2Cor. 1:8 ¶ For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life;
2Cor. 1:9 indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead;
Everyone of us, if you are a Christian, have a “sentence of death” within ourselves. The Lord is constantly using situations and people in our lives to force us to die to our own ability so that we will learn to depend on Him. Being brought to the end of ourselves doesn’t feel very good, but the whole purpose is to learn how to transcend our own inadequate ability and to live supernaturally. Notice Paul’s testimony. He found himself in a situation that was completely beyond his ability to deal with, but he recognized that God was using this to remind him to trust in the One who raises the dead. If He can conquer death, then there is no situation or relationship that He is not BIG ENOUGH for. This is the School of Christ. This is the Lab where God forces us to take the lecture (what we’ve learned about faith and Christ’s life in us) and put it into real life practice. I don’t know what you might be going through, but I do know that the One who reigns is in control, and wants to take over and display His ability. There may be many things that He is wanting to accomplish in your particular circumstance, but one thing for sure that is at work is the Sentence of Death, teaching you to trust in the adequacy of Christ, so that His resurrection power, and divine activity can be released in your life today.