Welcome to Paul Tripp's Wednesday's Word podcast.

I'm Dalton, a member of the Paul Tripp Ministries team.

Join me each week as I read aloud Paul's popular Wednesday's Word devotional.

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This week, Paul explores how physical weakness shattered the illusion of self-reliance

and became the surprising path to deeper dependence on God's grace.

Here's this week's Wednesday's word.

In yesterday's grace and knowledge article, I wrote at length about the delusion of independence.

Today, I want to write briefly about how that delusion was shattered for me during my season of sickness 10 years ago and the physical weakness that resulted.

By the way, I'm doing very well today, all things considered.

I live with only 35% of my kidney function, which results in frustrating and discouraging chronic fatigue,

but otherwise I'm in stable health. By God's grace, I'm still productive in ministry, and have

never been more spiritually energized by the gospel. Thank you for your prayers, love, and concern.

When I realized I was very ill, and that weakness and fatigue would be with me for the rest of my life,

the blow was not just physical, but emotional and spiritual as well.

This is humbling to admit, but I was a very proud man before I got sick.

I traveled every weekend to conferences around the world and wrote book after book in between.

I look back and now see that I lived with delusions of invincibility. I would have told

you that my identity was firmly rooted in Christ, and there are significant ways in which it was,

but simultaneously I found significant identity in my accomplishments and productivity. There are

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