Every part yielded to Him?

The above diagram explains to me much of what the Bible says about the way I am made and what God has done in His transforming work.

The first and primary grace of God is giving life to the inner man through His Spirit. That life changed the way I think, feel, and choose. He does not remove those faculties but make it clear to me that all three must function according to the new inner life directed by Him. He tells me not to trust in my own understanding (mind), or trust my emotions, many of which are contrary to His. He also gives the example for volition when Jesus said, “Not my will, but thine be done.”

However, I’ve noticed that there are three major denominational groups that tend to focus on the importance of one of those three faculties. While all three facilities should be yielded to the Holy Spirit, there is a danger that the arrows in the diagram run the wrong direction. Instead of being directed and controlled by Him, the mind, emotions, or will is given a high place of importance. For instance…

Some denominations might say: “The will is the stronghold of our being. If God is to get complete possession of us, He must possess our will. When He says, ‘Give me your heart, it is equivalent to saying, ‘Surrender your will to my control, that I may work in it to will and to do of my good pleasure.’ It is not the feelings of a man that God wants but his will.” (Joshua 24:15)

Others might put it this way: Thinking right means living right. If God is to get complete possession of us, He must possess our thoughts. When He says, ‘Give me your heart,’ it is equivalent to saying, ‘Surrender your mind to my control, that I may work in it to will and to do of my good pleasure.’ It is not our feelings or choices that are vital, but God wants us to think right.” (Romans 12:1-2)

The third group might say: “Our feelings are vital to worship. If God is to get complete possession of us, He must control our emotions. When He says, ‘Give me your heart,’ it is equivalent to saying, ‘Surrender all of your feelings to my control, that I may work in you to will and to do of my good pleasure.’ It is not solid thinking or choices alone that God wants but the full expression of how we feel about Him.”

All of this reminds me of the blind people describing an elephant as they touch its different parts, but more than that, thinking each part is all there is to an elephant. Walking with Jesus means realizing that none of the three are supposed to be the ruling force in our lives; He is!

We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. (Romans 6:6–7)

The following passage is about the direction of the arrows in the diagram. Doing my own thing apart from God is sin (Isaiah 53:6) so…

For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. (Romans 8:3–9)

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery... I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. (Galatians 5: 1; 16–17)

PRAY: More than ever, I know that I need to be filled with the Spirit so that my old nature is not the controlling factor. My will is flawed without You. My thinking is selfish without You. My emotions take me away from faith… but the fullness of Your Spirit means  I can obey You with godly thoughts, godly choices, and experience Your deep joy. Thank You, Jesus.

Say NO to Doubts

Many years ago, our daughter was reading at the kitchen table. The book was something about the power of choice. She suddenly said, “It is about motivation. I could say I will not or was unable to do something, but if a gun was put to my head, I would do it.”

My memory could be wrong. She may have illustrated with a negative, something like, “If I said I could not stop eating ice cream, I could stop if there was a gun to my head.” Either way, she made a point that I remember. It is easy to say “I have no time to restart exercising every day” or “I can’t resist eating chocolate” but her statement reminds me that God has given choices. In my own strength, I may not have the will or the power to do what He asks, but today’s devotional takes me back to what my daughter said — I can choose:

And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)

These were God’s people and given a choice between obedience to Him or to the gods in their world. They had a decision to make. The OT is full of warnings about the consequences of their choices. It is obvious as His people, they needed to make His will their priority and be blessed, but  disobedience would give them problems.

It is the same for NT believers. We are told to trust and obey, yet the trust part is easily smeared with doubt, especially if those OT benefits stop happening. When life hands me lemons, my faith may go sour. Part of that comes from thinking the “good life” comes from good behavior and like Job, we wonder why what happened when our comfort zone is violated. Did God forget me? Why did He stop blessing me? I easily assume obedience will feel good, yet Jesus was made perfect by suffering so why not me?

Sometimes I doubt because a voice in my head says I’m guilty but that voice is vague. I know the Holy Spirit is specific. I must remember that the devil will try to make me doubt with that accusation. However, God says this enemy is defeated:

And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. (Revelation 12:10–11)

Whatever makes my faith waver, I can choose to say NO to it  — based on the Word of God. Like any sin, I do not have to give into it. If I’m thinking God does not love me, I can say, “Nonsense. Jesus died for me.” If I’m thinking God does not hear my prayers, I can say, “Jesus says He does so am I willing to call Him a liar?”
Whatever the doubt is about, there is a biblical answer that counters it. The answer may not be easily seen or seen at once, but if God said it and I’m doubting it, then I am accusing God of lying — not very wise of me!

The nature of faith a renewal of choice. As a sinner, all I could choose was sin and was without knowledge or desire to be godly. Being ‘good’ was always fake goodness for beneath any action that seemed good was a selfish motive. My sin made me blind to my sin.

On the other hand, the gift of faith includes the ability to see and choose His way. It is sometimes easy, somethings very difficult, depending on the challenge to my comfort, or the work required, or other plans I might have, or if doubts are present. Does God really know what is best for me? Does His way work? Will it turn out for good?

A big part of faith is knowing God well and rightly. Reading His word is the way to know Him yet many times the Bible is read to prove a point, to affirm an idea, to refute or accuse the ideas of others. Wrong motives raise doubts rather than getting rid of them.

PRAY: Jesus, saying NO to doubt might seem too easy, yet I know that without You, I would always be selfishly choosing what I think would make me feel good. Besides that, You often remind me that great things happened because You choose to say, “Not my will but thine be done.” I’m learning, slowly as usual but learning, to choose to say NO to doubt and a few other things that try to hold me in their grip. Thank You for the power of choice.

Soul vs. spirit

Watchman Nee, a Chinese Christian martyred for his faith, wrote several books about his understanding of the body, soul, and spirit nature of man. He believed the soul houses our human faculties to make decisions (will), to think and plan (intellect), and to feel (emotions).

The human spirit goes deeper. From birth, it is inactive and separated from God, but can respond to evil spirits or can become alive to God through faith. It houses our ability to connect with the spiritual realm (God ideally), the ability to perceive good and evil (conscience), and the ability to have faith (in Christ).

In Nee’s understanding, the unsaved man lives by the power of his soul. He is dead/inactive toward God so makes decisions based on what he knows and feels. However, the saved person has the added faculty of an awakened spirit which gives input to his soul. This enables decision-making based on what the conscience tells him through faith in Christ who has enabled trust in God’s words.

I like Nee’s tidy analysis (more complex than my simple definitions). While Christians recognize the need for that dead spirit to be made alive in Christ, we still tend to be soulish. That is, relying on our brains is common. Being governed by our emotions is also common, as well as letting those ‘I-wants’ rule our decisions. I’ve also noticed that Christian denominations focus some of their teaching one of those three faculties.

For instance, there are some who emphasize emotions and feelings (such as some Pentecostals), others who put great stock in the will (holiness churches), and others whose focus is human intellect (many Baptists). There are exceptions, yet I see the same tendencies in myself. Learning to listen to God, following my conscience, and walk by faith goes contrary to living according to my emotions, intelligence, and my will.

Many Christians would not agree with Nee, but all agree that each faculty of our soul must be submitted to the Lord. The Bible is clear that emotions like fear and desire must bow to Him. I’m not to trust my own understanding (Proverbs 3:5ff) and as Jesus said, I’m to say, “Not my will but Your will be done.”

Chambers points to this verse to emphasize his thoughts on the human will . . .

And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)

Chambers says don’t give up our will, but exercise it by being willing to obey, willing to receive God’s Spirit and respond to Him. Nee would put it this way: Say no to our will and yes to the will of God.

Is this splitting hairs? Or are both of them talking about surrendering what I want to do to the Lord’s commands of what He wants me to do, just using different words to say the same thing?

“Choose you this day whom ye will serve” sounds like a deliberate calculation, not something I’d just drift into easily. It is between me and God also. I do not need to find out what others think (even though godly counsel is important) because there are times that God’s directions to me will not make sense to anyone else. For instance, I knew God wanted me to study for a degree, but few could see any reason for that. I couldn’t either; I just knew that is what He wanted.

Chambers says God will not explain what He is doing, but He will explain Himself. That is, when I am puzzled, or faltering, He will remind me of who He is, His grace and power, His love for me, His desire that I be like Jesus. How He does it and the path where He takes me is not mine to know. He pushes aside all intellectual knowledge so I have no pro/con lists to make, nothing to get emotional about, and am left with two things to base my choice on: my I-wants or His character.

More evidence for the division between soul and spirit is described in Hebrews. This verse even says that the Word of God makes that division . . .  

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

Through His Word, God divides the soul and the spirit. He shows me how my old nature governed by my intellect, emotions, and will is not the same as the new nature. I’m not to abandon my soul and its abilities, but put all of it under the power of a spirit made alive, a spirit that can hear God, discern good and evil, and trust the Lord. I’m to use my soul’s abilities to manifest God’s will in daily life and decisions.

I agree and don’t agree with Chamber’s choice of words. God gives me the ability to choose, but in making those choices, I need to totally surrender my will in favor of His.

Choices and Service

When the alarm rings in the morning, I can choose to hit snooze or choose to get up. When I get up, I can choose to eat oatmeal or choose leftover pizza. As the day progresses, hundreds of choices appear before me. Involved in all of them is also a choice of what or whom I will serve. I claim to serve God, but how often do I move through a day without thinking whether I am or not?

After Moses led the people of God through the wilderness and into the land, He promised them, Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel, summoning the elders, heads, judges and officers of Israel. As they presented themselves before God, Joshua gave them challenges from the Lord. The bottom line was this:

And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15)

While this challenge was directed toward their religious observances, it also included daily life. In other words, serving God is not only about formal ministry and worship, but also about the way His people live. Each morning when they arose, they had choices similar to mine. They had families to care for, household chores to do. Externals like the weather, and necessities like “we have to eat” might dictate some of those choices, but even when I make a meal, I can choose to do it “as unto the Lord” and with joy, or with a negative attitude.

As I read this verse, it reminds me that everyone serves someone or something. Even those who think they are their own boss are serving themselves, or their ambitions and plans, and could even be slaves to these lesser gods. How many times have I heard, “It’s my life and I’ll do what I want to” from someone bound up in sin and self-serving? We have our traditional gods and even adopt the gods of the people around us.

As for this day, the hours, minutes, even seconds ahead of me will be filling with options. As the devotional writer says, choice and service are the sum total of life. Instead of operating on autopilot and doing whatever seems the easiest or the most beneficial to me, I need to check out what I choose and that my selection is all about the amazing God that I claim to serve.