448-Embrace Your Thorn Before it Kills You

Consider this: you might be more like Paul than you realize. Yes, Paul—the apostle whose praises were so powerful they shook prison walls, and who found joy even in his suffering. What could you possibly have in common with him? Well, Paul had a thorn in his side. A persistent struggle that he begged God to remove. I'm willing to bet there's a thorn in your side too—something you've desperately asked God to take away. Whether it's sexual sin, pride, greed, jealousy, or anger, this thorn is your personal struggle. I am here to tell you: Embrace the thorn in your side. This might sound counterintuitive, but in your weakness, God's strength is made perfect. The thorn is there for a reason. God has given it to you to keep you humble, to remind you that you're not in control of everything, and to draw you closer to Him. How do folks often respond to their (God-given) thorns? Disassociate. Disown. Disregard. Disassociating yourself from these struggles—especially the deep ones like hidden addictions—can be perilous. Essentially, if you do not embrace your thorn, it is the enemy's playground to attack you in the same way again... and again... and again... to the destruction of all those you love and the reputation of the gospel that you represent to others.  We are urging you, bring these struggles into the light. Seek accountability, find support, and create a plan. On the good days it's easier to make that plan and structure to support you on the hard days that you know will come... because you've embraced the thorn that is God's gift which keeps you humble. Important: Perfection isn't required- 80% of a plan is enough to start making meaningful progress. The point is to start. Remember when you perceive the negative pattern in your history, it's time to take action so you can prevent things going downhill... for when you are weak, then you are strong. This week, I encourage you to identify your thorn (start with one, we likely all have many! I certainly do), confront it, confess it to God, repent and confess it to safe people. Then, know that He forgives you and makes a way of escape for the future so you can truly truly walk in the humility that comes through the gift of this thorn... because His grace IS sufficient for you. Love, Belah & Team PS - If you are interested in learning more about our program, maybe even getting that accountability in your life, we would love to talk to you. Check out delightyourmarriage.com/cc PPS - I am excited to share with you a resource that I believe will be of value for your marital intimacy! A group of pro-marriage / intimacy experts have gotten together and are doing a sex seminar. These are folks that believe marriage is right and good but they are not necessarily Bible-believing Christians.  Amongst really valuable and wise content, there will likely be perspectives represented that I don't 100% agree with.  I encourage you (as always) to seek discernment from God to gain the good insights that may be in this event and leave what may not be helpful to you.  Keep eternity in mind: at the end of it all we want to hear from God "well done." We want it to be true that we loved the spouse we were given with a servant heart and according to His Word. I hope you gain wonderful encouragement and practical ideas to love your spouse well through intimacy! Here are the links- 2024 Sex Seminar: https://shop.thedatingdivas.com/discount/DYM24?redirect=%2Fproducts%2Fsex-seminar-2024 Sex Seminar Bundle (all 5 years): https://shop.thedatingdivas.com/discount/DYMBUNDLE24?redirect=%2Fproducts%2Fsex-seminar-bundle-2024 PPPS - Here is a quote from a recent graduate: "After 8 years of marriage, we had both grown complacent in investing in each other…  I have long struggled with pornography and I tend to be a bit of a workaholic while my wife has been at home with our kids for 15 years. It seems we took every one of those opportunities to create distance in our relationship… [Now], I'm taking ownership. This is my home. This is my marriage. She is my wife. Ours is a union blessed by God. In taking my roles as husband, father, help mate more seriously, my whole family has begun to benefit. The man's role is not to simply coexist, but to lead the marriage and family. I can make a difference in the family by leading to and with God."