wisdom and resources, we are no more than beginners in the school of faith. Only as everything fails us and we fail ourselves, do we draw upon abiding strength. Blessed is the man whose strength is in Thee'; not partly in Thee and partly in himself. The devil often makes men strong, strong in themselves to do evil - great conquerors, great acquirers of wealth and power. The Lord on the contrary makes His servant weak, puts him in circumstances that will show him his nothingness, that he may lean upon the strength that is unfailing. It is a long lesson for most of us, but it cannot be passed over until deeply learned. And God Himself thinks no trouble too great, no care too costly to teach us this.""Faith counts on the Word of God outside and apart from everything and everyone here. When you are in faith your life is centered in the Lord Jesus. The moment the heart is detained by anything here, faith is obstructed. The visible is antagonistic to the invisible. If you walk in the Spirit you will be sensible of this in a moment; the effects and influences of the visible are counter to the invisible. Eve had lost faith when she saw that the tree was good for food, and pleasant to the eyes. If she had kept faith - dependence upon God - she would not have looked, but she had parted with the faith which overcometh the world when she saw.' The moment one becomes occupied with the visible one has parted company with faith." -J.B.S."Since His power is so glorious, may you be strengthened with strength of every kind, and be prepared for cheerfully enduring all things with patience and longsuffering" (<a id="verse_1632877567201694" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Colossians/1/11">Col. 1:11</a>, Wey.).

 Wonder Of Weakness 

When I am weak, then I am strong. § My God shall be My strength. § He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. § Let him take hold of My strength. Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you. § The arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob. I will not let You go unless You bless me! You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. § Plead my cause, O Lord, with those who strive with me; fight against those who fight against me. Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for my help.

 Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. 

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. § You are fairer than the sons of men; grace is poured upon Your lips. § All bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. You have tasted that the Lord is gracious. § He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself. § We speak what We know and testify what We have seen. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him! § I sat down in his shade with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” § To each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. § As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

 You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

The Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. § I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart. § My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Those who are called, sanctified by God the Father. § Both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren. “Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the Lord. § The fullness of Him who fills all in all. § I, even I, am the Lord, and besides Me there is no savior. § This is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world. § Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior.

 The Son can do nothing of Himself,but what He sees the Father do; forwhatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. 

We … glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. § Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. § My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. § Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. § Most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me … For when I am weak, then I am strong.

 Indeed we count them blessed who endure. 

<blockquote>
He said to me, My spiritual strength is sufficient, for it is only by means of conscious weakness that power is developed" (<a id="verse_1632878112321118" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/2-Corinthians/12/9">2 Cor. 12:9</a>, Wms.).
</blockquote>Early in our Christian life the general conception is that God is a wonderful Helper. Later, as we experience failure, we come to know full well that if anything is going to be accomplished in and through us, He must do it all."Everything you need in the Christian life, no matter what it may be, comes from the Father alone. You will see more and more the utter futility of trying to make yourself a keen Christian; that your best efforts are as futile as your worst failures; that your Christian life is to be a continual miracle that the Father must work every minute; that the only thing you have to do is to depend utterly, and altogether, and all the time on Him. You will see that what you need is not more effort or determination, but more of the Father; a deeper, more continual trust and dependence upon Him." -D.T."For the discovery of our sinful condition and getting deliverance from the reign of sin, there is an experiential process in us. The doctrine is that we died unto sin with Christ: that is Romans Six. But the resting on the truth found there as a doctrine, is connected with the experience found in Romans Seven; the result being in Romans Eight."Now this experience is the painful learning that we have no strength to make good what we would and what is right. There is a point in the experience which often helped, but it is not deliverance; that is, hating the evil which yet works in me. But after this I find what I hate too strong for me, and I am brought to the consciousness of my being without strength - the point to which the Father was leading me all along." -J.N.D."For when I am weak (in myself), then I am strong (in Him)" (<a id="verse_1632878112345635" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/2-Corinthians/12/10">2 Cor. 12:10</a>, Wey.).

 Our Weakness - His Strength 

Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.” … Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it … So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone. No king is saved by the multitude of an army; a mighty man is not delivered by great strength … Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy. § Both riches and honor come from You, and You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; in Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

 By strength no man shall prevail. 

In the way of Your judgments, O Lord, we have waited for You; the desire of our soul is for Your name and for the remembrance of You. With my soul I have desired You in the night, yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early. I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find … For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. § The flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. § Our sufficiency is from God. § My grace is sufficient for you.

 The spirit indeed is willing,but the flesh is weak. 

He said, “My grace is all you 
need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about 
my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 
(2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV)
What is your idea of power? 
What is your mentality concerning power? Are you clamoring for power, wanting 
power? Well, it all works out this way. True power from God's standpoint is 
Calvary power. Christ crucified is the power of God. What is Calvary power? 
Well, it is emptiness of self, you and I being emptied of self – and truly, that 
is easier said than endured! Oh, how very much there is of this self about us 
still! How we hate – how we suffer – being emptied of ourselves! What a terrible 
thing it is to feel our inability – to know that we do not count in ourselves. 
Oh, to be ABLE! And yet have we not proved, again and again, that our 
times of greatest emptiness and weakness have been the times when God has done 
most, and got glory by what He has done? Yes, it has been true. We have learnt 
it along various lines and different ways, but God has been working right into 
the very inside of us, so that the thing is done – it becomes a part of us. He 
does not have to maintain it by external conditions. But He frequently uses such 
– very often physical – conditions, to bring us to that place of utter 
dependence upon Himself. It is really not good enough, is it, to be forced to 
it, compelled to it? That is God's way of education, but it would be very much 
better for us to be fit and well and as dependent upon God as ever. 
So it all resolves itself into 
the need, in the first place, for what is meant by being born from above: an 
entirely new nature and disposition, to begin with, and then a letting God do 
His work of conforming us to the image of His Son. I am not saying that works 
and words do not come in, but it is a heartbreaking business to be working and 
speaking with no power, and no registration of heaven. The Lord give us light as to 
what He means by this.

This devotional contains short daily portions from a selection of Mr. Austin-Sparks' messages. In his own words, “Perhaps this is just like a window opened into heaven. If you get the right window you can see quite a lot. You can see great things and you can see far things. But the best that I can hope is that this has just opened a window, and that as you look through it you are seeing one thing - how superior is Jesus Christ to all else, and how superior is the dispensation into which we have come, and how superior are all the resources at our disposal to all that ever was before!” Open Windows messages have been selected and compiled by Austin-Sparks.Net from the works of T. Austin-Sparks. In some cases they appear in abridged form. The introductory verse and its associated Bible version have been selected by the editor and did not always appear within the original message.

Open Windows

The Significance of Christ - Chapter 3

 Utter Dependence Upon Him 

<blockquote>
My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness" (<a id="verse_1632878394791999" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/2-Corinthians/12/9">2 Cor. 12:9</a>a).
</blockquote>Whereas most feel that personal weakness is the great hindrance to a sound Christian life, the real tragedy is the astonishing strength of the old man. The Cross for our cursed strength; the Lord Jesus for our blessed weakness."Let no one imagine that he can be effectively used in the Lord's service, or even make progress in the Christian life, without some measure of real entrance into the valuable principle: When I am weak, then am I strong' (<a id="verse_1632878394175420" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/2-Corinthians/12/10">2 Cor. 12:10</a>). It is absolutely essential in forming the character of the true servant of the Lord Jesus. Where it is not known and felt, there is sure to be unsubduedness, unbrokenness, and self-occupation in some form or other. On the other hand, where one has been brought into this principle, there will always be a measure of brokenness, softness, and tenderness of spirit; and not only so, but also largeness of heart, and that lovely tendency to rise above those petty, selfish considerations, which so sadly hinder the work of God."All of His servants in the Word stand before us as vivid illustrations of the value and necessity of broken material. All had to be broken in order to be made whole - to be emptied in order to be filled - to learn that, of themselves, they could do nothing, in order to be ready, in the Lord Jesus' strength, for anything and everything." -C.H.M."Our Father's spiritual goal for his own is neither continuous straitness nor continuous poverty. For these are never the end; they are only the means to His end. Straitness is the pathway to expansion; poverty is the pathway to abundance.""Most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me" (<a id="verse_1632878394174873" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/2-Corinthians/12/9">2 Cor. 12:9</a>b).

 Conditional Strength 

<blockquote>
My grace is sufficient for thee; for My strength is made perfect in (your) weakness" (<a id="verse_1632878405897229" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/2-Corinthians/12/9">2 Cor. 12:9</a>).
</blockquote>Our greatest liability: self-confidence. Our greatest asset: Christ-confidence. It usually takes years to discover one's misplaced confidence. The flesh will fail us every time, and under all conditions. The Lord Jesus never fails us under any conditions."When the Lord Jesus was on the Cross there were no mighty deeds to be seen, yet Calvary did more for the world than all the great deeds in Galilee. We think too much of the greatness, and too little of the death-fellowship with our Lord. The mighty deeds' may mean the greater works,' but death-fellowship means much fruit.' You might toil all your life, and only do so much, even with the wonderful deeds; but if you are willing to die with Him there will be effortless multiplication. There is no limit to the fruit that comes out of death.""An increasing number of the Lord's people are seeking to enjoy the power of the Lord Jesus' life by accepting the fact of their union in His death as expressed by Paul, That I may know Him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, becoming conformed unto His death' (<a id="verse_1632878405733035" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Philippians/3/10">Phil. 3:10</a>). We died with Him, but most of us are not being conformed to His death and hence are not like Him in life." -L.L.L."There is no escape from the Cross, if believers would know the power of His resurrection.' This crafty, defiant, defensive 'I' must be held in the place of death by the Spirit if there is to be true fruitfulness. In the measure that one dies to the old, in the same measure does one experience life in the New.""Then shall the lame man leap as an hart. . . for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert" (<a id="verse_1632878405473067" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Isaiah/35/6">Isa 35:6</a>).

 Blessed Lameness 

The Christian must be weak that he may be strong; weak in the deprivation of those things which the world connects with the idea of strength; deficient in the strength that men seek and extol; emptied of all thoughts of his own independent and personal power; stripped of his own righteousness and wisdom; sensible of the mighty power of the enemy; a mere ruin and a wreck, apart from Christ. Then there is in deed a preparation for strength. A foundation is laid upon which Christ will build. Room is made for the wisdom and power and sufficiency of Christ. The Christian decreases, that he may, in another and blessed sense, increase. He is made perfect in weakness that he may be made perfect in true strength. Look at Peter with his miserable sword in the garden of Gethsemane; look at him again on the day of Pentecost.

A daily devotional written by a Baptist Missionary to India, Reverend George Bowen (1816-1888) over 150 years ago.

Bowen's Daily Meditations

" My strength is made perfect in weakness." - 2 Corinthians 12:9. 

With gladness and with exultation Paul contemplated the fact that God had made him what he was, a very dependent creature, in himself altogether incomplete, and in unceasing need of the presence and blessing of God. Imagine a flower able to shine by phosphorescent rays, dim and dying at the best; and saying to the glorious sun in the heavens, "Depart from me, I have no need of thee; trouble not thyself to move through my skies; I am my own sun." What fatuity were this. It is the glory of the flower that it has so magnificent a bridegroom, rising day by day to run his course of love through the skies. Let the flower rejoice and be glad that it has no power of its own over the earth, over the air, over the least of its own internal vessels; and that without the sun it can do nothing. Let it be tenacious unto death of its dependence. And let Paul, enlightened by the Spirit of God, exult in a condition that keeps him in perpetual and heavenly alliance with the King of kings. Let him glory in his poverty that binds him to the treasury of heaven; in his isolation that procures him a legion of angels to camp about him; in his ignorance that demands the teachings of the Omniscient; and in his moral helplessness that requires Christ to abide in his heart by faith

"I glory in my infirmities." - 2 Corinthians 12:9. 

In almost everyone's life there are things which he never would have chosen, which he would like to be rid of, but which can never be changed. There is the matter of physical impairments or abnormalities. Or it may be a chronic, low-grade illness that will not leave us alone. Again it may be a nervous or emotional disorder that lingers as a most unwelcome guest.So many live defeated lives, dreaming of what might have been if only. If only they were taller. If only they were better looking. If only they had been born in a different family, race or even sex. If only they were built to excel in athletics. If only they could know perfect health.The lesson that these people should learn is that there is peace in accepting what cannot be changed. What we are, we are by the grace of God. He has planned our lives with infinite love and infinite wisdom. If we could see as well as He, we would have arranged things exactly as He has done. Therefore we should be able to say, "Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight."But there is a step further. We don't have to accept these things in a spirit of meek resignation. Knowing that they were permitted by a God of love, we can make them the cause of praise and rejoice. Paul prayed three times that his thorn in the flesh might be removed. When the Lord promised grace to bear the thorn, the Apostle exclaimed, "Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me" (2 Corinthians 12:9).It is one of the signs of spiritual maturity when we can rejoice in the seemingly adverse circumstances in life and use them as means of glorifying God. Fanny Crosby learned the lesson early in life. When she was only eight, the blind poetess wrote:Oh, what a happy child I amAlthough I cannot see!I am resolved that in this worldContented I will be.How many blessings I enjoyThat other people don't!So weep or sigh because I'm blindI cannot, nor I won't!

With reverence, humor and skill, William MacDonald wove a daily devotional tapestry that challenges the reader to think deeply and Biblically, and apply God's Word to their lives.

Truths to Live By - One Day at a Time

"Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight." (Matthew 11:26)

One of the compound names of God is Jehovah-Rapha, meaning "I am the Lord that healeth thee" (Exodus 15:26 b). It is God who heals us. He heals us of all kinds of diseases, and will ultimately deliver us permanently from every form of sickness.Sometimes He heals us through the tremendous recuperative powers which He has placed in our bodies. This is why doctors often say, "Most things are better by morning." Sometimes He heals through medicines and surgery. Dubois, the famous French physician, said, "The surgeon dresses the wound; God heals it." Sometimes He heals miraculously. We know this from the Gospels and from personal experience.However, it is not always God's will to heal. If it were, some would never grow old and die. But everyone dies sooner or later -until the Lord comes. God did not remove Paul's physical affliction but gave Him grace to bear it (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).In a general sense, all sickness is a result of sin. In other words, if there never had been any sin, there wouldn't be any sickness. Sometimes illness is a direct result of sin in a person's life. For example, alcoholism sometimes causes liver disease, smoking sometimes causes cancer, sexual immorality sometimes causes venereal disease, and worry sometimes causes ulcers. But not all sickness is a direct result of a person's own sin. Satan caused Job's serious illness (Job 2:7), and yet Job was the most righteous man on earth (Job 1:8<a href="javascript:%7B%7D" style="text-decoration:underline ;">; </a>Job 2:3). He caused an unknown woman to be afflicted with curvature of the spine (Lu. 13:11-17). And he caused Paul's thorn in the flesh (2 Corinthians 12:7). In John 9:2-3, it could not have been the man's own sin that caused him to be born blind. Epaphroditus was critically ill, not because of sin, but because of his untiring service for the Lord (Philippians 2:30). Gaius was spiritually healthy but physically unwell (3 John 1:2).Finally, failure to be healed does not necessarily indicate a lack of faith. Only when God has given a specific promise that He will heal can faith claim healing. Otherwise we commit ourselves to our living, loving Lord and pray that His will be done.

"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:…who healeth all thy diseases." (Psalms 103:2-3 b)

A primary qualification for serving God with any amount of success, and for doing God's work well and triumphantly, is a sense of our own weakness. When God's warrior marches forth to battle, strong in his own might, when he boasts, "I know that I shall conquer, my own right arm and my conquering sword shall get unto me the victory," defeat is not far distant. God will not go forth with that man who marches in his own strength. He who reckoneth on victory thus has reckoned wrongly, for "it is not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts." They who go forth to fight, boasting of their prowess, shall return with their gay banners trailed in the dust, and their armour stained with disgrace. Those who serve God must serve him in his own way, and in his strength, or he will never accept their service. That which man doth, unaided by divine strength, God can never own. The mere fruits of the earth he casteth away; he will only reap that corn, the seed of which was sown from heaven, watered by grace, and ripened by the sun of divine love. God will empty out all that thou hast before he will put his own into thee; he will first clean out thy granaries before he will fill them with the finest of the wheat. The river of God is full of water; but not one drop of it flows from earthly springs. God will have no strength used in his battles but the strength which he himself imparts. Are you mourning over your own weakness? Take courage, for there must be a consciousness of weakness before the Lord will give thee victory. Your emptiness is but the preparation for your being filled, and your casting down is but the making ready for your lifting up. "When I am weak then am I strong, Grace is my shield and Christ my song."

This timeless classic from Charles Spurgeon will help to both start and end your day with wonderful insight into God's Word.

Charles Spurgeon's Morning & Evening

"For my strength is made perfect in weakness." - 2 Corinthians 12:9

Morning Devotional

If none of God's saints were poor and tried, we should not know half so well the consolations of divine grace. When we find the wanderer who has not where to lay his head, who yet can say, "Still will I trust in the Lord;" when we see the pauper starving on bread and water, who still glories in Jesus; when we see the bereaved widow overwhelmed in affliction, and yet having faith in Christ, oh! what honour it reflects on the gospel. God's grace is illustrated and magnified in the poverty and trials of believers. Saints bear up under every discouragement, believing that all things work together for their good, and that out of apparent evils a real blessing shall ultimately spring-that their God will either work a deliverance for them speedily, or most assuredly support them in the trouble, as long as he is pleased to keep them in it. This patience of the saints proves the power of divine grace. There is a lighthouse out at sea: it is a calm night-I cannot tell whether the edifice is firm; the tempest must rage about it, and then I shall know whether it will stand. So with the Spirit's work: if it were not on many occasions surrounded with tempestuous waters, we should not know that it was true and strong; if the winds did not blow upon it, we should not know how firm and secure it was. The master-works of God are those men who stand in the midst of difficulties, stedfast, unmoveable,- "Calm mid the bewildering cry, Confident of victory." He who would glorify his God must set his account upon meeting with many trials. No man can be illustrious before the Lord unless his conflicts be many. If then, yours be a much-tried path, rejoice in it, because you will the better show forth the all-sufficient grace of God. As for his failing you, never dream of it-hate the thought. The God who has been sufficient until now, should be trusted to the end.

"My grace is sufficient for thee." - 2 Corinthians 12:9

"My grace is sufficient for thee; for My strength is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9 Our weakness should be prized as making room for divine strength. We might never have known the power of grace if we had not felt the weakness of nature. Blessed be the LORD for the thorn in the flesh, and the messenger of Satan, when they drive us to the strength of God. This is a precious word from our LORD's own lip. It has made the writer laugh for joy. God's grace enough for me! I should think it is. Is not the sky enough for the bird and the ocean enough for the fish? The All-Sufficient is sufficient for my largest want. He who is sufficient for earth and heaven is certainly able to meet the case of one poor worm like me. Let us, then, fall back upon our God and His grace. If He does not remove our grief, He will enable us to bear it. His strength shall be poured into us till the worm shall thresh the mountains, and a nothing shall be victor over all the high and mighty ones. It is better for us to have God's strength than our own; for if we were a thousand times as strong as we are, it would amount to nothing in the face of the enemy; and if we could be weaker than we are, which is scarcely possible, yet we could do all things through Christ.

Another classic from the pen of C.H. Spurgeon that will challenge and inspire you on your daily path to Heaven.

Charles Spurgeon's Faith's Checkbook

The Magnitude of Grace

YOU need look to no other quarter for help, relief, or comfort. Jesus assures you that His grace is sufficient. You are welcome to it. You are exhorted to have it. To be strong in the grace which is in Christ Jesus. It is sufficient to support you under every privation, to help you over every difficulty, to strengthen you for every duty, to mortify every lust, and to fill you with all joy and peace in believing. His grace is almighty, it is free, it is durable, it brings salvation. Look not at difficulties, dangers, or thy own weakness; but look to the free, powerful, and promised grace of Jesus. Go to His throne of grace this morning, on purpose to receive grace for this day; go every day, and whenever you feel weak, timid, or cast down. His grace was found sufficient for Paul, for the martyrs and saints, in the deepest trials, and it will be found sufficient for thee. He says, "I am the Lord thy God; open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it. Come boldly to the throne of grace, that ye may obtain mercy and find grace to help you in time of need. Every one that asketh receiveth." O Jesus, make good Thy word in me!Thy strength in weakness is display'd; My soul this truth can relish now: A worm upon Thy power is stay'd; The weaker he, the stronger Thou: My hope, my joy, is this alone - My strength is Christ, THE MIGHTY ONERemember Lot's wife. Luke 17:32SHE received the angels, and hospitably entertained them, she believed their message, and prepared to act upon it: she obeyed their command, and left Sodom and her children behind her. She forsook the ungodly, and went in company with the saints; yet her heart was left in the city, and she looked back. She was deprived of life, for too highly prizing its comforts. She was cut off by a visible display of God's judgment. The situation in which she died was instructive: it was not in Sodom, but on the plain; she escaped one judgment, but was overtaken by another. She was left as sad example of God's jealousy, and displeasure against sin. Here is a warning to the covetous, whose hearts are set on things below; to the self-willed, who trifle with God's commands; and to the undecided, who stand between Sodom and Zoar. God will be honoured by our obedience, or by our sufferings. It is dangerous to trifle with the smallest of God's commands. We may overcome one temptation, and yet fall by another. Let us examine, are our hearts detached from the world? Be not high-minded, but fear. Remember Lot's wife.Waiting for our Lord's returning, Be it ours His word to keep; Let our lamps be always burning; Let us watch, while others sleep; We're no longer of the night; We are children of the light.

Written by James Smith for his own flock around 1840, but such was the demand that by 1846 over thirty thousand copies where in circulation.

The Believer's Daily Remembrancer

"My grace is sufficient for thee." 2 Corinthians 12:9

Never was Abraham so strong, as when offering up his beloved Isaac upon the mount; never were the martyrs so courageous, as when in prison they felt their entire weakness, cried to Jesus for strength; and depending on His faithfulness and love, left all and went to the stake. Then they could exclaim, "None but Christ. None but Christ." "Farewell life, welcome the cross of Christ."Beloved, let us walk by faith, not by feeling; when we feel weakest, the strength of Jesus is nearest, and He magnifies His mercy by giving power to the faint, and increasing the strength of the weak.Let us depend on Him, for we can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth us. He is our strength, a very present help in trouble. The Lord is our strength and song, He also is become our salvation.Saviour, on earth, I covet not, That every woe should cease; Only if trouble be my lot, In Thee let me have peace. Thy grace and strength display in me, Till I arrive at perfect day.

My strength is made perfect in weakness. - 2 Corinthians 12:9

9 But he said to me, <woj>“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. ” </woj> Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

But he said to me, <woj>“My grace<cr>1</cr> is sufficient for you, for my power<cr>2</cr> is made perfect in weakness.<cr>3</cr> ”<cr>4</cr> </woj> Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

2 Corinthians 12:9

 But 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.

From Wikipedia: 

The New International Version (NIV) is an English translation of the Bible first published in 1978 by Biblica (formerly the International Bible Society). The NIV was published to meet the need for a modern translation done by Bible scholars using the earliest, highest quality manuscripts available. Of equal importance was that the Bible be expressed in broadly understood modern English.

The NIV is published by Zondervan in the United States and Hodder & Stoughton in the UK. The NIV was updated in 1984 and 2011 and has become one of the most popular and best-selling modern translations.

OT: Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia; additional sources;
NT: UBS Greek New Testament; Novum Testamentum Graece; additional sources;

New International Version

 But 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.

2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV

2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV

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