Pastor Barry's  "Chapter & Verse"  Day 58

February 27;    2 Corinthians 12:7;    58/260(II);    ‘A Messenger of satan’

2 Corinthians 12:7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.

This is one of the most misunderstood verses in the Bible.  Unfortunately, many use this verse to ‘justify’ being sick.  It is always the Lord’s will to heal you.  Often, the healing is instantaneous.  If it not instantaneous, it is still the Lord’s will for you to be healed.  This is where faith comes in.  A declaration like, “hands were laid on me and I am recovering.”  Once this declaration is made, stand until the healing manifests while continuing to thank the Lord that it is done.  Some get discouraged if the healing does not manifest quickly.  The Lord is not a liar.  There are many verses in the Word that confirm that He is our Healer.  He wants you to believe that and stand in faith for the manifestation of healing.  This verse is not talking at all about the fact that Paul was sick.  Paul was given incredible revelation by the Holy Spirit that had to be taught to the Church.  In addition to that, Paul had a no quit attitude, he could not be stopped.  The devil had to do what he could to stop Paul from the incredible ministry that he had.  A demon, the ‘messenger of satan’ was assigned to harass Paul and hinder his ministry.  ‘Messenger’ never refers to sickness, it refers to an angel (fallen angel) or a person.  ‘Thorn in the flesh’ also refers to people, not sickness.  In the Old Testament, the Jews were told that if they did not subdue to pagan nations, those people would be thorns in their flesh.  The messenger assigned to Paul by the devil ‘buffeted’ Paul, causing whatever trouble he could for the Apostle Paul.  When Paul cried out to the Lord, God’s grace was there to help him.  Paul was harassed, not sick.