His strength is perfected in our weakness:

Egypt’s help is worthless and empty; therefore I have called her “Rahab who sits still.” And now, go, write it before them on a tablet and inscribe it in a book, that it may be for the time to come as a witness forever. For they are a rebellious people, lying children, children unwilling to hear the instruction of the Lord; who say to the seers, “Do not see,” and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us what is right; speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusions, leave the way, turn aside from the path, let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.” Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel, “Because you despise this word and trust in oppression and perverseness and rely on them, therefore this iniquity shall be to you like a breach in a high wall, bulging out and about to collapse, whose breaking comes suddenly, in an instant; and its breaking is like that of a potter’s vessel that is smashed so ruthlessly that among its fragments not a shard is found with which to take fire from the hearth, or to dip up water out of the cistern.” For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” But you were unwilling, and you said, “No! We will flee upon horses”; therefore you shall flee away; and, “We will ride upon swift steeds”; therefore your pursuers shall be swift. A thousand shall flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you shall flee, till you are left like a flagstaff on the top of a mountain, like a signal on a hill. Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. 

Egypt represents my old life of bondage, and like the grass seems greener there, the people of God can be lured into thinking that living that way is better than living for the Lord. It may be easier, but not better. When I drift into a fleshy way, God truly exalts Himself by showing mercy to me. My task ought to be:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

He convicts me of my error, forgives when I confess, and cleans up my thinking and actions. He uses even my sins in His redemptive process. The above passage adds more wonders such as:

For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him. For a people shall dwell in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you. And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. 

As I get rid of sin and all idols, He blesses my productivity, binds up my brokenness and heals the  wounds inflicted by His blows. He gives me songs in the night, and I can hear His voice with a glad heart even as my spiritual enemies hear His fury. (Isaiah 30:7–31:3)

Jesus, I am so aware that relying on the way I thought and lived before You rescued me brings sorrow. Trusting my ways and not consulting You is foolish. You are wise and work against all who do evil. That old life is mere human without the power of the Holy Spirit and in it I stumble and suffer loss. Keep me always in Your will. Fill me each day with Your mercy and grace that I will live as You lead me and enable me to rejoice in You.

God is not finished with me yet…

 

Our group Bible study is in Romans, but we often bring in thoughts from other parts of the NT, particularly the conflict we have between that old nature of sin and the new nature God gave us of Christ and His righteousness. 

This morning’s reading describes how the freedom we have in Christ must not be interpreted as freedom to do whatever we want — because that “I want” is often an old nature thing. As one of our group said, learning to walk in the Spirit means learning to listen to God. My ‘good’ ideas are not always His ideas.

Part of the problem is that the Bible often describes sin in extremes and the desires of the flesh as a list of gross activities that most Christians try to avoid. I know I want to serve God but the ideas I have can be motivated by a desire for self-glory, but even that desire is fleshy and can injure the faith of others.

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another. But 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. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. (Galatians 5:13–18)

The law of God is helpful to discern the bad stuff that creeps in, but because some of that is more subtle than the lists, I can miss it as being fleshy. I’m prompted to look at the list of spiritual fruit and let it help me pinpoint some of the opposites.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22–23)

Love’s opposite is usually hate, but it could be ignoring needs that love would otherwise supply. Joy’s opposite can be anxiety and worry. Peace can easily be replaced by being over-burdened for others, which could be interpreted as a godly thing even though it can also be lack of trust in God. Patience easily gets replaced by “I must do something” when God is not asking me to do anything but trust Him. Again, listening to His voice is really important!

Kindness is an action. Doing nothing could be the opposite, or being mean, or gossiping about the needy person. Goodness has similar fleshy counterparts including ignoring those who could use my help, or a call, or even a hug or a smile. The opposite of faithfulness could sound like, “Oh, I forgot” or other forms of apology about ignoring responsibilities. Gentleness and harshness seem obvious, but just the lack of it says much. 

One dictionary says this: Gentleness refers to a virtue that characterizes one’s internal disposition or spirit. This term is  exclusive to Christians and never used to describe a person outside of Christ. It is accompanied by “love” and precedes “self-control.” James 3:13 relates it to the quality of being “wise” and Ephesians 4:2 puts it alongside “humility.” It is the opposite of being hostile or pugnacious — looking for a fight. Gentleness is required of the Lord’s servants to instruct “opponents with gentleness.” From this, I can see that gentleness is about being humble rather than assertive or pushy.

Self-control is often considered something ‘self’ does, but this is a fruit of the Spirit so it’s opposite sounds like “I couldn’t help it” — or any excuse of the flesh for doing something that is selfish and sinful. The passage goes on to add this: “If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.”(Galatians 5:25–26) The flesh opposes this too — with pride, or with trying to get a rise out of others, or being discontent from a longing to have what others have.

Paul sums it up: “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:7–9) Fleshy living yields more of the same. Spirit-filled living reveals that I have eternal life.

PRAY: Lord, this exercise in words and their opposites convicts me. Doing good involves my whole being. Sometimes I think I’m dedicated wholly to You, but again realize You still have much to expose and cleanse out of my life.

My boasting vs. “Only God”

 

When prayer goes unanswered for a long time, I’m tempted to take matters into my own hands. Today’s devotional illustrates the folly of doing that with the story of Abraham. God promised to bless him and make a great nation of him, but his wife was barren. Eventually, both of them aged to the point that child-bearing was humanly impossible. 

But before that, Abraham became desperate and decides to bring about God’s promised Son without supernatural intervention. He has sex with Hagar, his wife’s handmaid. The result is not a “child of promise” but a “child of the flesh,” Ishmael.

But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. (Romans 9:6–8)

For anyone who knows the story, God “brought him outside and said, ‘Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’ And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.” (Genesis 15:5–6)

Piper likens this to a pastor who hears God promise to bless his ministry, but the prayer goes unanswered. So the pastor does as Abraham did by taking matters into his own hands and using mere human devices to attract people without the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit. It might work, but the church will be filled with children of the flesh, not children of God.

For me, I liken this to any kind of ‘walking in the flesh’ to make things happen, things that I’ve prayed about for many years. My results might ‘look good’ but unless God does the work, my efforts will produce ‘Ismaels’ and not ‘Isaacs’ who could be called barren fruit as well, totally unlike those who are children of the promise and the work of the Holy Spirit.

Human manipulation might have some sort of success, but this is nothing like the work of the Holy Spirit in my life and in the lives of those people that I pray for. Over the years. I can think of dozens of examples, both positive and negative.

The human tendency to ‘do it my way’ can be so strong that it appears to be a God-thing, or an answer to prayer, or even obedience. However, God knows the heart and can keep His people from doing the human thing. For example, my sister was driving to visit an uncle in the hospital. She was determined to tell him about Jesus, but asked God, “If this is not the right time, turn me around.” At that moment, she hit a patch of ice, her car did a spin and she would up in the ditch facing the other direction! She went home, made the visit the next day, and our uncle invited Jesus into his life. He died two weeks later.

PRAY: Just as You saved my sister from trying a DIY action, be as clear with me. When I am tempted to use any of my own methods, or manipulation, or timing to control someone else, turn me around too — before I wind up with a result like Ismael, who became the father of Israel’s enemies even to this day. The consequences of walking in the flesh can be “successful” but to what price? That kind of success is pathetic compared to Your answers to prayer, and even to the patience and faith You build in me as I wait for them. Far better to say “only God” than to boast “Look what I did.”


My efforts vs. God’s enabling

 
In our small group Bible study, my focus is often on the flesh vs. spirit issue but received as if I’m saying we don’t do anything — all of our obedience is God’s doing. But I’ve not made clear that there are two “we’s” in the discussion. The flesh is dead and useless. To obey God, I must be walking in the Spirit, not the flesh which is my old nature. The problem is that I have not been clarifying which “we” is helpless and which is able to obey.

Another confusion is that many Christians do not recognize when the flesh is at work (even though it is dead to God) or what being filled with the Spirit is like. Many do not want to examine their motivations but it seems vital to me that I know why I do what I am doing.

Today’s reading begins with a question about pursuing faith. Since it is a gift from God, do i try to increase it? As with anything else He grants, I cannot make it happen without faith or by my human efforts, but God is eager to enable me to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” so that He is glorified “both now and to the day of eternity.” (2 Peter 3:18) Certainly faith is a gift from God.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8–9)
For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. (Romans 12:3)
For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake… (Philippians 1:29)

Other verses show that faith is granted to us by a revelation to our hearts. That is, He makes it possible for me to believe. This is also a gift as Jesus told Peter: “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 16:17) Otherwise, flesh remains in darkness. We need the gift of new life and the light from God which He shines “in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6)

Even though faith is a gift, the Bible says it needs to grow so I am trusting Him all the time. What is true for salvation — “faith comes from hearing through the word of Christ” — is also true after that new life comes. Being in the Word, spending time with Jesus and with His Body, and obeying Him are important, yet also must be activities of the new nature. The flesh can go through the motions but is not the way to build faith or express it. If I do anything, even what seems like ‘good works’ I am not honoring God nor producing fruit without His enabling.

So faith is about walking in the Spirit, not the flesh, and about glorifying God and not doing things to make the old nature feel good or be praiseworthy. I now see when I talk about being useless, I need to better clarify that all that talk is about the old me — and my flesh needs to be ignored. The new nature listens to God and obeys. This means that I need to be able to discern which is which. The old nature wants to rule things and can imitate or fake godliness and render my actions useless to serve or honor God.

PRAY: Jesus, Thank You for clarifying how to better explain when I make comments about passages like John 15:1-5 or 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 and how ‘I’ am useless yet I can do all things through Christ. Most Christians tend to be unaware of the flesh-spirit conflict because they have not recognized the differences or do not want to admit how the flesh messes with their faith. You want me to be clear about my battles so all of us are better at walking in Your Spirit and enable to do so by Your amazing grace.

My Need for God’s Spirit

Christian discernment notices things that  otherwise would be missed. For instance, when another believer is filled with the Spirit, the attitudes or fruit that the Spirit produces are very obvious to a discerning mind. Because this happens, God’s grace is richly recognized and enjoyed. Rather than crediting a spirit-filled person for being nice, God is glorified as He should be. However, if a believer is walking in the flesh, discernment easily senses selfishness, or rudeness, knowing that this doe not come from the Holy Spirit. Fleshy behavior is the opposite of godly behavior. The difference is described in Scripture by comparing the two:

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1 Corinthians 13:4–7)

Fleshy behavior is selfish, but not always discerned as such. I need to watch how I react to it. If someone is rude to me, my reaction could be critical or anger or wanting to retaliate. Yet God tells my to be discerning and pray for that person. They are not walking in the Spirit and need to get back on track. If I am offended by what they did and react in a fleshy way, then I am not walking in the Spirit either.

How is it even possible to respond rightly to the sin of others? Is it not because of Jesus? Because He died as my substitute and took my penalty for sin, He also lives as my substitute and gives me His life as my righteousness. Today’s readings verify this:

Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. (Romans 5:18–19)

The law of God requires not only that I am without sin, but also that I am completely obedient to holiness. I am to love God with all my heart, soul, mind and being, and others as myself. This righteousness Christ performs for me as my Substitute. In Him, I’m to obey God  through the power of the Holy Spirit. I do not have to live by the dictates of my old nature, no matter how others treat me.

The Bible says that Christ is the end of the law for righteousness and that when God imputed the righteousness of Christ to us, He was made my righteousness. In other words, I have the righteousness of God in Christ. This is not just about my legal standing before God, but about my state in this world. He makes it happen by filling me with His Spirit so I can walk in obedience.

Galatians 5 begins with, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1) This refers to the slavery of sin, of living by my old nature, which is sinful. It goes on. . . .  

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another. But 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. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. (Galatians 5:13–18)

Fleshy behavior is not only sin against God and a lack of love for Him, it is sinful against others, and that lack of love can offend and hurt them. However, if I’m on the receiving end, I’m not to retaliate but do what Jesus does — die to it and intercede for the other person, not only with a spirit of forgiveness but pray that God will work in their lives so they realize their fleshy motivations and actions, confess them, and ask for His fullness so they are filled with the fruit that only the Holy Spirit can produce:

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22–23)

PRAY: Lord, my flesh resents my own flesh behavior, never mind the things others do apart from Your Spirit. Enable me to respond to whatever others do in the same way You respond to me — with love, patience and kindness as you gently show me how deeply I also need self-control that comes from Your amazing righteousness. I do not have any of this without You and need You every day, every hour, every moment of my life.

Being filled with the Spirit…

 

Being filled with the Spirit of God is not the same as having a dual personality, yet it is like that. Those who experience this often say and do things that they remember yet forget, that they wonder “where did that come from?” Yet they know it was the Spirit and not themselves.

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

This verse sort of describes it but not entirely. It is more like:

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1 Corinthians 13:4–7)

And even this isn’t quite it because the love of God is not focused on me and is without self-evaluation. He puts the focus on others, so thinking I am patient and kind is a self-evaluation that ruins it.
Consider also the idea of master. In the original language, this word is sometimes translated  “master” as in the owner of something, but sometimes translated “Lord” when it refers to Jesus. Why the difference? Jesus put it this way:

No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. (John 15:15)

Sometimes Jesus referred to Himself as “master,” at least in my ESV translation.

Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. (John 15:20)

You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. (John 13:13)

Yet the idea of “master” contrasts with the idea of friends, implying another kind of relationship. This contrast shows up in the story of the prodigal. The straying son returned and was treated with a loving embrace and a party. However, the older son who had lived under the father’s felt badly used, and he said:

Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him! (Luke 15:28–30)

This person slipped from being a partner with his father to the attitude of a misused slave. This story and the above references point to the difference in attitude that comes when I am controlled by the Holy Spirit or when I am walking according to my old sinful nature called the flesh. One is a friend of Jesus more occupied with love for others than having my way.

In contrast, the flesh is about living for me, my way and my wants, doing things out of obligation rather than love, resenting the blessing of God on others, and feeling like God is simply too bossy. To have a Lord and Master is not the same thing as being mastered. To know the love of God pushes thoughts of self into oblivion and brings love for Him and for others out of my heart.

PRAY: Jesus, this is good counsel for me today. I do have plans, but also hear Your voice concerning the needs of others. I want to obey You, but not with the sense of obligation but because I love You. For that, I know my need to be filled with Your Spirit for otherwise my sinful self will take over and will certainly ruin everything. I confess to You that I belong to You and have been called Your friend. Fill me today that I may act like one, and be more concerned with others rather than being selfish and wanting to do my own thing.

Ruckus or a Rest?

 

Every now and then things happen that require either acceptance or a fight. Because God is sovereign and controls all things, and uses them for my good, I can rest no matter what those things might be.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (Romans 8:28–29)

This teaching was one of the first things God put into my heart and mind. It works well with my mother’s mantra. She often said, “We must need it or we wouldn’t be getting it.” While she said it most often about the weather, this trust in God for every circumstance held even when she suffered from Alzheimers and faced all sorts of changes and challenges. She had this amazing attitude of acceptance rather than fighting life, and that attitude fits well with being conformed to the image of Jesus Christ.

I’ve said I want to be like my mom when I grow up. Now, into my later years, I’m still learning. One area is with new situations, or with many decisions to be made. Our recent decision to move into another place that is more suited to our needs is giving me reasons to repeat mom’s mantra.

Jesus gave an invitation that also fits with this idea and reason for accepting life as it comes. He said:

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28–30)

I’ve learned that this passage uses two words about burdens. The first is the heavy load of a shipment that requires muscle or equipment to move it. However, the “burden” that Jesus said He would give us is merely the paper invoice that is attached to the shipment! In other words, His yoke is nothing compared to the weight that most people try to carry. He does not want me to take on the heavy loads, only those that are in His will for me.

The Bible also talks about rest. It is typified in Sabbath rest, one day in seven to stop working and take it easy, but it points to the same type of rest that Jesus talked about, the rest of not laboring with the full load but trusting Him and coming to Him for only what He wants for me. This is also implied in the words, “I must need it…” for what He gives is needful that I might be like Him. What I might take on in my own strength does not do that for me. Instead, it makes me tired, worn out, grumpy, and hard to get along with.
In other words, my load is the work of the flesh, and taking His load is walking in the Spirit. One is a fight and also a disobedience. The other is acceptance, trust, and full obedience.

Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, again he appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. 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. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4:6–13)

PRAY: Jesus, I am so aware of the difference between being heavy laden and taking on the yoke with You that You give. I cannot manage daily life, never mind moving to another home, without Your grace and strength. All that I try on my own makes me irritable and anxious. Trusting You fills me with peace and joy. Thank You for my mother — and thank you for being who You are, the giver of good things that I might become more like You.

Flesh vs. Spirit

 
I cannot describe the spiritual battles that others face, only my own. Today’s devotional is about the author’s battle with consecration. She writes about finding herself too weak and full of  imperfection and sin to dare dedicating herself to the Lord, but if she looks at Christ, all those thoughts vanish and she is left with a great desire to live for Him.

I know that battle, yet in my description I make a distinction between the flesh and the Spirit. Christ lives in me, but that old sinful nature clings to me like the ancient practice of putting the body of a murdered victim unto the back of the one who killed that person. What a stench, what a horror, but it does make vivid the reality of this war between God’s Spirit and my former nature. It is dead to God but still wants to rule my life. The NT is filled with instructions to help me recognize the difference and to live accordingly.

But 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 5:16–17)

Sanctification is the work of God who changes my heart and desires, yet that sin nature resists doing God’s will because it is contrary to the nature of sin. However, God says:

And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. (Galatians 5:24–26)

This is just one difference: the old nature is conceited, envious, and apt to spats with others. The Holy Spirit is not like that…

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. (Galatians 5:13)

The devotional writer speaks of choosing to live for Jesus, and by looking to Him to make all fleshy thoughts vanish, then adds “I know it is His will that I should live like that, and that He is able to keep me from falling. And so all I can do is trust Him.”

It is no secret that the enemy wants God’s people to follow the dictates of that dead thing that seems strapped on our back. He uses various schemes to appeal to us. For me, it is a disguised pride that insists my own ideas are okay. For the devotional writer, it is doubt that God accepts her sacrifice of herself. Again, that could be rooted in that prideful idea that we need to be ‘good enough’ to serve God. If that notion governs me, then I will never serve Him because I will never be ‘good enough’ — which is a denial of the very basic truth of the gospel; we are not accepted or used by God based on our worth or abilities. Obedience is not about being able but about trusting Him and doing what He says, relying on His enabling and His Spirit. Still, it is a battle.

PRAY: Lord, so often the enemy whispers that I cannot do whatever it is that You ask me to do. I know that this statement is partly true but mostly a lie. In You and because of You, I can do all things. This is a trust issue, not an ability test. I have just over three weeks to do what seems impossible, but know it is Your will to get with it and just obey You, “for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through You who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:11–13) Thank You for this timely reminder that my life is in Your hands!

God is in Everything

A couple of days ago, I found the above quote and it comes to mind often. Yesterday involved a lot of driving and time with someone who does not speak much English. However, meeting another friend who is fluent in her language was a delight for the three of us. I had no idea what they talked about, but the joy on their faces was a God-thing.

Arriving home and finding God in decisions we were making and giving us ideas through others who ‘happened’ to know this or that was more of that God-thing. Seeing Him in little things makes a difference in personal choices, and the way we think about life.

Today’s reading says, “Nothing but seeing God in everything will make us loving and patient with those who annoy and trouble us. They will be to us then only the instruments for accomplishing His tender and wise purposes toward us, and we will even find ourselves inwardly thanking them for the blessings they bring.”

While the reading goes on to link this idea as a deterrent to sin and complaining, I’m not sure that happens for everyone. Some may think that His presence means He is sternly watching all actions so they better behave rather than make Him scowl. Instead, seeing Him in all things ought to help us  realize His goodness and care. For me, it makes a difference in how I view life's extremes.

All things includes good and not so good. The flesh loves to take some credit for the good as if we made it happen or made right choices. The flesh also complains when things are not so comfortable and can even rail against it, totally forgetting that God is sovereign and has a loving and good reason for allowing any trials. Seeing Him in both extremes and everything in between produces praise and thanksgiving. It helps me to look for that good in trials and makes life a delightful adventure rather than a series of ups and downs.

Today’s reading also says I can believe God is faithful and wants good for me, not because I feel it or see it but because He says He is. This means faith enables the ability to see Him because faith is rewarded that way as my relationship with Him is deepened. He enables me to ‘just know’ that good things are happening, even before seeing or experiencing the results from trials. The Bible says that my faith forms the direction of my life. I know that doubt can prevent me from seeing His goodness, and doubt can be an inlet for all sorts of negativity, but faith enables the Holy Spirit to flood life with His fruit and when I’m filled with the Spirit, it is easy to see God in everything.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. (Galatians 5:22–26)

The flesh is the source of pride, conceit, being annoyed with others or jealous of them. The Spirit is the source of what I really want: love, joy and all of the above. And the Spirit makes God visible to my heart.

PRAY: Jesus, I’m seeing so many of Your children who haven’t realized their battle with sin requires faith but also confession of doubt and fleshy living as being a huge part of redemption. Forgive the pride and send light into those who so badly need to see, not only this reality but the reality of You in all things. Keep me here. I love to see You in all things — and You making sense of the ups and downs of life.

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.

Union with Christ

 
It is an amazing thing that God should unite Himself to those who believe in Him. It is a difficult and life-long process to learn that this is not only true but how to put it into practice — by living in His power instead of my own.

My friend LS said last week that our problem is discernment. Knowing the difference between ‘my will’ and His voice. For both of us, being a Christian most of our lives means that we have many good thoughts and ideas, yet we realize not all of them come from Jesus. Sometimes our ideas are just our ideas, not something the Lord is saying to us. Discernment between what is flesh and what is Spirit becomes more difficult as we age. He weeded out the obvious but that sinful self combined with the enemies lies seems to become more subtle.

That said, the Scriptures are so necessary. My old self will even try to twist them if I don’t keep  checking my ‘good ideas’ out before acting on them. On the other hand, there are some occasions when the difference is obvious. The will of God is so impressive and I know that I could never have thought the amazing ideas that He puts in my mind.

The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:14–16)

Learning the difference — that is discernment, but having the mind of Christ and the Word of God makes the difference.

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. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4:12–13)

God did not leave me to figure this out with my own resources. Otherwise, clueless me would never know what is from Him and what I dream up. In my union with Christ, I can draw on His mind to help me discern what is what. Not only that, He already knows. I cannot hide anything from Him. I simply need to let Him and His Word do their job.

If this sounds like something only for mature believers, today’s reading points out that the following passages were spoken to new believers who were still very fleshy…

But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? (1 Corinthians 3:1–3)

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. (1 Corinthians 6:19–20)

This indwelling God is the possession of even the weakest and most immature believer in Christ. It is for babes in Christ as well as those who have been Christians for decades. Every believer is a “temple of the Holy Spirit” and all of us have access to the mind of Christ and to the Word of God to help us understand His will.

I’m thinking, the problem is not in having the ‘tools’ but not having the desire. That old sinful nature is dead, separated from God, yet it still tries to run my life and be glorified instead of yielding to God. Sin wants to be comfortable not disciplined, and do its own thing rather than the will of God. This is why we say our enemies are the world, the flesh, and the devil.

PRAY: God, I can resist the world, and I can realize the devil’s schemes, but my old flesh is somethings more subtle. Thank You that You gave me Jesus, the Holy Spirit and Your Word to help me discern the flesh and also say NO to it.

The Role of Emotions

The focus of today’s devotions is again on disregarding emotions and “the will being the real king’” that governs faith. This is too much negativity about devotions for the NT identifies two emotions being positive: joy and peace.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22–23)

These two emotions are from the Holy Spirit and are like green traffic lights. If they are not in my life or suddenly go missing, I know that I have business to do with God. His Spirit is no longer filling my heart and mind and I have sin to confess.

The joy of the Lord is a powerful emotion. If I am filled with the Spirit, that joy is present and deep, bubbling up inside of me even when circumstances and burdens are also present and deep. Peace is the same. It is from God and often makes no sense as its presence does not depend on circumstances either.

Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:5–7)

A Spirit-filled friend recently said to an anxious Christian, “Why pray when you can worry?” And this hit me as an apt reminder that God is about joy and peace. He is glad to give it to His children from deep inside, from His Spirit to our inner spirit where it flows out of us  — into our thinking and affecting our decisions. It is easier to obey Him when my heart is connected to His heart and feeling the wonder of His joy and peace.

I’ve noticed that some Christian denominations focus on one of the three parts of the human soul: intellect, emotions and will. For some, having accurate knowledge is most important. Others love to express their feelings, particularly in worship.

Others stress the value of the will. However, the Scriptures tell me that all three are God's and need to be yielded to His Spirit. He uses the human mind, forming ideas for service and to do good in this world. He uses our emotions to signal us to danger, action, and the state of our walk with Him. He uses the will to say YES to His commands. These three motivate my body to get off my duff and do what He tells me to do, thus involving my body. In walking with Jesus, all of me is engaged. If I ignore my emotions, then joy means nothing and peace is only a state of mind, not a guard for my heart and mind or an indicator of what is going on in my spiritual life.

While the NT says, “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7) it also says, “Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.” (Colossians 3:22). Both verses use the same root word for fear. Fear of people will result in being unable to love others and tell them about Jesus. A denial of fear can result in not fearing God. Dismissing that emotion is not wise. Being aware of what comes from God and what comes from the flesh is important when it comes to fear, even though it seems negative.

PRAY: Jesus, You tossed the money changers out of the temple, wept at the death of Lazarus, and sweat blood in Gethsemane — all involved emotions. You also knew the hearts of others, remembered OT words, and obeyed all that the Father asked of You saying “Not my will but Thine be done.” You were fully engaged and the Spirit ruled in Your every thought, word, and deed. I want to be like You, always and in every part of me. Thank You that this is Your goal for me also.


 

Consider the Source

Sometimes when I share with others, I remember things I knew but had forgotten. Yesterday that happened. I’ve had problems with my devotional book when the writer talks about the importance of human volition when it comes to faith. Every time it was mentioned, my mind went to my fleshy I-wants. I’d think of the words of Jesus when He said, “Not my will but thine be done.” If Jesus rejected His perfect will, why should I engage my sinful will?

However, in our ladies prayer group, two people asked how to tell the difference between God’s will and their own. I drew Watchman Nee’s explanation, something like this diagram. 

As sinners, our inner spirit is dead to God and ruled by outward circumstances including our soulish intellect, emotions, and will.

When Christ gives new life to the spirit, the rule is reversed as the soul yields to Him and our outer person follows the leading of his Spirit through our new way of thinking, feeling, and making choices. To walk in the flesh is the first diagram; to walk in the Spirit is the second.

This explains how our will needs to match the will of God and I can now choose that because my spirit is alive to God’s Spirit. The choice is: am I willing to put my faith in what God says, or do I trust my old nature that will always resist the Spirit of God?

Today’s reading is about putting my will into my believing. It is not passive but made alive by the Spirit of God and giving me the option to listen to the input of the flesh or the input of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus said, “If you can! All things are possible for one who believes” (Mark 9:23) and the NT also speaks of those “who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.” (Hebrews 11:33–34)

I cannot put faith on any measurement scale and say I don’t have enough. Jesus makes it a choice, not a measurement:

Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you. (Matthew 17:20)

There are times when outward events, trials and temptations seem to hammer my faith into the ground, but God says:

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith — more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire — may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:6–7)

A tough situation does not affect the promises of God. I can choose to trust Him in both sunshine and darkness. As today’s devotional says, the sun has not ceased shining when I travel through a tunnel and cannot see its light. The Sun of Righteousness still shines even if His light is hidden at times. I need to choose to remember that and can choose if I listen to His Spirit and trust His Word rather than moan about the darkness. This is only a trial, and not the end of my walk with Him.

PRAY: today, Jesus, the sun is shining — at least in my heart. (It is snowing outside but very bright and white.) Forgive my forgetfulness. You use my hands and sometimes my words to do Your will so of course You can use my will, intellect, even my emotions — as long as the motivation comes from You and not the world, the flesh, or the enemy. May Your will be done today.