Neville Goddard on 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read 2 Corinthians 12 in context

Scripture Focus

7And 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.

8For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.

9And 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.

10Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Biblical Context

Paul describes a painful thorn given to keep him from pride; he learns that God's grace is enough and that real strength shows up when he is weak.

Neville's Inner Vision

Paul's thorn is not an enemy striking from without but a signal in consciousness inviting a higher state. The abundance of revelations may puff the ego, so the I AM permits a testing stone to remind him that power is not his own will but divine life perceived. When he asks for the thing to depart, the response comes as a revelation: grace is sufficient, and strength belongs to the awareness that rests in God. The 'power of Christ' resting upon me is the alignment of my inner picture with the truth of being. Weakness is not lack but a doorway: it reduces resistance, invites surrender, and reveals what I already am in God. If I view infirmities as opportunities to exercise faith in an unseen order, I will discover that the entire situation is a symbol instructing me to return to the I AM. In practice, the true miracle is the shift of state—from striving to a settled consciousness in which grace mediates every circumstance.

Practice This Now

Assume the state 'I am sustained by grace' and feel it real for five minutes daily; revise any sense of limitation as a doorway to strength by resting in that inner truth.