MYTHS THAT CREATE CHRISTIAN PASSIVITY & DEFEATISM

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“So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 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, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:7–10, ESV)

A BATTLE FOR THE MIND, A WAR FOR THE HEART

I am sure many have heard teachings on Paul’s “thorn in the flesh.” But let me ask you honestly—has it ever helped you in your actual life? Or has it made you more helpless, more defeatist, more passive in the face of pressure, pain, or persecution? HAs it ever solved a problem for you?

We’ve mistaken humility for hopelessness. We’ve confused divine sovereignty with human apathy. And worst of all, we’ve dressed up ignorance as faith. But Jesus said clearly:

“You will know the truth—and the truth will make you free” (John 8:32).

If what you’re being taught doesn’t make you freer, stronger, and bolder in your walk with God, then I say boldly: you’re being lied to. And not all lies come from witches and demons—some come from pulpits laced with half-truths.

THE PURPOSE OF GRACE: NOT COMFORT, BUT CONQUEST

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves; it is the gift of God.”
(Ephesians 2:8)

Grace is not a floating concept. It’s not a cloud of divine feelings hovering above your life. It’s not permission to stay weak, defeated, and confused. It’s not a reason to roll over and play dead.

Grace is the power of God unto transformation. It’s the divine substance that changes you from what you were into what God has ordained you to be.

WHAT IS SALVATION REALLY?

The Greek word for “salvation” in Ephesians 2:8 is σωτηρία (sōtēria). It doesn’t just mean forgiveness of sins. It means:

• Rescue
• Deliverance
• Preservation
• Healing
• Wholeness
• Welfare

If your “salvation” doesn’t touch your body, your soul, your family, your finances, your future—it’s not the full gospel.

Paul was told in his moment of trial:

“My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

The answer to Paul’s “thorn” was not acceptance of defeat. It was a reminder that everything Paul needed was already available through grace—if only he would receive it by faith—and experience salvation.

THE “THORN” IN CONTEXT: A BIBLICAL VIEW

Where do we first see the metaphor of thorns?

“But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land… they shall be barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides.” (Numbers 33:55)

“I will not drive them out before you; they shall become thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.” (Judges 2:3)

“You shall consume all the peoples… do not serve their gods, for that would be a snare to you.” (Deuteronomy 7:16)

Thorns in Scripture represent people, idols, and disobedience left unaddressed—not illness. Not weakness. Not God punishing His children.

So when Paul refers to “a thorn in the flesh,” he is drawing on a known Hebraic metaphor: persecution, harassment, resistance by people and demonic forces, not a disease God refuses to heal.

God’s answer was clear: “My grace is sufficient.” Not “My will is for you to stay defeated.” The problem wasn’t the thorn—it was the faith to access the grace.

WEAKNESS REDEFINED: DEPENDENCE, NOT DEFEAT

“Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit,” says the Lord of Hosts. (Zechariah 4:6)

Let’s be clear:

• Weakness in Scripture does not mean failure.
• It means recognising your own limits and leaning entirely on God’s limitless power.

WEAKNESS=DEPENDENCE ON GOD & STRENGTH=INDEPENDENCE FROM GOD

When Paul says, “I will boast in my weakness,” he isn’t celebrating defeat—he’s boasting that his strength comes entirely from heaven. The anointing falls on the one who knows they have nothing but God.

PRAYER: THE ULTIMATE ACT OF WAR

“Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
“The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” (James 5:16)

• Prayer is not begging.
• Prayer is not negotiating.
• Prayer is spiritual warfare.

It is demonstrated dependence—and that’s why the devil fights your prayer life more than anything else.

Your weakness only becomes powerful when you express it in action—by calling on God. Not in theory, not in theology—in time spent at the altar, in the Word, in the war room.

DOES GOD WANT YOU BROKEN? SCRIPTURE SAYS NO.

“Let the weak say, ‘I am strong.’” (Joel 3:10)
“He heals all your diseases.” (Psalm 103:3)
“By His stripes, you were healed.” (1 Peter 2:24)
“He became poor so that you might become rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9)
“My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory.” (Philippians 4:19)

So why are so many Christians sick, poor, and lonely? Because we don’t cooperate with God’s covenant.
Why don’t we cooperate? Because of voluntary ignorance.

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge [ignorance].” (Hosea 4:6)

THE TRAGEDY OF LAZARUS: IGNORANCE IN ACTION

Why did Lazarus die a beggar? He was a son of Abraham! (Luke 16:22)

He had a covenant inheritance, but he didn’t enforce it. Instead of feasting, he waited for crumbs. He had was sitting on a “winning spiritual lottery ticket,” but not claiming it in.

“Abraham was blessed in all things.” (Genesis 24:1)
“The angels carried him to Abraham’s side.” (Luke 16:22)

Why didn’t they help sooner? Because Lazarus didn’t demand anything. No possession. No resistance. Just waiting and wasting. Scripture tells us in Psalm 103:20,

“Bless the LORD, you His angels, Who excel in strength, who do His word, obeying the voice of His word.”

Angels are listening for the word of the Lord, but someone has to give the word a voice. Someone has to claim the promises. Instead of having his eyes on the same covenant that Abraham stood on and claimed, Lazarus, like many Christians today, had his eyes on the crumbs falling from the rich man’s table. The angels were standing around with folded hands until he died and they could finally do something.

The result? A life of misery, despite a legacy of inheritance. And? Because of lack of focus. Because of voluntary ignorance.

THE LAND IS YOURS—WHY HAVEN’T YOU TAKEN IT?

“How long will you wait before taking possession of the land the Lord has given you?” (Joshua 18:3)
“Remember the Lord… who gives you the power to get wealth.” (Deuteronomy 8:18)
“They shall be briers and thorns in your side.” (Numbers 33:55)

Does that sound like Eden? Or like a garden unguarded, uncultivated and in ruin?

“The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to cultivate it and guard it.” — Genesis 2:15

or,

“I passed by the field of a sluggard… the wall was broken down, and wild beasts had entered.” — Proverbs 24:30–34

If you don’t cultivate, you won’t inherit. If you don’t guard, you’ll be devoured.

RISE UP—NO MORE OUTSOURCING YOUR “RESPONSE-ABILITY”

“Let the high praises of God be in their mouths… to execute the written judgement.” (Psalm 149:6–9)
“Train my hands for war, my fingers for battle.” (Psalm 144:1)

Stop outsourcing your life.
Yes, your pastor should’ve taught you to fight. But now you know. So what will you do?
Sit and whimper like a beggar—or rise up as a son and daughter of the Most High?

This is your life. No do-overs. No repeats.

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS YOUR TEACHER. START LEARNING.

“All Scripture is God-breathed… so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped.” (2 Timothy 3:16)
“The Holy Spirit will teach you all things.” (John 14:26)

You can be trained. But you must ask. You must seek. You must knock like your life depends on it—because it does.

“Rise up, O daughter of Zion, shake off the dust…” (Isaiah 52:2)
“Go [in going] to the land I will show you…”—Genesis 12:1 (“לֶךְ-לְךָ”, lech lecha)

Prayer is power, not pleading. Prayer is not a spiritual suggestion. It’s a military act. Prayer is how you enforce the legal rights won by Christ. It is not begging—it is binding. You don’t get victory by accident. You get it by decision. By action. By revelation. IF you begin to go and keep going, the Lord will begin to lead and continue leading. God can steer a moving ship, but a ship that refuses to move can’t complain that it doesn’t get to go anywhere.

“TO KEEP ME FROM BECOMING CONCEITED BECAUSE OF THE SURPASSING GREATNESS OF THE REVELATIONS”

“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 [beat, with fists] me…”
(2 Corinthians 12:7, KJV)

This phrase is often misunderstood or passed over quickly, but it holds profound significance—both for understanding Paul’s experience and for assessing what a “thorn in the flesh” truly is.

THE CONTEXT OF PAUL’S THORN

Paul was no ordinary Christian; he was one of the greatest apostles, a man uniquely gifted with divine revelations—visions and mysteries from God that were unparalleled. Yet even with such astounding spiritual experience, Paul was not immune to pride or conceit. The “thorn” was given to him to keep him grounded, to prevent spiritual arrogance.

This is crucial: The thorn was a corrective instrument for someone of exceptional spiritual status. It was not a random affliction, but a specific, targeted opposition to prevent Paul from becoming puffed up by revelation and privilege.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU AND ME

Even if, by some misunderstanding, you believe that the “thorn in the flesh” is God’s way of disciplining or humbling people, let me be very clear: You do not qualify for a “thorn in the flesh” like Paul’s.

Why?

1. Paul’s thorn was uniquely tied to “the surpassing greatness of the revelations.”
   This is not ordinary suffering or weakness. It is a spiritual safeguard specifically for those who walk in extraordinary revelation and authority, and importantly, it wasn’t a physical affliction, but persecution by Jews that followed him around and actively resisted him.
2. The “thorn” was a divine check against pride, not a punishment for sin or failure.
   If you are struggling, weak, or burdened, it is not because God has “given you a thorn” like Paul’s. Your struggles likely come from the spiritual environment, the enemy’s attacks, or personal choices—not a divine gift to humble you.
3. To believe that your sickness, poverty, loneliness, or failure is “your thorn” is a theological error with dangerous consequences.
   This teaching encourages passivity and resignation—telling people to accept defeat as God’s will. It robs the Church of boldness, hope, and the call to fight. And importatly, it is a direct contradiction to the “good news of complete salvation.”
4. You never see Jesus or the apostles refusing healing and deliverance to anyone because “God had given them a thorn.”

THE TRUE PURPOSE OF THE THORN IN PAUL’S LIFE

Paul’s thorn was not a symptom of divine neglect or wrath. It was:

• A warning light to guard against pride.
• A spur to keep him dependent on grace, not self.
• A spiritual adversary, “a messenger of Satan,” assigned to buffet him and keep him humble.

You, unless you have been given extraordinary revelation and are at risk of pride, are not the recipient of such a thorn.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR CHRISTIANS TODAY

If you are battling sickness, lack, emotional pain, or spiritual dryness, it is not because God has given you a “thorn” as a permanent condition.

Instead:

• You are called to fight back (Ephesians 6:10-18).
• You are called to claim God’s provision and healing (Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24).
• You are called to actively possess your inheritance (Joshua 1:3-9).
• You are called to depend on God’s grace to empower you, not to resign you to weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Do not accept passivity as your spiritual destiny because you chose to believe a lie.

FINAL CHARGE: YOUR TIME IS NOW

→ Join a community of believers who REFUSE to live beneath their God-given inheritance.
→ Don’t sit at the gates like Lazarus, hoping for crumbs.
→ Don’t spiritualise your passivity and call it peace.

“Arise, shine, for your light has come.” — Isaiah 60:1

• Study the Word.
• Take up the sword.
• Pray like a general.
• Possess what Christ has already purchased.

Let the weak say, “I am strong”—and become strong.

DEVOTIONAL PRAYER:

Father,

I repent of every passive mindset, every lie I’ve believed that made You look small and me feel helpless. I lay down the myths and teachings that robbed me of boldness, that confused humility with weakness, and made spiritual paralysis sound like trust. Forgive me for calling cowardice “wisdom” and surrendering my authority under the guise of piety.

Open my eyes to Your Word afresh. Strip away every veil of tradition that obscures Your truth. Let the truth of Your Spirit shatter every religious illusion and awaken in me the fire of revelation. Show me what is mine through Christ, and give me the grace to refuse to live beneath it.

Let Your grace not just comfort me, but empower me. I receive grace today as fuel for obedience, boldness, and dominion. Stir in me the spirit of a warrior—not one who fights for victory, but from it. Teach my hands to war and my fingers to battle. Train my eyes to see like You see, and my heart to feel what You feel.

I renounce the lie that says suffering is holy when it’s rooted in defeat. I cast down every imagination that exalts itself against the knowledge of Christ. Let the Holy Spirit be my daily Teacher, my daily Strength, and my daily Guide.

Today, I stand up. I rise. I shake the dust off. I will no longer live like Lazarus at the gate when I am called to walk in the fullness of Abraham’s covenant. I declare that the land You have given me will not remain in enemy hands.

I will possess the promises.
I will cultivate the garden.
I will enforce the written judgment.
I will pray with fire.
I will study with purpose.
I will live with eternal urgency.

Because Your Spirit lives in me, I am not a victim—I am more than a conqueror.

Father, I say yes to my assignment. Yes to my identity. Yes to Your call. I declare that grace will not be wasted on me. I will rise up and take the land You have already given.

In the mighty and victorious name of Jesus,
Amen.

MEMORY VERSE

“And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.” (Glatians 3:29)

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

1. What beliefs about weakness and suffering have I accepted that are not biblical?
2. How have I confused grace with comfort, instead of power?
3. Am I demonstrating dependence on God through prayer and obedience?
4. What part of my inheritance am I leaving untouched through ignorance?
5. What will I do today to possess what God has already given me?

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