March 30, 2022
Roses are beautiful and fragrant. They are even more exquisite when their petals are in full bloom. However, anyone who has handled roses also knows to be careful when handling them because roses have thorns.
This flower is an odd mixture of heartwarming beauty, breathtaking aroma aligned with stiff, sharp-pointed prickly things on its stem. You can admire the visual beauty of a rose and appreciate the fragrance, but the last thing you want is to come in contact with thorns.
In 2nd Corinthians 12:7, the Apostles Paul uses the expression “thorn in the flesh.” He used it as a figure of speech to describe what is commonly believed to be a challenging physical condition Paul experienced.
The exact nature of his affliction is unknown. However, Pau knew the reason God allowed the affliction. He said his thorn in the flesh was God’s way of keeping him from becoming conceited.
Paul had an impressive resume that dates back to his upbringing. He admits, “Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more! I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault,” Philippians 3:4-6 NLT.
Furthermore, Paul opens 2 Corinthians 12 recalling visions and revelations God gave him. He had more reasons to brag. Instead, Paul was well aware that his suffering was so that he shunned the temptation to “get the big head.”
Notice something else. In 2 Corinthians 12 and in the same line of thinking, Paul acknowledged that Satan also had a voice in his experience (verse 7). In fact, Paul describes his physical affliction as “a messenger from Satan.”
Show me someone who loves God, is ministry-minded, perhaps multi-gifted and making a difference in the lives of others. If that individual encounters any type of difficulty, you can expect Satan to seize an opportunity to weigh in on the experience. Satan sends messages. Satan wants you to pay closer attention to his messages than God’s messages.
Satan sends all kinds of messages in various ways — through other circumstances, people, TV, radio, emails, the Internet, social media, blog postings — you name it. Satan never gives the silent treatment when we are going through difficult situations. But worse than that, many believers are open to hearing from him.
If you are in a sticky situation, you might be giving Satan more mileage to send messages than God ever intended. You may be giving Satan too much airtime.
Consider this. If it’s negative, it must be so. That’s a message of Satan. If it tears down, it’s the gospel truth. That is what Satan wants us to believe. If it overshadows, sabotages or undermines the good you do, then your good wasn’t meant to be. And Satan wants you to take that to the bank.
Are you guilty of fraternizing with the enemy, listening to Satan’s lies over God’s truth?
Make no mistake. When we are going through, we are weak and sensitive. So we must be careful about the messages we receive in our spirit, especially when suffering through sticky circumstances. Situations that cause us to suffer also make us most vulnerable.
Paul is struggling with his health and here comes Satan. To him, Satan was sent to “torment” him. While Paul was already afflicted with physical pain, Satan inflicts emotional and psychological pain. Paul called it torment and that’s a strong description. The King James Version uses the term “buffet.” Buffet means to beat or strike with the fist.
No wonder the spirit of torment or buffet has to have a victim, because the fist has to hit a target. This is not about shadow boxing. The fist needs to hit someone in order to inflict pain. Paul knew he was Satan’s target. He also indicated the pain was constant. Satan’s tormenting message kept coming.
When we are suffering through our circumstances we do not have to believe or receive anything that is not of God. We do not shoot the messenger, but we can reject the message. The messages will keep coming with every intention to hit the target — you and me.
As for Paul, he accepted God allowing the affliction to keep him grounded. However, he could not accept the emotional, mental and spiritual hold from being beaten down by Satan‘s messages.
So what did Paul do? I will share insights that reveal Paul’s response to this sticky situation in the next blog.
Until then, keep the faith.
Anita