Embracing Vulnerability: Finding Strength in Our Struggles

God is our everything—our hope, our joy, our strength, and our peace. In every season, whether we are celebrating victory or wrestling with struggle, God remains faithful and present. Today, the focus is on a confession that is often the hardest to make: not the admission of past mistakes, but the honest acknowledgment of present struggles. It’s easy to testify when the battle is over, but what about when we’re still in the thick of it? The invitation is to move beyond the mask, to step out of isolation, and to bring our real, ongoing struggles before God and trusted community.

Drawing from 2 Corinthians 12, Paul’s testimony of the thorn in his flesh reminds us that God’s grace is not reserved for the moments when we appear strong, but is most powerfully revealed in our weakness. Paul pleaded for his thorn to be removed, but God’s answer was not deliverance from the struggle, but the assurance that His grace is sufficient. This teaches us that vulnerability is not defeat; it is the doorway to God’s power. When we admit our need, we make room for God’s strength to be made perfect in us.

Confession is not just vertical—between us and God—but also horizontal, connecting us to one another. James 5:16 calls us to confess to each other and pray for each other so that we may be healed. In community, honesty breaks the chains of isolation and shame, and God’s power flows in ways we cannot experience alone. The church should be the safest place to say, “I’m not okay,” and to find support, prayer, and encouragement.

Grace grows best in honest ground. We do not have to be perfect to be powerful; God’s grace meets us in our mess, not just in our victories. Our scars are not signs of defeat, but testimonies of God’s sustaining power. Even if the thorn remains, so does God’s grace. The struggle may persist, but God’s presence, strength, and peace are unwavering. We are invited to stop pretending, to lay down our burdens, and to trust that God will carry us through every valley. In our confession, we find freedom, connection, and the sustaining grace of God.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Vulnerability is not defeat, but the doorway to God’s power. Admitting weakness is not a sign of failure, but an act of trust that allows God’s strength to be made perfect in us. God does not pour His power into the image we project, but into the truth we present. When we stop pretending and bring our real struggles to God, we discover that His grace is more than enough. [19:41]
• 2. Confession creates connection, not just with God but with others. When we are honest about our struggles, we break the enemy’s power of isolation and invite healing through community. The church is called to be a safe place where we can say, “I’m not okay,” and find support, prayer, and encouragement from one another. [25:49]
• 3. Grace grows in honest ground. God’s grace is not reserved for the flawless, but for the humble and honest. Our scars and ongoing struggles are not disqualifications, but opportunities for God’s glory to be revealed. The very places we want to hide are often the places where God wants to display His power. [28:14]
• 4. The struggle may remain, but so does God’s grace. Like Paul, we may pray for our thorn to be removed and find that it stays, but God’s grace stays too. His grace does not expire or run out when the struggle drags on; it meets us right in the valley and carries us through. [32:47]
• 5. Freedom comes when we stop pretending and bring our real selves to God. The invitation is to lay down the mask, confess our struggles, and trust God to meet us in our need. When we do, we make room for His strength, His peace, and His sustaining presence to carry us every step of the way. [34:39]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [02:19] - God Is My Everything
• [06:31] - Foundational Scripture: 1 John 1:9
• [09:44] - Confession: Past vs. Present Struggles
• [11:42] - Trusting God in the Middle of the Struggle
• [13:20] - Confession as the Beginning of Comeback
• [15:18] - Paul’s Thorn: Embracing Weakness
• [17:24] - Persistent Struggles and God’s Response
• [19:41] - Vulnerability: The Doorway to God’s Power
• [21:36] - The Voices of Pride, Fear, and Shame
• [22:54] - Facing What We Hide
• [25:49] - Confession Creates Connection
• [28:14] - Grace Grows in Honest Ground
• [32:47] - God’s Grace Is Sufficient
• [34:39] - The Invitation to Be Real with God
• [35:49] - Casting Our Cares and Crying Out
• [38:59] - Praying for Deliverance and Identity
• [41:40] - God Knows and Lifts Every Burden
• [44:51] - Praying for Our Children
• [46:18] - Covering Our Children in Prayer
• [50:00] - Blessing for the School Year
• [50:58] - Closing and Invitation

Bible Reading

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (ESV) — 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.

Observation Questions

1. According to 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, what was Paul’s response when God did not remove the “thorn” from his life?
2. In the sermon, what does the pastor say is the difference between confessing past mistakes and confessing present struggles? [[09:44]]
3. What does the phrase “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” mean in the context of Paul’s struggle?
4. How does the sermon describe the role of vulnerability in the life of a believer? [[19:41]]

Interpretation Questions

1. Why might God choose not to remove certain struggles or “thorns” from our lives, according to Paul’s experience and the sermon? [[17:24]]
2. The sermon says, “God doesn’t pour strength into the image you project. He pours it into the truth you present.” What does this mean for how we approach God and others? [[13:20]]
3. How does confessing our present struggles, rather than just our past, change our relationship with God and with others? [[25:49]]
4. The pastor says, “Grace grows best in honest ground.” What does it look like for a church or small group to be “honest ground”? [[28:14]]

Application Questions

1. The sermon challenges us to move beyond the mask and admit when we’re struggling. Is there an area of your life right now where you feel pressure to pretend you’re okay? What would it look like to be honest about that struggle—with God or with someone you trust? [[34:39]]
2. Paul’s story shows that God’s grace is often most visible in our weakness. Can you think of a time when you experienced God’s strength in the middle of a struggle, rather than after it was over? How did that impact your faith? [[19:41]]
3. The pastor says, “Church should be the safest place to say, ‘I’m not okay.’” Do you feel like this group or our church is a safe place for honesty? Why or why not? What could we do to make it safer? [[25:49]]
4. The sermon mentions that pride, fear, and shame can keep us isolated. Which of these do you most relate to, and how has it affected your willingness to be vulnerable? [[21:36]]
5. James 5:16 says to confess to each other and pray for each other so that we may be healed. Is there someone in your life you could reach out to for prayer or accountability this week? What’s stopping you? [[25:49]]
6. The pastor said, “You don’t have to be perfect to be powerful.” How does this truth challenge the way you see yourself and your role in God’s work? [[28:14]]
7. If you are currently carrying a “thorn” or ongoing struggle, what is one practical step you can take this week to invite God’s grace and the support of others into that area? [[32:47]]