(An Excerpt from Chapter 5 of My Book: Rise and Be Healed)

Reasons for Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh (2 Corinthians 12:1-7)

(a) Paul had Abundance of Visions and Revelations. Before we even begin to suggest, reason or wonder if what we are going through is a thorn in the flesh that God permitted, the first thing is to find out why God will permit such. Do you have an abundance of visions and revelations? To qualify for this kind of thorn in the flesh, you need an abundance of visions and revelations. Paul was talking about how he had so much of these. He said he knew a man caught up into the third heavens and heard unspeakable words not lawful for a man to utter. He was referring to himself, but made a separation between Paul the spiritual man, and Paul the ordinary man when he said “of such a one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory …” (verse 5). What he was saying was “In the flesh, I can’t boast of anything, save to boast of what God has done in my life.”

Paul’s experience of paradise was so real that he couldn’t tell if he went there physically or spiritually. He heard things that were beyond his time and beyond the earth. He even got revelations that he wasn’t allowed to share on the earth, because in God’s wisdom and sovereignty, human beings are not to have such knowledge, but Paul did. So have you experienced these? If not, you certainly don’t have a thorn in the flesh.

(b) Paul had the tendency to become proud as a result of his supernatural experiences. When he came back to his humanity, he had the tendency to become proud. There are some kinds of spiritual experiences one can have that could make a person arrogant. Because of so much knowledge and power, if care is not taken, one will no longer be dependent on God and will arrogate so much to self. One man of God was so anointed; A. A. Allen was his name. He would get to some meetings and just say “A. A. Allen is here” and demons will just start screaming everywhere; just by announcing his presence.

The Jeffery brothers were also like that; mightily used of God in the United Kingdom, many years ago – George and Stephen Jefferies. For those who haven’t heard of the Kensington Temple in London, it was the largest church in Britain for many years. The Kensington Temple is one of what’s called the “Elim Churches.” Elim is a big denomination in many countries of the world with a lot of strength in Britain; it was founded by George Jefferies. George Jefferies was a powerful man of God, greatly used by God in the miraculous. He had a brother, Stephen Jefferies who ministered with him at times, but he was more of an itinerant evangelist in his days. He was particularly used of God in the healing of arthritis. There were people with twisted and mangled bodies who were totally healed in Stephen Jefferies meetings. Stephen Jefferies will arrive in a meeting and just say “Jesus is here.” When he says that, miracles just break out. Many times he didn’t even need to preach before the miracles began. He would enter with tremendous anointing. While George Jefferies was more level headed, the tremendous power in which Stephen operated got him proud. He was in South Africa ministering one day when he arrogantly said “Behold today, the whole world is at my feet!” It is believed by church historians that the miracles and revelations he had from God bloated his ego.

(c) God in His mercy permitted a thorn in the flesh to help keep Paul humble. Shortly before he died, George Jefferies had an encounter with a young man who was attending a Bible school in England. This young man was on his way back home to Germany, when his train stopped and he had to get another train. He had a few hours, so he decided to take a walk. While walking by a particular neighborhood, he saw a house that had George Jefferies written on a board there. He walked up to the house and knocked. “Is this the house of the man of God, George Jefferies?” he asked.

The waiter who answered him said, “Yes.” “I will like to see him,” he eagerly replied. When asked if he had a previous appointment, he said no but introduced himself as a Bible school student. The waiter told him he couldn’t see him because he didn’t have a previous appointment. But suddenly the voice of George Jefferies came from behind the waiter, and said “Let him in.” He sat down and met George Jefferies, and they discussed for about 2 hours. After about 2 hours, George Jefferies held the young man, pulled him down to his knees and laid his hands upon him. He said it was like bolts of electricity rushed through his being. He had a powerful supernatural experience at that moment. When he stood up, he left for the train station and went back home to Germany. Shortly after that he heard that George Jefferies was dead. That young man was Reinhard Bonnke. He had an encounter with George Jefferies and there was transference of power and anointing to him. George Jefferies’ ministry outlived him. So to help Paul stay humble, God permitted a thorn in his flesh. Humility here refers to dependence upon God so that he won’t be lifted up with pride. When someone becomes proud, he does not have a correct estimation of himself anymore. He thinks of himself too highly; Romans 12:3 (KJV) says: “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” God does not want us to think too much of ourselves. He wants us to think much of ourselves, but not too much of ourselves. When a man remains humble, God causes his ministry to endure.

In Philippians 2:3-10, the word of God says: “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;”

So God gave Paul this thorn in the flesh so he could remain with this sense of dependence on God. And the proof of your dependence on God is prayer. If you really rely on God, you will pray. You will go before Him in prayer and ask Him to help you. You won’t do business without praying to God for direction; you will submit your business to Him. You won’t do ministry without prayer either. So your prayer life, coupled with fasting shows how dependent you are on God.

To be continued…