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Hello. This vlog is really an elaboration of my previous vlog, “Thorn In The Flesh”. To understand this vlog, it is necessary to have already seen and understand my previous vlog. You can find the previous vlog on http://www.leforstribe.com/.

Like I mentioned in my previous vlog that the “Thorn In The Flesh” saying does not mean sickness, dieases, or any form of handicap. It means “Human Enemies”. It is an idiom used in the Bible.

Paul was clear when he mentioned what the ‘thorn’ was.

“…a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan…”-2 Corinthians 12:7

A messenger of satan. Let us remind ourselves who Paul was. Paul, formerly Saul, was a Pharisee, the best there was. A pure breed. He did not like Yahushua (Jesus). He was taught by those he worked with that Yahushua was a person who falsely clamed He was the Son of God. As a result, he killed so many believers who believed that Yahushua was the Son of God, he had a reputation for persecuting Believers in many places. Later on, Saul was on his way to Damascus when he saw Yahushua. As a result of this, he was convinced that Yahushua was the Son of God.  When he became a Believer, he changed his name to Paul, and stopped following the Pharisees. Saul, before he became a believer, was a Messenger of Satan. He was helping Satan destroy the Truth. Yahushua said the Pharisees were from a brood of Vipers. The Viper always lies.

“You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks” -Matthew 12:34

Also, Yahushua identified the theif as to only come to steal, kill and destroy and that Yahushua comes to give life and much more.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the fullest.” -John 10:10

Paul, now as a Believer was experiencing the same and greater persecutions by those who were against him. The Pharisees now hated Paul and started torturing him. They put him in prison. Ah, let me hold this up, IF the thorn in the flesh does means sickness, diseases, or any physical handicap, did God put Paul in prison? NO! It was the Pharises that put physical pain on Paul by putting him in prison. Did God stone Paul? NO! It was the Pharisees. All of Paul’s suffering came from HUMANS.

Also, Paul was setting up many new churches around. The Believers  were Jews and also Gentiles. The Pharisees didnt like it at all. They were “losing business” so they kept going to the Believer’s churches and tried to confuse the new Believers by disorting the Truth. We can see proof of that in the Galatians book.

“You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified…” -Galatians 3:1

This was frustrating to Paul. The pharisees, human enemies, was Paul’s ‘thorn in the flesh.’ This has NOTHING to do with sickness, dieases, or even physical handicap.  

God would not remove the ‘thorn in the flesh’ from Paul because God’s grace is sufficent. God is not going to control the Pharisees. The Pharisees have their own freewill. They chose to go against God. God’s grace is sufficent for Paul and even for Pharisees. God’s grace for Paul is that God will take care of him and and even if the Pharisees repent, God would accept them. It’s the same way we react towards unbelievers. Once an unbeliever tells you they realize that God is real, you would recieve them with gladness. That’s God’s grace.

If God’s words “my grace is sufficent’ mean that God is telling Paul to remain sick, it would be the first and ONLY saying in the Bible that God told anyone to keep his disease. It is with great irony that Paul heals everyone else but not himself. *hits head*   Paul could do so many things, heal people, raise the dead back to life, bring thousands of people to the Messiah, establish many churches, and so on. He was a mighty apostle.

Let us read the main context of this chapter (2 Corinthians 12). In the beginning of the chapter, Paul is really talking about himself. He was the very man that saw Yahushua and was given the opportunity to hear the secrets of God and those are not permitted to be told. He was in a ‘WOW” postition. He was one of the “chosen” of all men to have this opportunity. Of course, we can get prideful about it. Paul was humble to refer himself to a 3rd person, “a man”, but we know he was talking about himself.

Please read 2 Cornithans 12: 1-6

“I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know–God knows. And I know that this man–whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows– was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell. I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say….” 2 Corinthians 12:1-6

Now keep that in mind: Paul was a chosen man who has had the opportunity to see heaven! He has had the opportunity to hear so many revelations from God. He’s one of a kind! The chapter goes on to say this,

“To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from 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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” -2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Do you see anywhere in this context the word sickness or diseases? No, NOTHING.

That concept is only a lie taught to us by Satan. We do not want to become Satan’s messenger. We will have to abandon that mentality.

I, myself, as a Christian have experienced perscution, some people have called me names and insulted me. I felt a moment of weakness, but in my weakess, I became strong. I am still standing. I’m sure many of you may have been in the same situation as this.

We also have to remember that Paul is not someone we should make a doctrine out of. Yahushua is the Truth. What does Yahushua say we can do in His name? Read the 4 books of the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Understand how Yahushua acted and then read the book of ACTS. Do you see the BOOK OF ACTS being practiced in you and in your church? If so, WONDERFUL because this shows that you are a doer of the Word.  If not, then perhaps you should reexamine. James says,

“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, or you will be deceiving yourselves.” -James 1:22

Be blessed!

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