Biblical Vulnerability pt. 2

Strength in Love, kindness, & Compassion

Welcome to the kingdom citizens blog!

A story of Revelation, exposure, & protection.

The paradox of vulnerability is that exposure is necessary for closure. If we do not willingly open up when necessary, we will never provide ourselves the opportunity to detox and recover. Many of us suffer from wounds that never heal but are continuously infected with festering issues we never let out. Without exposing the wound, it can’t be properly treated. Like a needle administering preventative and life-saving medicine, vulnerability is an invasive but necessary process for true recovery and growth.

God's strength rallies on our behalf, especially when we feel weighted down by our vulnerabilities.

Sacrificial Vulnerability

At times, we must sacrifice our security blankets in exchange for genuine and lasting relief. It takes a certain level of maturity to embrace the various types of relief the Lord offers. Let’s take the apostle Paul for example. He had a thorn in his side that he begged God to relieve him of. But as we witness in 2 Corinthians 12:9, the relief the Lord offered Paul didn’t deliver him from the thorn, but from the weakness and agitation he felt as a result of it. 

God informed Paul that His grace is sufficient, which is a term that means “completely satisfactory”. This Greek verb arkeó (Strong’s Greek 714) instills Paul with hope, undoubting faith in the sufficiency of God’s Divine Provision, whether material or spiritual. This is how the Lord’s dunamis (miraculous working power) explodes in our lives with transformative abundance that transcends our circumstances. His power is perfected (fully matured & complete) in our weaknesses (feebleness of mind and body), whether moral frailty or physical ailment, when we definitively choose to allow the power of Christ to rest on us. 

2 Corinthians 12:8-10

8 Concerning this I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might leave me. 9 And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in distresses, in persecutions, in difficulties, in behalf of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

When we submit the fullness of our vulnerabilities to the Lord, something wonderful happens. He becomes our strength; the exact strength we need. In this way, wisdom and obedience guides us into the maturity of receiving God’s strength and power in our weak places. But I wonder, is our true focus more on how our own proverbial “thorn in the side” prevents us from appearing strong? 

Rather than what actually weakens us, are we so caught up on what makes us look weak, that we can’t follow through on a beneficial behavior that we think makes us appear more vulnerable than feels comfortable? Perhaps, it may be that our weakness makes us feel inefficient, impotent, unable to complete the task ahead of us. But we can’t do anything worthwhile apart from Christ anyways, so why try? Remember that God is with us. He goes before us. In Christ, we can do all things, regardless of our shortcomings, because it is He Who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13).

Vulnerable Visibility

We should all ask ourselves this question. What vulnerability am I hiding from the one(s) who need to witness it because I don’t want to appear weak? How can we honor James 5:16 if we don’t overcome this flawed way of thinking?

James 5:16

16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. A prayer of a righteous person, when it is brought about, can accomplish much.

It would be to our benefit to sacrifice that fear of looking weak or feeling “less than”, so that we could bring our sins and worries out into the open and receive prayer that heals us. We find exaltation in humbleness and victory (triumph) in our willing surrender to the Lord. We crucify our flesh daily that we might live; dying daily that we might embrace eternal life. Vulnerability is not weakness, it is obedience to God’s covenantal kindness. Our birthright in Christ. It takes boldness and courage to willingly expose our need for Christ, and plead for His help and intervention.

How many relationships and opportunities have we forfeited due to refusal to exhibit vulnerability? Or digging our heels into toxic symptoms that are the result of betrayed vulnerability? Where are we casting pearls to swine or erecting walls where we should be building bridges? Even in His glorified body, Jesus left the holes in His hands and feet; these cruel remnants, He kept as signs of vulnerability to become evidence for a doubting Thomas. 

What’s more intimate than sacrificial vulnerability, and what’s more vulnerable than Jesus Christ entering mortality - submitting Himself to temptation, humiliation, and death by way of Crucifixion? In this way we learn how Love washes over a multitude of sins. This agapé (love) is a benevolent affection, charitable in God’s favor towards mankind. Agapé is the difference between constructive and destructive vulnerability; the safe space necessary for redemption to flourish. 

1 Peter 4:8

“Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.”

Let the Lord's love and light wash over you, floating weightless in His benevolent forgiveness.

Corrected, Covered, & Concealed

All throughout scripture we can investigate two types of vulnerability: (1) Constructive and (2) Destructive. Constructive vulnerability exposes what’s done in the dark, produces enlightenment with the putting on of the mind of Christ, and leads the lost into reconciliation and redemption. Destructive vulnerability, on the other hand, exposes weak points to harm, subjects its victims to works of darkness, and manipulates to achieve  intended results via trauma, guilt, and pain. 

Jesus Christ teaches us, especially in the Gospels, how we are to weave the appropriate forms of vulnerability throughout our interpersonal experiences. Like we read in James 5:16 and 1 Peter 4:8, we are taught the who, when, where, and why’s of exercising vulnerability with wisdom. The ultimate example of constructive vulnerability exists in sacrificial steps Jesus walked in order to become our Divine Kinsman-Redeemer. Now in the same wisdom, we must observe when vulnerabilities need to be corrected, covered, and concealed. 

Sometimes we are too open, too available; which invites the enemy into our sacred space. We must learn how to replace paranoia with discernment, exposure with accountability, and undeserving access with reinforced boundaries. There are people, presentations, and propositions that we must be weary of and act accordingly. Be available to hear, receive, and act on the Lord’s instruction. This is where consistent Bible study and prayer make all the difference.  

God’s correction is typically a gentle or repeated rebuke, commanding you to guard yourself from danger. To be covered is to be washed over in the blood of Jesus Christ as well as His agapé love. This is divine protection and support, which He often uses His angelic hosts and Church community to reinforce. Concealment hides you in the heavenly Father. This is a place of rest, comfort, and safety away from the prowling eyes of your enemies. This occurs naturally and supernaturally, and aligns with appointed seasons and divine timing. 

Today we can Selah on this: when vulnerability is necessary and how it should be administered. Trust the Lord to be your strength so you are not sabotaged by your lack of vulnerability or understanding. Our mental health, social life, and ministry depends on our proper response to God’s correction, covering, and concealment. The next time we meet to discuss vulnerability, we’ll observe scriptural interpretations of vulnerability, how they impact our daily lives, and when to fortify ourselves against counterfeits and counterintelligence. 

SELAH.

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Make sure to stay tuned in for this next blog post so you don't miss out on your word of instruction and encouragement. In the meantime, be blessed. Thank you and Godspeed!

Scripture of Emphasis:

Philippians 4:13 (NASB)

^"13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."

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Thank You and God Bless!

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