Thorn in the Flesh

Hello again! I know I haven't shared much at all on here, but I've been going through a lot of heart issues (not physical heart issues, but emotional and spiritual) and dealing with them and being set free in a lot of areas. I really didn't feel like I had anything to give or share because I felt so barren and dry. Then, God spoke this week and I felt like He wanted me to share this.

I have several things I'm believing God for, among them healing in several areas (eyesight, teeth restored, ideal body weight, my skin renewed) along with peace (fear/worry have been my biggest battle) and all my debts paid off. For some reason (and I really don't know if this was preached from the pulpit or not) because Apostle Paul had a "thorn in the flesh", I thought God would leave a thorn in the flesh for every believer. I've been believing God for the areas I mentioned, but would kind of rank them so if God was going to leave me one as a thorn it wouldn't be the one I was believing for the most.

On the drive home the middle of this last week, I was just praying a little and I felt God say why couldn't I believe for them all to be taken care of? I said that I thought he was leaving a thorn in my flesh and I felt his amusement as he said, "That was for Paul." So I started thinking about it and I realized Paul was God's special case. God had to literally stop him and blind him on the way to persecute Christians to get his attention. Don't you imagine God had tried to speak to him before, but no, Paul had to get slapped upside the head by God to even hear what he was saying. Then, by Paul's own words, if any Jew had a reason to boast, it was him and he goes on to list all the reasons he had to brag. God literally had to allow/leave a thorn in his flesh and it was so Paul would always remember it was about God and not him!!!

It's not that I don't think I'm above needing a reminder that it is all about God, but I think it is because God can generally whisper to me about what he wants and I listen. It may also take a nudge or two, possibly a shouted warning or even a hard shove, but I'm pretty sure this sensitive heart gets the message long before a bright light and a slap upside the head are needed to get my attention. So for me, God is saying to dare to believe him for everything I'm asking for.

I don't presume to tell you if you have a thorn or not, but knowing that I don't need one has set another part of this girl's heart free.