Keeping short accounts with God…

 

A few weeks ago, a Christian friend said she didn’t need to confess sin as that had been done when she was saved. God had already forgiven all her sin, past, present, and future. She was startled at the teaching of keeping short accounts with God as the NT says:

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 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 1:7–10)

This passage is not in past tense. God knows that if I sin, the guilt of it can cripple me as it puts my focus on failure and defeats future efforts. That is not the only reason for short accounts. Sin spoils fellowship with God and often with one another. When I am being selfish, no one wants to talk to me, and God does not use me until I clear it up with Him in confession and repentance.

That said, today’s reading speaks of a failure to grasp the “much more” of Scripture that tells me God wants to do things in my life that are above and beyond my imagination. The remedy given is to have more faith, to abandon forever our “much less” of unbelief, to accept as true God’s declaration of “much more,” and to claim at once the promised victory. It adds, “According to our faith it must and will be to us.”

But what can ruin faith more than sin and unconfessed sin? Sin comes when I put myself in the driver’s seat and run my own life according to my own ideas. They might seem good or be very selfish, but either way, I’m turning from the will of God and stopped trusting Him. Is God going to fill me with His Spirit and bless me with a fruitful life while I am like that? Of course not. It is only the promise of 1 John 1:9 that gives me forgiveness and a clean heart, and with that, He will fill me with His Spirit and direct my thoughts and actions according to His will. Otherwise, I’ve come up against a wall, a roadblock, and cannot advance. Sin separates. It cannot be ignored.

For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:17)

The free gift of Christ’s righteousness is not going to show up in my life when I’ve turned from it to run my own life. Just as Jesus said that I cannot serve both God and money, I also cannot serve both God and myself. My work, attitudes, even worship, is something He pours in. In myself, I can do nothing and if sin blocks His blessings, I cannot deny it and carry on as if I’m okay.

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. (John 15:4)

Abiding is about continuing or staying in harmony with the Lord. Sin messes with that and renders me useless in serving Him. I cannot serve Him and at the same time serve myself. Such sin, even the attitude of ‘me, myself, and I’ must be confessed, forgiven, and cleansed to get me back into abiding and living for Him.

PRAY: Lord, You are continually making me more sensitive to Your rebuke and correction. When I  neglect continual confession and become more and more self-centered, I know that I’ve lost touch with You and that Your focus for me changes. Instead of hearing my prayers for others who have needs, You concentrate on convicting and changing my attitude — my dire need. Thank You for loving me so much that You do not ignore any of my sinfulness, and will do whatever it takes to help me acknowledge it and bring it to the foot of the cross. You want me to be bold and guilt-free, knowing Your love and relying on You for all things.

No excuses for lack of faith

How many times have I used the excuse of inexperience to get out of doing something? It reminds me of an artist who said, “If I let the weather keep me from going outdoors to paint, soon I would never go at all.”

Inexperience is relative. No matter how many times I’ve done anything, I can always find someone more experienced. At least one quilter who uses a longarm machine has said to me that they practiced 10,000 hours before they felt experienced enough to advertise their services. According to that standard I will never be experienced enough to advertise mine.

Moses and Jeremiah both had a problem with excuses. Moses fudged with the excuse that he could not speak. So did Jeremiah . . .

“Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.’

“Then I said, ‘Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.’

“But the Lord said to me, ‘Do not say, “I am only a youth”; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord.’” (Jeremiah 1:4–8)

In this dialog, Jeremiah was using the term “youth” not in the sense of his age, but that he was inexperienced. He didn’t feel qualified. However, God wasn’t interested whether or not he felt as if he could do it. Like every saint of God, He wants us to come to Him in weakness and inadequacy for if we are confident, we rely on ourselves and our abilities and not on Him.

Jesus said, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” (John 15:4) A proud or confident person who feels a sense of being up for the task is cannot abide in Christ because they are abiding in their own self. The work done will not be fruitful, but not only that, who will get the glory?

God promised Jeremiah that He would equip and deliver him. He promises me the same thing. He will guard my life should I be in a dangerous situation, but also give me words to say, and the abilities I need for obedience. Whatever I feel is not an issue, nor is what I fear.

Jeremiah was afraid no one would listen and he would be persecuted. Those things happened. God did not promise to take away the peril, only that He would deliver this fearful excuse-maker — he would survive whatever others tried to do to him.

The words of Jesus in Matthew 5 indicate that I am not to be bothered by the reaction of others. Some will treat me badly. But as Chambers says, to look for justice is a sign of deflection from devotion to the Lord. He adds, “Never look for justice in this world, but never cease to give it.”

When I try to protect myself, I am removing myself from the promises of God and will wind up angry at anyone who steps on my toes. When I trust the Lord Jesus Christ to protect me, He does.

Chambers says that even “the most devout among us become atheistic” when our personal safety or personal reputation is threatened because we do not believe God and are trusting self and common sense. If I lean on my own understanding, whether I tack God’s name in there or not, I cannot be trusting the Lord with all my heart.

Jesus is the Savior — I am not!

A particular way of thinking has plagued me for several years. I’ve fought it, tried to think like Jesus about it, knew it was hindering my spiritual life, wanted it to go away, but nothing worked.

Several times I have prayed, “Lord, You are my Savior. Save me from this.” My pleading seemed to bounce off the ceiling. Nothing changed. One thing that seemed good is that the battle with one thing brought out a lot of lesser problems and God cleansed them from my life.

However, this morning, I woke up and immediately realized I had been delivered from this ornery thing. It was gone, replaced by a better way and exactly what I’d wanted for a long time. While my relationship with Jesus seemed unbroken during this battle, leaning on Him seems fresh and easier today.

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” (John 15:4)

This illustration of the vine and the branch is a rich one. It shows the importance of relying on Jesus for everything. I cannot bear spiritual fruit without Him, but as verse five says, apart from Him I can do nothing. I’ve learned that is true, often the hard way.

So I am surprised by Chambers’ take on it. He says, “The Spirit of Jesus is put into me by the Atonement, then I have to construct with patience the way of thinking that is exactly in accordance with my Lord. God will not make me think like Jesus, I have to do it myself; I have to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. ‘Abide in Me’—in intellectual matters, in money matters, in every one of the matters that make human life what it is.”

I agree that obedience is vital in Christian living, but do not agree that I have to do it, or anything else, all by myself. If I could, then I would not need Him. If I could, then I could also take the credit and the glory for being such a nice, abiding Christian. Blah!

I can hinder God from working in my life. I can persist in wanting my own way and neglect all spiritual disciplines. But I cannot purify my life, no matter how hard I try or how many firm dedications I make. He tells me to confess my sin and He will cleanse me. He removes the junk and replaces it with new life and joy. I cannot do that.

Chambers does say that circumstances cannot hinder abiding. Whether in a prayer meeting or in a difficult and stressful situation, it is possible to abide in Christ. I agree and give Christ the credit for that. He came to live in me and promised to never leave me. Nothing can separate me from His love. The more I know about His amazing grace, the easier abiding becomes.

However, I know from experience that I cannot even abide without Him. I cannot separate the working of God in me from the responses He produces in me. Without Him, there is no way I can bring my thoughts into captivity to obey Him. Some issues might be easier than others, yet for me the battle to do it was won only because Jesus saves!

Prayer is spiritual fruit

The fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23) This fruit is evidence that a person is filled with the Holy Spirit. However, God shows me another one this morning. Notice the contrast between these two passages. In the first, the people are praying and boldly speaking the Word of God . . .

And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness. (Acts 4:31)

In the second, they are not . . .  

When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah. And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” And he cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the Lord made for them a statute and a rule, and there he tested them, saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer.” (Exodus 15:23–26)

Instead of being thankful (another sign of the Spirit at work), they were grumbling and complaining. The rest of the passage hints that they were not listening to God, disobedient, and possibly often sick. From these two passages, it is easy to see that prayerful reliance on God goes along with being filled with the Spirit.

Of course, He helps me pray regarding the content of my prayers . . . “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God” (Romans 8:26–27)  . . . but I never thought before that He also is at the root of prayer, the One who prompts it as well as directs it.

My best example is my husband. When someone describes a problem in their life, he is quick to offer prayer and prays for them on the spot. I’m more apt to offer solutions or a promise to pray for them later. I’ve asked God to change that response so I will also be quicker to pray. From these verses, I can see that my deeper need is to be less full of my own ideas and instead filled with the Holy Spirit.

Being filled with the Spirit is not just for situations that require prayer. Paul wrote about the need for Spirit-filled prayer all the time and in all circumstances . . .

In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. (Ephesians 6:16–20)

From his words, obviously Spirit-filled prayer is necessary to fight the suggestions and deceptions of Satan, to uphold and support other Christians, and to ask God to give words and boldness that His people might speak the gospel boldly and with clarity.

I can also see that when I am grumbling or even just feeling needy, I must obey God, not complain about my lot in life, or try to fix my problems or the problems of others without Him. Obedience requires the Holy Spirit and the fullness of His presence. Jesus said, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me” (John 15:4) and I know that I cannot do anything, even properly pray, without His presence and power. 

Abiding in Jesus

With only a few days left in the year, it seems a good idea to reflect on what has happened in the past twelve months. Even with my foggy memory, highlights include two children engaged, several trips to interesting places, a major effort to declutter, and sadly, the death of my mother-in-law.

Last year also meant changes in our church, changes in my own spiritual life, and much answered prayer. I can easily see the hand of God in 2011 and how He has been involved in our lives. He remains faithful to His people now, just as He has been faithful in the past.

As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. But the LORD thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel. And the men of Israel went out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and struck them, as far as below Beth-car. Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer (meaning stone of help); for he said, “Till now the LORD has helped us.” So the Philistines were subdued and did not again enter the territory of Israel. And the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. (1 Samuel 7:10–13)

“Until now the Lord has helped us,” declared Samuel. He made many mistakes in his life and ministry, but God was faithful and delivered His people from their enemies anyway. This is the same God who takes care of me.

My biggest enemy is not a horde of pagans with spears, but rather the Liar with his flaming darts. He attacks me with suggestions and innuendo, trying to turn my heart from crying out to God and trusting Him. This enemy wants me to believe that God is not at work in the lives of those on my prayer list. He also wants me to believe that I can handle life’s challenges without the help of God. He knows, as God knows, that apart from Christ, all my efforts have no eternal value.

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. (John 15:4)

As I remember the faithfulness of God, I also remember the importance of abiding. While my faith does not force God to answer prayer, any lack of faith can block His answers. Abiding in Him keeps the channels open.

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. (John 15:7–11)

One of my friends often says, “It is all about obedience.” She is right. Abiding in Christ is trusting Him, but real trust cannot ignore what He says or asks of me. In the past year, as God showed me areas in my life that needed change, areas where I was not abiding, He also granted me repentance and change. As those happened, so also did He bless me with answered prayer and the fullness of joy that Jesus promises. Obedience does not “earn” these things for I cannot obey unless I abide. Rather, obedience keeps the channels open so I do not block the blessings of God with my foolishness.

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Lord God, You have helped me this past year. It has been a good year, a growing year for me and filled with blessings for my family. The challenge to abide in You becomes sweeter as the days go by. While the enemy tries to thwart my faith, You are faithful to support and build it. You are working to change my heart, soften and humble me, yet at the same time always helping me see Your great power and mercy. The past year brought trials, and many good things, but the most precious hours have been when Your grace has kept me abiding in Jesus.

Continually abiding?

Spurgeon has two devotionals in his book, one for the morning and one for evening. Today, his morning thoughts are on being an effective Christian. This involves relying on Christ all the time.

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. (John 15:4)

Abide is a simple word meaning to stay, dwell, or remain. Later on in this chapter, Jesus says that the way to do it is by obedience. I’ve also learned that if I’m not relying on Him, then I need to confess and repent, turning from whatever else I was relying on, usually myself.

Yesterday, the Lord spoke to me about constantly going to Him in prayer, asking Him for everything, praying until He answers. Today’s evening devotional ties both thoughts together. The evidence of a heart that knows where its source of strength comes from is in that person’s prayer life, in my prayer life.

And (Jesus) told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. (Luke 18:1)

But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man. (Luke 21:36)

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. (Romans 12:12)

Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints. (Ephesians 6:18)

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. (Colossians 4:2)

Pray without ceasing. (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

Sometimes I imagine God behind a desk as the CEO of the universe and I have a chair in front of Him. He bids me speak my concerns and I am free to tell Him all that is on my heart.

Sometimes the phone rings and the person on the other end says, “I have a favor to ask. . . .” Immediately and before I know what that favor is, I utter a silent prayer to God for wisdom.

Sometimes we are in a strange place and cannot find our way. Sometimes I have a perplexing problem to solve. Sometimes my computer acts up, or our telephone doesn’t work. Sometimes our children are sick, or injured. This week I’m reading a novel that describes criminal activity in Asia and I am anxious about our granddaughter who lives there. Sometimes there are problems in our church, or the neighbors have trials and share their distress. Sometimes another person is upset with me, or with someone and brings their angst to my ears.

There is no end of things to pray about, to rely on God for. If I am not praying continually, what does that say about my faith? Do I trust God to work His will in every perplexity? Do I rely on Him to give grace, wisdom, strength, power to forgive, or whatever else that I need in all situations? If I’m not praying all the time, then who or what am I trusting?

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Lord, I know that You do not mean that I should be physically on my knees 24/7, but that my heart and mind are quick to turn to You and talk to You, no matter what comes up. Sometimes that prayer is a whispered “Help” and sometimes a shouted “Praise God” but there is very little that I do where I cannot be talking to You at the same time. Prayer is only a breath away, which means Your resources are at the tip of my tongue, waiting for me to ask that You might release them. So often I feel like a beginner. Teach me to pray.