The Various Layers That Can Surround And Obscure Our Weakness

Drawn from: Strength In Weakness by Andrew Comiskey

 INWARD: The Inside Look

The Various Layers That Can Surround And Obscure Our Weakness

1. Our SHAME

When we sin, we tend to feel bad about the problem, even to the extent that we want to hide it. Like Adam and Eve in the garden, we cover ourselves with fig leaves. We pretend we are fine even though we are not. [Shame] silences us. It causes us to lie and rely on ourselves. 

Shame is the raincoat of the soul, repelling the living water that would otherwise establish us as the beloved of God. It prevents us from receiving grace and truth where we need them the most. Many factors contribute to shame, but ultimately the problem is that we resist the reality of the Father's love. We believe, falsely that our sin and weakness disqualify us for receiving His love. 


Two Experiences Of Shame

Sin thus gives rise to appropriate shame (the realization of sin) and bad shame (sinful attitudes that we impose on ourselves and others). In this way, shame is a consequence and a penalty for sin (includes both one's we have committed and those committed against us).


In This Exchange Of Our Shame For Freedom In Christ, Our Goal Is To Recieve...

2. Our SIN

No matter how out of control we feel in our compulsion, the truth is that we are making choices. We thus contribute to our estrangement from God and others; we make decisions that damage our relationships. Sin is not weakness but wickedness. God wants to forgive, but He can only do that if we acknowledge the sin that stems from our weakness. Having received forgiveness, we are then free to receive holy power where we need it most. 

Sin can only be erased through its exposure. And that exposure occurs as one's sin is laid bare through confession before God and other human beings. This is painful! In confession we are exposed once more to the reality of our sin and the appropriate shame and guilt that accompany it. 

Confession requires community—the witness of trusted brothers and sisters. I firmly believe that without that witness our efforts to live honestly and wholeheartedly will not work. 

Through confession we put to death any false image of perfection. With our sin presented in full view of our brother or sister, we cannot hide... We confess the specific way we have failed. Period. And in such a painful reckoning with what we have done, we die a sinner's death... Public confession actively destroys our false pride.  


Bible Verses

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us." - Romans 12:1 NLT

"Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord." - Acts 3:19 NIV

"Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.' And you forgave the guilt of my sin." - Psalm 32:5 NIV

"Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy." - Proverbs 28:13 ESV

"For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you." - Matthew 6:14 NIV

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." - 1 John 1:9 NIV


When it comes to sin, our goal is to... 


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Steps to Confession

Confession is not necessarily a one-shot procedure. Instead it is a process; it unfolds.

3. Our WOUNDING

Such wounding may be abuse (mental, verbal, physical, sexual) or inadequate love and affirmation or any other number of harmful effects. The wounds contribute to our misdirected grasping after [illegitimate] love, fueling our sin.


In this Exchange of Our Wounds For Christ's Healing, Our Goal Is To...

4. Our WEAKNESS 

This weakness includes the tendency toward habitual sin. This tendency is not in itself sin, nor need it be shrouded by shame or empowered by unhealed wounds, but it does lead to many problems. Our weaknesses can be distinguished from our shame, our sin and our wounds. This weakness is something in us that is flawed or fragile, not whole, and does not conform to the Biblical idea of how we should be.

Bible Verses

"My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise." - Psalm 51:17 NIV

"Each time 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. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong." - 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NLT


Our goal is to surrender our weaknesses to God and others so that, like Paul, we might discover God’s strength as we seek to serve Him in our weaknesses.