Do not shrug off God’s words…

Today’s reading was another one of those ‘if you don’t believe then you wander on the wilderness and cannot enter God’s promised blessing’ messages. It made me think: “If I don’t believe what?”

I believe Jesus is the Savior sent by God to take care of the problem of sin. Once my faith in Christ was true, then my eternal life was true. But what if I don’t believe I am sinning? What if that unbelief is impeding my growth, or putting me in the dark about many things, or causing doubt of all sorts? This is what happens with many who don’t know Jesus as their Savior, yet could it be a big hindrance to Christians also?

Oswald Chambers says, “When Jesus brings a thing home by His word, don’t shirk it. If you do, you will become a religious humbug. Watch the things you shrug your shoulders over, and you will know why you do not go on spiritually.”

What does the Bible say about such a situation? It calls it disobedience and sin. What do I do with that? Certainly not shrug my shoulders…

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (1 John 1:8–10)

 Certainly a huge part of not moving forward is failure to see or to admit sin. If I am stuck there, how can I grow more? Sin is a barrier to communication with God and honesty with others as well. As Chambers adds, the golden rule for understanding spiritually is not intellect, but obedience….If things are dark to me, then there is something I will not do. Intellectual darkness comes through ignorance; spiritual darkness comes because of something I do not intend to obey. There is only one way to get past that and back into the light. Confession of sin is one of those things I must obey.

John Henry Jowett, said to be one of the greatest preachers in the English-speaking world, says this: “The ability of God is beyond our prayers, beyond our largest prayers! I have been thinking of some of the petitions that have entered into my supplication innumerable times. What have I asked for? I have asked for a cupful, and the ocean remains! I have asked for a sunbeam, and the sun abides! My best asking falls immeasurably short of my Father’s giving: it is beyond that we can ask.”

Forgiveness and cleansing sounds simple but it is one of the greatest answers to prayer — as long as I can keep on asking it, every time I sin, fall short, or disagree with God and want to do my now thing, even if my own thing seems okay. Who do I think I am to figure I know better than God? That alone is a huge sinful barrier to becoming like Jesus.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. (Proverbs 3:5–8)

PRAY: Jesus, You have been doing things in my life that are so incredible that I want to tell everyone to trust You, to know that Your abilities go farther than our most hopeful prayers. I’ve not always known this, but You keep informing my heart of the goodness of Your heart. It is a fearful thing to consider that my ideas are better than Yours and even more fearful to shrug my shoulders instead of confessing my foolishness.