2 Corinthians 10:1-6

How Do I Protect Myself?

A Question Of Power

Damage control. Whenever a high-profile celebrity, politician, or athlete is caught in an unethical action, they and their team go into damage control. They blitz the media to try to convince people that it’s not what it seems. They spin the facts to make themselves or their boss look like the victim. They manipulate the story, so the action doesn’t seem as bad. The person does everything within their power to protect themselves from the allegations. They will do whatever it takes not to fall from positions of prestige and power.

In 2 Corinthians 10, Paul begins a section of the letter in which he responds to allegations about his leadership and character. Other teachers had come to Corinth who were better speakers than Paul. The complaint against Paul was that he wrote well but spoke poorly. And so now, Paul has a chance to defend himself against these allegations. He can protect himself by doing what he apparently does best: write. But Paul does not do that at all. He responds by saying that he will not fight according to the flesh. He will not defend himself. He is going to let God defend him.

We will always face the temptation to tell people how great we are doing. We will be tempted to do what we need to do to protect ourselves, especially from false accusations. As hard as this is to hear, this is not what God has called us to do. We do not fight fire with fire. Instead, we are to let God fight our battles. God is the one who defends us. It is not our job to protect ourselves; God is the one who protects us. Give up the temptation to do damage control, and let God take care of you.