Gwen Mouliert - Hidden Treasures

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Hidden Treasures

Copyright 2017 by Gwen Mouliert

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ISBN: 978-1-63524-932-3

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Thorns in t he Flesh are a Mess

In this chapter, I want to tackle a portion of scripture that has been misunderstood by many wonderful believers. Jesus told us if we dont understand the scriptures, then the enemy comes to remove the word from our hearts. There are times that our traditions have hindered us from understanding or caused us to misinterpret a portion of His word.

Each of us will have to make a decision to allow the Holy Spirit to speak truth into our hearts. The Bible has a great deal to say about traditions. Lets look at some of the warnings in the New Testament, starting in Mark 7:613:

He answered and said unto them Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites as it is written This people honored me with their lips but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. For Moses said, Honor thy father and thy mother and who so curses father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say If a man shall say to his father or mother it is Corbin, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightiest be profited by me; he shall be free. And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered and many such like things do ye.

There is a pattern that we must look at from these verses: First, in verse 7, Jesus tells them that what they are being taught is the commandments of men, and they are receiving it as a doctrine. The second thing that happens is in verse 8, where they lay aside the commandments of God so that they can hold on to their own traditions. Then by the time we get to verse 9, the third thing that happens is they have rejected the Word of God so they can keep their own tradition. The fourth and final thing that happens is in verse 13, and it is such a serious verse that I pray you and I dont overlook the damage that traditions of men can do. When we hold our traditions over the Word of God, we make the Bible void of its power to perform in our lives.

Making the Word of God to no effect is how the King James Version puts Mark 7:13. I want us to look at several versions so we can receive the full impact of what God is saying to us. The New International Version: Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that (emphasis added). The definition of nullify is to make something invalid or ineffective, to cancel something out. From the thesaurus, we find words such as annul , abolish , quash , and reverse .

The New American Standard version says, Thus invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down and you do many things such as that (emphasis added). The definition of the word invalid is to deprive something of its legal force or value by failing to comply with some terms and conditions, to make something worthless.

The Amplified Bible puts it this way, Thus you are nullifying and making void and of no effect the authority of the Word of God through your tradition, which you [in turn] hand on. And many things of this kind you are doing.

Remember, its the commandments of men and their traditions that cause the word to be ineffective in our lives. Just look at what the commandments of men can do. Paul, writing a letter to Titus, penned, Not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men that turn from the truth (Tit. 1:14, KJV). And then we have Paul writing to the Colossians, Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world and not after Christ (Col. 2:8, KJV). Traditions can make the Word of God powerless; it can turn you from the truth, and as it says in Colossians 2:8, it can spoil you.

The tradition of men that I want to bring to light is namely Pauls thorn. We will delve into the complete story of his thorn, which is found in the book of 2 Corinthians; however, before I get too detailed, I must share with you my first introduction to the phrase Pauls thorn in the flesh.

When I was a young Christian, I attended a weekly Bible study taught by my pastors wife. It was a wonderful study with good fellowship and carried a strong anointing. One Tuesday morning, a lady came in with a large white bandage on her hand. Of course, everyone wanted to know what had happened to her. She told us that morning she was frying bacon for her childrens breakfast, and some of the hot grease hit her hand, causing a very serious burn and blister. She cleansed the burn and came to church to ask us to pray for her healing.

As she stood in front of our group, my pastors wife said that she wasnt sure if this burn would be healed when we pray because this could be like Pauls thorn. There it is again, that phrase Pauls thorn. What in the world was his thorn? I had heard of the apostle Paul, but I never heard about a thorn, and I couldnt understand why it might not be Gods will to heal her.

If you have ever suffered from a burn, you know how very painful they can be. So what does this thorn in the flesh have to do with her not being healed? I could hardly wait for the study to end so I could go home and look up this mysterious thorn.

Heres what I read in 2 Corinthians 12:111:

It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth) such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth) how that he was caught up into paradise and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory but in mine infirmities. For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool for I will say the truth but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be or that he heareth of me. And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice that it might depart from me. And he said unto me My grace is sufficient for thee for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christs sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. I am become a fool in glorying, ye have compelled me, for I ought to have been commended of you for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I be nothing.