22/02/2020
Why was a “Thorn in the Flesh” Sent to the Apostle Paul?
THE TRADITIONAL LIE that the devil has sold to the Church is that God sent a “messenger of Satan” - a “thorn in the flesh” to Paul to keep him humble. Traditionalists seem to forget one thing, and that is that the Apostle Paul wrote that it was because of the “abundance of revelations” that had been given to Paul that this “messenger” was sent.
JESUS TAUGHT that when the Word is sown in the hearts of people, Satan will come immediately to steal the seed. He comes with persecution, affliction, the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches and the lusts of other things to steal and choke out the seeds of the Word that are sown in the heart when the Word of God is preached. He knows that when the Word is allowed to do its miraculous work in the hearts and lives of those who hear, it will produce an abundant harvest, and he cannot afford to see that happen!
Here is the crux of the issue: God gave Paul revelations of who we are and what we have in Christ, which he in turn gave to the Church through his writings. Thank God he persevered and would not quit no matter how much the devil turned up the heat!
Paul was sharing the Gospel with people all over the known world. God gave him revelations of Christ and of the glorious things that we now have in Him. Satan immediately came against him to destroy him and to steal the seeds of truth that he was carrying. The devil knew that he had to stop this man or everywhere he went, his subjects would be liberated from his kingdom of darkness.
7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather
