Every one of us has a form of weakness. It may be a physical weakness but most times our weaknesses lie in our mind.

Your weakness may be fear and anxiety, lack of confidence, impatience, and unfaithfulness, to name a few.

Whatever weakness you can identify with, you do not need to be ashamed because God promised to shine forth His strength in your weakness.

How does God demonstrate His strength in your weakness?

Let us look at six human weaknesses and show how the power of God is made perfect in your weakness.

Fearfulness

Fear is like a tangled web that ensnare and torment your mind.

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

2 Timothy 1: 7 KJV)

Since the beginning of creation, God has breathed in us His Spirit of power, love, and sensibility.

These are the strengths from God that you need to tap into to overcome the weakness of fear.

There is no fear in love because perfect love drives out fear (1 John 4:18). Your love can only be perfected through Christ who dwells in your heart.

Since life’s problems can lead to anxiety, always take your concerns to God in prayer with thanksgiving. Then you will be filled with the peace of God that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:4-7).

Impatience

We are living in a fast-paced world where no one likes to wait. Impatience is manifested on the road, at home, in the workplace, and in the community at large.

But God always tells us to wait.

Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.

(Psalms 27:14 KJV)

God will never allow you to wait until you faint away, but you will live to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

While waiting, remain in the presence of the Lord, where He will protect you from the enemy, He will teach you His ways, and strengthen your heart.

Stubbornness and disobedience

Stubbornness is a selfish determination to remain set in your ways even when it is detrimental to your health and the lives of others around you.

Stubbornness also leads to disobedience, which is refusing to submit to authority. Both usually go hand in hand.

A perfect example is shown in 1 Samuel 15. The Lord gave King Saul specific instructions to utterly destroy the Amalekites and all their possessions including the animals.

However, Saul spared the king of the Amalekites, the best animals, and the wealth of the land.

The Lord was angry with Saul’s’ disobedience but when the prophet Samuel confronted the king, instead of repenting, he insisted that his actions were not wrong because he spared the best animals to sacrifice to God.

Thus, Samuel replied

And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

(1 Samuel 15:22-23 KJV)

Consequently, the Lord rejected Saul from being king over Israel and chose instead a man after His own heart.

As the above verse states, rebelliousness and stubbornness are synonymous with witchcraft, iniquity, and idolatry.

It is, therefore, imperative that you do not allow those two weaknesses to dominate your life because they will keep you separated from the presence of the Lord.

To rid yourself of stubbornness and disobedience you will need the mind and heart of Christ.

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

(Philippians 2:5-8 KJV)

The mind of Christ is humility and obedience.

When you feed on the bread of life which is Jesus Christ, He will strengthen you with humility and the power to be successful (Deuteronomy 8:15-18).

Selfishness

The English dictionary defines selfishness as the quality or state of caring only for oneself or one’s own interest. In other words, a selfish person is only concerned about oneself.

The question therefore arises, is this the way God wants us to live?

For some people, selfishness is a deliberate act while for others it is a type of defense mechanism.

Possibly, the person is afraid of getting hurt or afraid of being rejected and so fear fuels their selfish attitude.

In such cases, one must first overcome the spirit of fear and then be empowered to think of others even during trying circumstances.

Philippians 2:3 – 4 says “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look not only for his own interests but also for the interests of others.”

It will take a humble heart similar to the mind of Christ to care about the interests of others.

Deceitfulness

Job states that as long as he lives and the spirit of God is within him he will neither speak wickedness nor his tongue utter deceit (Job 27:3-4)

Only the Spirit of God who dwells in your heart can tame your tongue (James 3). This weakness cannot be cured by your own self.

A clean hand, a pure heart, and a truthful lip will guarantee your ascension up on the mountain of God in His presence (Psalms 24).

There is no deceit in the mouth of Christ because He is the way, the truth, and life (John 14:6).

So, through the Lord Jesus Christ, the weakness of deception can never overpower you.

Lack of self-confidence

A self-confidence statistic done by GITNUX Market Data in 2023 shows that approximately 85% of people struggle with low self-esteem and poor self-confidence.

Although 93% of people believe that self-confidence is necessary to achieve success in their career, a vast majority of them are plagued with this weakness.

Therefore, how can these victims equip themselves with the vital tools necessary to better their lives?

First, they need to recognize the great plan that God has for them before the foundation of the world.

Jeremiah 29:11 states that the plan that God has for you is peaceful and it will give you a future and hope.

When you accept the great plan that God has for you then you will gain the strength necessary to overcome the weakness of low self-esteem.

Unfaithfulness

Unfaithfulness is prevalent in our society. It can lead to toxic relationships, instability in the family, and stress-related illnesses such as depression and mental illness.

Unfaithfulness is one of the leading causes of marital breakup and divorce.

The unfaithfulness of the Israelites led to the destruction and desolation of their once-reigning empire (Ezekiel 39:26; Daniel 9:7).

God does not tolerate unfaithfulness and so He made provisions to strengthen you if you have this weakness.

God is faithful even when we are unfaithful to Him and “He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” (1 Corinthians 10: 13)

What are the ways of escape that God has provided?

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. The wisdom and knowledge of God will give you the strength to escape from temptations and overcome the enemy’s plots.

Another way of escape that God provides is guaranteed protection when you dwell in His secret place.

Proclaiming the Word of God amid your trials and temptations will deliver you from the traps of the enemy.

This was the method that Jesus used when He was tempted by the devil in the wilderness. Each time Satan made a tempting proposal to Jesus, His reply was always – “It is written…”

Jesus quoted the direct Word of God from the scriptures. He established the perfect example of a way of escape from temptations.

References: Proverbs 1:7; Psalms 91; Ecclesiastes 7:18; Matthew 4

Now, it is over to you...

How do you cope when you are tempted?

What is your strategy to overcome your weakness?