“May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The One who calls you is faithful and He will do it. 1 Thess. 5:23-24
Jesus completely understood what was in his heart and mind as He lived victoriously as a human for 33 years on earth.
But for you and me, the Bible tells us that even our own hearts are deceptive above all things and beyond reason Jer. 17:9.
So how then are we as believers supposed to engage this messed up world we’re immersed in and then function in it in a God honoring manner ~~ Especially, when we are honest with ourselves and admit that sometimes we plainly don’t feel like being or acting “godly”?
Haven’t you and I been tempted with a thought like this: “Come on (your name), this isn’t really ‘sin’. I mean, what’s ‘sin’? Your so called god is a cosmic kill-joy. In fact, this so called ‘sin’ looks a whole lot better than the junk you’re dealing with…and besides, everybody’s doing it…and they seem actually happier…Character? Eternity? What are you talking about? That’s just myth…come on, (your name), give it a try.”
Yes, the internal battle is intense! Just as Paul states in Rom. 7:23-25 his own internal struggle that haunts him daily, “…but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
Yes, Paul tells us that the ONLY one that can rescue him (and us) is God through Jesus Christ. For God tells us in 1 Chr. 28:9 that only He “searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts.” He alone sets us free and gives us power and wisdom to live victoriously for Him on this earth.
So how do we live victoriously on this earth? Col. 1:29 tells us: “To this end I labor, struggling with all His energy, which so powerfully works in me.” But how do we “labor in the Holy Spirit’s energies” and not our own strength? Author Larry Crabb describes releasing the Spirit’s power that resides in every believer this way, “In order to release the energy of Christ within our being is the life of Christ. Our task is to identify that life and to consistently nourish it till it becomes stronger than every other impulse within us.”
Identify the Spirit’s voice within, then consistently nourish Him…I know for me, the more I discipline myself the program God sets before me, and deny what the world and my flesh scream at me, the more God opens up a special world that is only spiritually discerned.
Bear with me with this raw analogy, but this world that God opens up to you and me, as our trusting relationship with Him is built, is kind of like going snorkeling in the Caribbean. ~~~ From atop the azure waters looking down, we can faintly see fish swimming and different colors smattered about on the bottom. But submerging with a mask and snorkel, a whole new world opens up…A world of inexpressible, jaw dropping magnificence, peace, joy, and implausible beauty. ~~~ For me, this undersea world is a pictorial depiction of the divine world God desires and beckons each of us to know… (Or at least get a lot of glimpses of during our brief stay on earth!)
So why then do we so often settle for the confining dungeon instead of the limitless heavens by the choices we make? (And these choices are both proactive and passive. Choices that may serve us well for the temporary moment, but when their consequences unravel, aren’t worth any of the momentary pleasures or lack of conflict we may have received from them. It’s because we truly do not believe God at His word.
This is the real struggle…belief and trust.
I, as do you, have choices to make daily. The question is… am I going to continue to discipline myself to God and His plan, as I simultaneously deny the world and my flesh, or am I going to live according to the world of Betsy’s thoughts, feelings, and very convincing external pressures? I can not change anyone or any circumstance, but I be an influence as I grow and change myself…and leave the results to God. For God says that He is in the business of sanctifying us through and through. Well, that second “through” can be tough…but remember, “The One who calls you is faithful and He will do it.” 1 Thess. 5:24.
All Shaun and I know is that as we continue to “do it God’s way”, even when circumstances get challenging, His blessings are beyond words. Thanks for letting me go away with my Shaun for an awesome week ~~~ We’re back, so call anytime, ok?!
Love,
Shaun and Betsy
