When you accepted the call to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, you were expected to take God at his Word and accept as true what he says we are. Now when I say that, it reminds of what Joel Osteen always says at the beginning of his services:
“This is my Bible. I am what it says I am. I have what it says I have. I can do what it says I can do. Today I will be taught the word of God. I boldly confess my mind is alert, my heart is receptive; I’ll never be the same. In Jesus name, God bless you
I understand what he was
attempting to do. It is demonstration that Romans 10:9 thing: “. . . if you
confess with your mouth . . .” Where this is most important is when your “
old man” is still trying to please God in the flesh; when you are trying real hard to meet some standard you have set for yourself. Oh sure, you hate sin, you don’t want to offend YHWH, and yet your conscience continually makes you feel guilty. So what do you do? You pledge to overcome your sin problem: “I’m going to change! I’ll start today to fight my besetting sin, no matter what the cost. I want God to see how hard I am trying.”
This kind of believer will bring the Lord a whole truck-load of sweat and tears, but no faith or love. He will pray and fast just to prove to YHWH that he has a good heart. Yes, he can resist sin for days at a time, and then tell himself, “If I can go for two days, then why not four, why not a week?” By the end of the month he feels pretty good about himself, convinced he is working himself free. Ah, but then his old sin surfaces, and down he goes, deep into despair. Then, that starts the cycle all over again. Holy Moly, What to do? It is like being on a treadmill that will never stop, and you can never get off! Eek! I think there is a Scripture about that very thing:
Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? (Romans 7:24)
What a nightmare! Hey! Wake up from that nightmare. That ”old man” was crucified along with Jesus, killed in the eyes of God. Indeed, Paul tells us that the old man was pronounced dead at the cross. Jesus took that old man into the grave with him, where he was left for dead and forgotten. Just as the prodigal’s father ignored the “old man” in his son, the Lord says of our old man, “I won’t recognize or deal with that. There is only one man I recognize now, one with whom I will deal. That is my Son, Jesus, and all who are united to Him by faith.”
The new man is the one who has given up all hope of pleasing God by any effort of the flesh. He has died to the old ways of the flesh. By faith, he has come to know there is only one way to please God, one way to delight him: Christ must become all. He knows that there is only One whom the Father recognizes: Christ and all who are united to him.
Last Sunday at church, we were discussing this very thing. Our pastor said that as we draw closer to the “Light,” we are able to see our sin for what it is. But if we continue to live in darkness, we remain blind to our sin.
I immediately remembered something the Lord taught me as I turned the light on as I entered my bedroom. I was entering a completely dark room, but suddenly, I hit the switch, and all the darkness fled away — it completely disappeared. There were no shadows and everything instantly became viable.
Ah, but then I peered under the door of my closets, and there I saw darkness attempting to hide from the light. I opened the doors and Voilà ! Darkness once again disappeared! Amazing! So it is with our sin!
Oh! I should mention that the moment I opened the door to my bedroom and turned on the light, I was immediately shocked to see a deposit our dog left in the room. Had I not “turned on the light,” as it were, I would have stepped right in it. THAT is what the “Light” of God’s Word does in our life!
If we refuse to allow the “Light of God’s Word” to illuminate our sins and weaknesses, we will inevitably “step” into bigger messes in our life! We need to allow our “new man,” to live in the “Light of our Father’s Word,” His Wisdom, His Love. This new man is to live by faith alone: “The just shall live by faith . . .” He is to believe God’s Word so completely that he leans on nothing else. He should find his source of everything in Christ, who is all-sufficient. And we should believe what God says of him: “Your old man is dead, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” He may not feel it, or comprehend it fully, but he won’t argue with his loving Father’s Word. He accepts it on faith, believing the Lord, is being faithful to his Word.
Nickolas
(I send out messages like this each morning in emails, and if you are interested in receiving them, send me your email address and I will add you to the list. However, you can also find these messages at: Thought For The Day)
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