By Tonya S. Swindell

One day while talking to God, I confessed how weak I am in certain areas. In response to my confession, a familiar question popped into my mind and heart: “I know you are, but what AM I?”

In the past, I heard people say those words to redirect misguided bullies or name callers. In this instance, I believe Holy Spirit gave me a gentle nudge to see my weaknesses from a different perspective. Ultimately, He wanted me to know that His strength is made perfect in my weakness; and even when I’m weak, He remains strong.

I was honest with God when I acknowledged that some days I have felt so insecure about my ability to make good decisions. But at some point I realized it was not God’s plan for me to be confident in my own capabilities. Instead, He wanted me to rely on His grace, strength and wisdom to get through each day.

The March 21 entry for “Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young confirmed my thoughts. It said, “TRUST ME AND DON’T BE AFRAID, for I am your Strength and Song. Think what it means to have Me as your Strength. I spoke the universe into existence; My Power is absolutely unlimited! Human weakness, consecrated to Me, is like a magnet, drawing My Power into your neediness. However, fear can block the flow of My Strength into you. Instead of trying to fight your fears, concentrate on trusting Me. When you relate to Me in confident trust, there is no limit to how much I can strengthen you…”

In Joel 3:10 KJV, the prophet Joel declared, “…Let the weak say I am strong.” His emphatic declaration inspired people to acknowledge inadequacy and exchange it for God’s strength.

In 2 Corinthians 3:5 NASB, Apostle Paul stated, “…Our adequacy comes from God.” And Paul’s statement of faith in Philippians 4:13 reads like this from The Amplified Bible: “I can do all things [which He has called me to do] through Him who strengthens and empowers me [to fulfill His purpose — I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency; I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses me with inner strength and confident peace.]”

Dr. Charles Stanley wrote, “Paul never claimed that he was capable of accomplishing all that God called him to do. He simply learned to look beyond his own inadequacy to the sufficiency of Christ…”

Dr. Stanley mentioned five blessings of inadequacy:

• Our insufficiency drives us to God.
• Inadequacy relieves us of the burden of self-effort and self-reliance.
• Inability motivates reliance on divine power.
• By using inadequate people, God demonstrates what great things He can do.
• Inadequacy challenges our faith.

As I learn to value my inadequacies, I can learn to depend on God’s strength. And as I develop a different view of my weaknesses, I can develop a more positive confession: “Lord, thank You that when I am weak, You remain strong.”

Tonya Swindell writes a blog for www.inspirenewlife.org and a teacher for Kingdom Building Equipping School (KBES.com). She can be reached at 1brightot@gmail.com.