The Divine Exchange

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.
(2Cor 12:9a)

The weakness mentioned by Paul is with regard to our moral frailty or even bodily. We struggle and hard pressed to find God’s grace sufficient enough for us. The trouble is that we wrestle with our human strength, understanding, and wisdom and all that we can muster up from within. I suppose that is why we can’t experience the reality of God’s graciousness in tough and most trying circumstances. The word ‘grace’ used is ‘charis’, which is commonly interpreted as God’s unmerited favor upon us. However there is another aspect which is the divine influence upon our heart. God’s divine influence cannot come in unless we are stripped of self influence seated deep within our heart. Self influence will continually rear its head to give us the ‘positive’ mentality that we can make it. If we read this verse carefully, Paul is telling us not to consider ‘making it’ but to consider ourselves surrendered and start waving the white flag. Someone once said ‘Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity; man’s security is Satan’s opportunity.’ We have to be freed from this false sense of security that which we constantly summon in the face of our struggles with sin or character flaws.

If we are faced with circumstances that we need victory over sin; or patience for a difficult child; or love for an irritable person; or trust in God in the face of adversity, we ask God for them. How oft that our prayers are left unanswered regardless of how earnest we are. I have, and I don’t see whence my help comes (Psa 121:1). This can be frustrating and can even come to the point of questioning God if He is truly real to deliver us.

Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
(Rom 6:11)

Adam sinned or disobeyed God’s commandment not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 2:17) and lost our innocence to sin. We are only to partake from the tree of life and leave the decision or discernment of the good and evil to God. As such the sin nature have over taken the nature that God’s first created man. Thus all that is in man is not of God, how can we draw from within in this state? So the solution is that we die to the sin nature and start anew as in a totally new creation (2 Cor 5:17). We are saved not to have victory or to have a better disposition over our weaknesses, the truth is that we must be completely renewed. A divine exchange has to take place to realize divine sufficiency. This truth of this exchange has to be reckoned. To reckon is an accounting term which is to count or calculate to know the bottom line. It is not subjective but objective, unprejudiced.

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
(Gal 2:20)

‘I am’ is the declaration to principalities and to God of death to the old nature and taking on the new creation. It is death to the ‘me’ factor that constantly want to surge to the fore that sufficiency of God’s grace can’t be complete. But when we so surrender all to Jesus, Christ take over meaning the government of our lives becomes His responsibility. We can trust Him completely because He loves us with His life. When Christ takes over the reign, our moral and bodily frailty becomes His to deal with. Christ’s power will deal with our habits we never have been able to rid off, addiction, lust, covetousness, etc. Our victorious and glorious living becomes the bottom line in Christ.

Paul says that it is ‘my strength’; there is that oneness of Christ strength that becomes ours to bring it to completion. Isa 40:31 reminds that our strength comes with a renewing, a divine exchange not an added strength. How else can we soar in victorious living save understanding that the exchange required for us has to be Divine in nature.