Weakness and Power | Week 4 | Cares of the World Series

We all experience weakness…what do we do when we face emotional, spiritual or physical overwhelm and weakness feels like failure, the enemy comes in to try to redefine your identity and misdirect your destiny.

By Personal Deficiency;

• Moses – Claimed he was “slow of speech and tongue” (Exodus 4:10). His lack of eloquence became the stage for God to show that deliverance depends on divine power, not human skill.
• Gideon – Saw himself as insignificant (“my clan is the weakest… and I am the least,” Judges 6:15). God reduced his army to only 300 men so victory could only be attributed to Him.
• David – Too young and small to face Goliath by human standards (1 Samuel 17:33). His weakness magnified the strength of God through faith.
• Jeremiah – Felt too young and unqualified to speak as a prophet (Jeremiah 1:6). God reminded him that divine authority, not human adequacy, defines a prophet.

By Human Failure or Sin:

• Samson – His physical weakness came after his sin and betrayal (Judges 16). In his blindness and humiliation, God restored his strength for one final act of deliverance.
• Elijah – After calling down fire at Mount Carmel, he fell into despair and prayed to die (1 Kings 19). God met him in his exhaustion and fed him, showing His tenderness in human frailty.
• Peter – Denied Christ three times out of fear (Luke 22:57–60). His weakness became the backdrop for Jesus’ restoration and commissioning to strengthen others.

By God’s Direct Humbling:

• Jacob – God literally weakened him, dislocating his hip during their wrestling match (Genesis 32:25). Jacob emerged with a limp, forever dependent on God’s strength rather than his own cunning.
• Job – Allowed by God to lose health, wealth, and family (Job 1–2). His extreme weakness became the theater for God’s sovereignty and the refining of Job’s faith.

In Christ Himself:

• Jesus – Though sinless, He took on the weakness of human flesh (Philippians 2:7–8). His greatest “weakness” was His willing submission to the cross, where He appeared powerless—yet that was the very means of God’s ultimate triumph!

“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 of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses… For when I am weak, then I am strong.” ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (ESV)

The more you learn to trust Him the less troubled you will be!  

Weakness Is Not Failure—It’s a Doorway to Grace

“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 of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9 (ESV)

• When you feel like you are failing—pause, ask “Where is grace calling me to lean on Him?”
• The weaker you are the more grace He gives “I’m empty, fill me with grace.” 

Feeling Overwhelmed Is Human—And Holy

³⁷ And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. ³⁸ Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” ³⁹ And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” ~ Matthew 26:37-39 (ESV)

• Jesus Himself experienced deep sorrow and overwhelm in Gethsemane. He did not hide it. He brought it into prayer. Holiness is honesty before the Father.
• Normalize lament in your spiritual life. Give God your real emotions!
• Use Psalm 42 as a prayer guide during times of distress: “Why, my soul, are you downcast?

You Are Not being Disqualified—You Are Being Redefined

³ Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, ⁴ and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵ and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. ~ Romans 5:3-5 (ESV)

• God doesn’t waste our overwhelm. The pressure is not punishment, it’s preparation. We are conformed to Christ’s image in the fire of trials
• Instead of seeing hardship as disqualification, begin asking: “What is God forming in me through this?”

Suggested Resources

Book: The Pressure’s Off by Larry Crabb — a deep theological exploration of grace over performance.

Devotional: New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp — daily encouragement rooted in grace, not guilt.

Words of Knowledge:

We believe the Lord wants to heal someone struggling with a digestive issue that started with the teeth and gums and is now impacting your entire digestive system.

We believe the Lord wants to heal someone who has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

We believe God wants to heal the arch of someone’s right foot, possibly a fallen arch.  We believe the Lord wants to restore your arch and heal you of all pain.

We believe the Lord wants to free individuals from lust of the flesh and eyes. This lust is blocking people from truly experiencing the presence of God. We saw a wall built up and the Lord is wanting to tear down that wall today.

We believe the Lord wants to heal someone who is suffering from right shoulder pain.

We believe the Lord wants to heal someone who is suffering from nephritis in their left kidney.

We believe the Lord wants to restore the circadian rhythms of someone who has completed a transatlantic journey.

We believe the Lord wants to deliver someone from looping thoughts of a past romantic relationship they’re no longer in.

We believe the Lord wants to heal a little girl who hurt her mid-back on the left side.