Are you able to have faith in God through weakness or struggle?

What if you could transform your greatest weaknesses into incredible strengths? Join me, Jesse Morgan, as I share my own vulnerabilities and the journey of my close friend, Chris. Once a college athlete with nothing but a lamp and a bag of clothes, Chris relied on his faith to navigate the obstacles at the University of Alabama. His story mirrors the biblical account of Gideon, illustrating how God can turn our smallest efforts into monumental victories. Through these personal narratives, we explore the profound impact of faith and how it can guide us through even the most challenging times.

This week's devotional, titled "Are you Able to Have Faith in God Through Weakness or Struggle?" invites you to reflect on your own vulnerabilities and see them in a new light. With scripture as our guide, including passages from 1 Kings, Philippians, Judges, and Corinthians, we learn that faith isn't about having it all together but trusting in God's love and presence. Whether you're facing financial worries or battling self-doubt, let these stories inspire you to find strength in your struggles and embrace the unwavering love of God.

Key verses & Passages 

1 Kings 21:23-24

“And also concerning Jezebel the LORD says: ‘Dogs will devour Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.’

“Dogs will eat those belonging to Ahab who die in the city, and the birds will feed on those who die in the country.”

Philippians 3:2

Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh.

Judges 7:2-7

The LORD said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’ Now announce to the army, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead. ’” So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.

But the LORD said to Gideon, “There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will thin them out for you there. If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.”

So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the LORD told him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues as a dog laps from those who kneel down to drink.” Three hundred of them drank from cupped hands, lapping like dogs. All the rest got down on their knees to drink.

The LORD said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the others go home.”

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

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.

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Podcast Music by: prazkhanal
Song: Whip

Chapters

• 1:13 Start of Devotional
• 11:10 Closing Prayer

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Hello, hello. You're listening to the Jesse Morgan devotions for the Christian Heart Podcast, episode 23. This week's devotional is titled Are you Able to have Faith in God Through Weakness or Struggle? Let's go. Hi. I'm Jesse Morgan. I used to just share home decor and renovation tips on social media, but now I'm sharing something even closer to my heart my journey and love for Jesus Christ, my Savior.

Speaker 1: 0:26

Welcome to the Jesse Morgan Devotions for the Christian Heart Podcast. This is a weekly devotional. I started back in May 2024, but the inspiration for it came much earlier. It was rooted in a faith journey that began when my daughter was born, four months early in 2023. Through that challenging time, god worked in ways that truly amazed me. On this podcast, I share personal stories of faith, woven together with scripture, to show just how incredible God's word can be in our everyday lives. My hope is that through these stories, you'll be encouraged, uplifted and reminded of God's love and presence, no matter what you're going through. So I invite you to spend less than 15 minutes with me each week as we reflect on these devotionals together. Let's all pray within.

Speaker 1: 1:13

Episode 23 is titled Are you Able to have Faith in God Through Weakness or Struggle? Key passages and verses 1, kings 21, 23 to 24, philippians 3, 2, judges 7, 2 through 7, and Corinthians 12, 9 through 10. I want to start by being real with you all. I have my weaknesses. I can be negative at times, I worry about finances, math has always scared me in school, so I was never that good at it and, lastly, my confidence at work isn't where I want it to be. Also, I don't take a lot of chances when I should. These are some of my weaknesses and struggles. What about yours? Can you imagine if God asked you to follow him using nothing but your weaknesses, using nothing but the little that you possess? How challenging would that be? How scary would that be? Honestly, I want to tell you a story about one of my closest friends named Chris, who showed me what it means to have faith when you have very little or going through a struggling time. Just so you know, he knows I'm featuring him today, so we're all good.

Speaker 1: 2:41

Chris and I went to college together and he's one of my best friends. He was a football scholarship athlete at the University of Alabama Roll Tide. I'll never forget when he first arrived in Tuscaloosa. His transcript hadn't come through and he couldn't get into his dorm or anything else, there was a possibility that he would not be able to get into school. My mom, who treated Chris like a son, made sure he had a hotel to stay in that night before he sorted things out. The next day, when I went to pick him up, he came out of the hotel with just a lamp and a bag of clothes Literally like a sack of clothes. I looked at him and said the worst thing ever. I said that's it, that's all you have. He looked at me like I was crazy and said yeah, that's it, something's wrong. I regret asking that to this day, but that was my initial reaction and I'm 18 years old. I don't know any better, but anyways, it hit me hard. When I moved to college, I had three cars full of stuff decorations, clothes, shoes, supplies and even a TV. I thought I needed all that stuff to get by, but Chris he didn't have much, but he had faith. He kept a positive attitude, got his paperwork sorted out and started his journey as a scholarship athlete at Alabama. He was going to be the first in his family to go to college. Fast forward to today and Chris was a 2009 national champion with the Alabama Crimson Tide under the GOAT, nick Saban. He has a bachelor's and master's degree, started his own nonprofit, became a 40 under 40 recipient in Silicon Valley and is now a NFL certified agent. And is now a NFL certified agent. He went from having very little to doing big things, all with faith at the center.

Speaker 1: 4:47

Chris's story reminds me of someone in the Bible as well Gideon. Gideon was one, or was from one, of the smallest and weakest tribes in Israel, but God chose him to lead the nation in battle against the powerful Midianites, which was a nomadic tribe that basically dominated Israel for seven years. They oppressed, they took over their crops, they invaded all the time. Gideon was instructed by God to lead his people, as I said, and he gathered all of Israel's army and he had a total of 32,000 soldiers. Then God said this in Judges 7, 2 through 4. God told Gideon you have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands or Israel would boast against me saying my own strength has saved me. So God told Gideon to send home 22,000 soldiers, leaving him with only 10,000. But God still said that's too many. So Gideon went from 32,000 soldiers to 10,000 soldiers. So God gave Gideon a test. He told him to take the soldiers left the 10,000, to a stream and watch how they drink water. Those who knelt and drank with their mouths were sent home, but those who cupped the water in their hands, lapping it like dogs, stayed. In the end, only 300 soldiers remained. You heard 300 soldiers. It's easy to think what kind of army is that? Just 300 soldiers going against a powerful enemy. But God's message was clear. He wanted Gideon and Israel to know that their victory wouldn't come from their own strength. It would come from him.

Speaker 1: 6:53

This is where I see a deeper connection and I really dove into this. If you look at 1 King 21,. I really dove into this no-transcript. So first Kings, like I said, first Kings 21, 23 to 24 says, and also concerning Jezebel, the Lord says dogs will devour Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel. Dogs will eat those bones belonging to Ahab who die in the city and the birds will feed on those who die in the country. Just quick context. We all know Ahab and Jezebel were king and queen and you know, during the time of all the different kings that came after David, and they were just Jezebel was one of the worst queens ever. So you know her life was taken and she was basically devoured by dogs.

Speaker 1: 7:52

Another verse that really references dogs and not the best manner is Philippians 3.2, where Paul, the apostle Paul, says watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. So when God chose soldiers who drank like dogs, I think it symbolizes it's just my thinking, and I feel like God laid this on my spirit to understand this and to be able to explain this to you guys. I think the soldiers who drank like dogs. It symbolizes choosing the least likely, the ones with little training, the most unrefined, the most undesirable soldiers. He wanted Gideon to lead a group that wasn't polished or powerful in their own right, and yet God delivered victory through them. Doesn't that sound like God? He strips away everything we think we need so that we're forced to rely on him. He takes away our comfort zones, our backup plans, our self-reliance, our resources, so that when victory comes we know it's his doing, not ours.

Speaker 1: 9:02

Chris, my best friend showed up to college with a lamp and a bag of clothes, while I came with a U-Haul full of stuff, not saying I wasn't grateful for all the things I had, but I was more focused on the material things and making sure I had all my stuff. I was just thankful for being able. I wasn't just thankful for being able to attend college. I was obsessed with what my dorm was going to look like. Chris was there to attend college from his family. He was happy to be there with an incredible opportunity, despite having little at the time. In the same way, gideon was left with just 300 soldiers. But both Chris and Gideon had what truly mattered faith, truly had what truly mattered faith, and with that faith they were able to achieve amazing things.

Speaker 1: 10:00

Paul talks about this in 2 Corinthians, 12, 9 through 10, where he says 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 weaknesses so that Christ's power may rest on me, for when I am weak, then I am strong. So sometimes God lets us get down to nothing so that he can show us that he is everything. When we feel weak, unprepared or like we just don't have enough, that's when God steps in and shows us his strength. Are you willing to go through a challenge with as little as possible? Are you ready to trust God with nothing but your faith, or are you still packing your U-Haul like I was for college, trying to prepare for every scenario. Remember, when God strips you down to just your weaknesses or your struggles, he's setting the stage to show his strength. You don't need all that stuff, just faith in him.

Speaker 1: 11:10

Let's pray, lord. We thank you for the story of Gideon and how you showered and how you showed your strength in his weakness. Help us to trust you when we feel like we don't have enough. Strip away the things we rely on that aren't of you, lord, and remind us that all we need is faith in your power and faith in your provision. Help us to walk in that faith even when it feels like we have very little.

Speaker 1: 11:41

Father, help us to understand that all that stuff, that materialistic things, don't mean anything. We don't need tons of stuff to get through. We just need you, lord. We need your salvation, we need your guidance, your love. Honestly, that salvation is the only stuff that we need, lord. We love you, lord. We praise you In Jesus' name, amen. That's it for this week's podcast. I pray that these devotions encourage you to focus on and lean into God daily. If you found value in this episode, please consider sharing, leaving a comment or leaving a review wherever you listen to your podcasts For more information or to get in touch, check the show notes or visit jessimorganhomecom. You can also find me on Instagram at jessimorganlife. Until next time, this is Jessi Morgan praying off.