Thorn in the Flesh
2 Corinthians 12:7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.
When you walk with a significant limp then you have 2 choices. Seek support by leaning upon your own strengthen or upon something or somebody outside yourself. Paul had plenty of reasons to brag, boast or promote himself as a follower of Christ. He was brilliant, set under the teachings of the resurrected Christ for 2 years, suffered for the faith and given a vision of Paradise. Prior to the verse listed today, Paul reviewed everything he had experienced as a follower of Christ. It was a very impressive resume but he did not boast about any of these things. He boasted about his weakness. Many theologians have made a defendable case as to what Paul’s thorn could have been. Paul, I believe, did not label his “thorn” because it did not define who he was. He did, however, want his readers to understand the process or blessing he received from this affliction. His thorn humbled him and caused him to “walk with a limp” and find strengthen through leaning upon the Lord.
The plight of sexual sin has assaulted the church for over 2000 years. This plight did not begin with the onset of the internet because sexual sin rest within the heart of man and not the delivery system. All the internet did was speed up this delivery system and remove barriers to consuming it. We are now at a point where consuming pornography is viewed as “normal” and females have caught up to males regarding its usage. Crossing the line from “casual” porn usage and into addiction has become blurred because we have removed the cost or consequence of this sin. One of the ways I prefer to define sexual addiction is through the lens of it being a thorn in the flesh. Not an affliction of our physical flesh but one of our spiritual flesh. When we become Christians, we begin a process known as sanctification. This process set us apart for a holy purpose and promotes a decline in self-reliance and God-reliance. Our responsibility in this process is to choose to submit and participate. We submit our flesh and participate in growing dependency upon our Lord. What if we took part of our flesh and protected and compartmentalized away from this process. This is where sexual sin takes root and grows. Satan encourages this through his lie of “It’s not hurting anyone.” Eventually this compartmentalized flesh crosses a line into addiction or idolatry. This messenger of Satan, as Paul called it, seeks to still, kill and destroy all those connected to it. There is, however, a 2 blessings God provides through this affliction and the recovery from it. When the addict reaches his place of brokenness then God will teach him to find strength through walking with a limp.
Are you struggling with your sexual sin? Are you are tired of falling repeatedly by leaning upon your own strength? Let us help you to lean upon the Lord for His Strength is perfected in our weakness. Check out our The Blessing of the Thorn Course to begin your journey of healing today.
Jonathan Jones, President and Founder of Perfect Hope Ministry
