Part 9 (2/2)
G.o.d never shows us anything wrong with us for the purpose of making us feel bad, but He wants to deliver us and make our lives better.
Anything we hide has authority over us, but the moment we bring it out into the light it is exposed and loses its power. We instantly feel that a huge burden has lifted and our lives are made better. Yes, it is a little embarra.s.sing to really face the things we have previously kept hidden, but it is the only pathway to freedom.
I had to face a lot of truth in order to get from where I started to where I am now. I had to face the fact that my parents really never did know how to love me properly and never would. I had to see that I allowed myself to be filled with self-pity and blame and it was not doing me or anyone else any good. I had to face the truth that I was very bitter and resentful and it was not the will of G.o.d. He actually required that I forgive all the people who were responsible for my pain and pray for them. I had to face many unpleasant things about myself and my behavior. Although I had reasons for acting and feeling the way I did, I had no right to remain that way because G.o.d was willing to heal me and set me free. All I had to do was face the truth He was showing me and depend on Him to help me change.
What has G.o.d been trying to reveal to you? Have you been hiding in the dark? If so, I urge you to come out into the light and begin your journey of total healing.
Your Will
CHAPTER 39.
Making Right Choices Making right choices is very important because life is made up of a series of choices. Sometimes we like to blame everything on the devil, but the devil cannot run our lives if we are diligent to be obedient to G.o.d.
Satan places pressure on us and he tries very hard to lead us into disobedience. The spirit wants to do what is right, but the flesh says, ”I want my own way.” G.o.d speaks something to your spirit, some good thing to do, and the soul says, ”Now wait a minute. Let me tell you what I think. Let me tell you how I feel about that. I don't know if I feel like doing that. Let me tell you what I want.” I call this ongoing commentary of the soul ”I want, I think, I feel.”
Underlying everything we do is the soul saying, ”Let me do what I want. Let me do what I think. Let me do what I feel. I want, I think, I feel.” As believers, we need to go deeper than allowing our thoughts and emotions to control us. Luke 5 has a wonderful verse in it that says to come on out in the deep and get ready for a haul (see v. 4).
Some people will never spend the inheritance Jesus died to give them because they are not living deep enough. What level are you? Are you living only on the emotional or mental level? Do you always strive to get what you want, or have you turned your will over to G.o.d? Some people never move beyond living from their own minds. They never move beyond living based on how they feel. If they feel like going to church, they go; if they don't, they don't. If they feel like spending money, they do whether they have it or not. If they feel like cleaning house, they do; if they don't, they don't. If they feel like being kind and loving, they are; and if they don't feel like it, they are grumpy and selfish. Anyone who lives according to feelings is sowing seeds for destruction. We will always have feelings, but we must learn not to bow down to them and obey them. Our souls tell us what we want, what we think, and what we feel, not what G.o.d wants, thinks, and feels. It is very important for us to learn to divide soul and spirit, and only the Word of G.o.d can teach us how to do that (see Hebrews 4:12).
It is very important for us to learn to divide soul and spirit, and only the Word of G.o.d can teach us how to do that.
The Bible says G.o.d has set before us life and death, the blessings and the curses; therefore, choose life, that you and your descendants may live (see Deuteronomy 30:19). It is like a multiple-choice test with the answers right in front of us. Set before us is: (a) life (b) death. Choose life. We don't even have to try to figure this one out. G.o.d gave us the answer, but there are mult.i.tudes of people still failing that test every day. I encourage you to choose life!
CHAPTER 40.
Just Obey Many non-Christians don't really understand the Gospel. This isn't a new thing unique to our day. When Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he pointed out that the Greeks in his day thought it was foolish (see 1 Corinthians 2:14), and to the natural mind, it is. G.o.d sent Jesus, the sinless One, to earth for the express purpose of dying for wicked, sinful people. To unbelievers, that is foolish. The natural man cannot understand the power of the Gospel-it can only be ”spiritually discerned.”
This is just as true in daily living. Sometimes G.o.d speaks to us, and if we try to explain it to people who don't know Jesus, it doesn't make sense. For example, I remember one couple who went to Africa as missionaries. They had no denomination or large church behind them providing support. They sold everything they owned, including their wedding rings.
”Your wedding rings?” a skeptical relative asked. ”You mean G.o.d wouldn't provide for you, so you had to do it yourself?”
The wife smiled. ”No, I think we had to decide if comfort and having things like everyone else was more important than serving Jesus.” The couple never doubted they were doing the right thing, but it never made sense to the skeptical relative.
It is difficult for many people to hear G.o.d speak and to obey without question. But Jesus did just that-and not only on the cross. John 4 relates the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. What most modern readers don't get is the introduction to the story: ”It was necessary for Him to go through Samaria” (v. 4). Jesus had been in Jerusalem, and He wanted to go north to Galilee. The country of the Samaritans was in between, but Jesus didn't have to take the route pa.s.sing that way. He could have taken another route and avoided going through Samaria. Most Jews avoided going through Samaria because they hated the Samaritans for mixing and marrying with people from other nations.
But Jesus went, even though it wasn't what we would have called the normal or reasonable thing to do. He went because there was a woman-and eventually a whole village-who needed to hear the message only He could deliver.
The natural people-those whose minds have not been enlightened by the Holy Spirit-scoff at us. What we do doesn't always seem logical to them. But then, who says our actions have to be logical? The Bible tells us the natural or carnal mind doesn't understand spiritual things (see 1 Corinthians 2:14). Too often, we push aside thoughts, saying, ”This doesn't make any sense,” and we actually ignore divine guidance. It's true, of course, the devil can flood our minds with wild thoughts that we do need to ignore, but if we pray and open ourselves to the Spirit, we soon know the difference.
Consider the story of Peter who fished all night and caught nothing. Jesus, a carpenter, came along and told him, a professional fisherman, ”Put out into the deep [water], and lower your nets for a haul” (Luke 5:4).
Peter reasoned with Jesus, reminding Him they worked all night and caught nothing. But to his credit, Peter, exhausted from a long and unsuccessful night's work, heard the Lord. I'll emphasize it again: Peter heard the Lord and said, ”But on the ground of Your word, I will lower the nets [again]” (v. 5). And Peter was not disappointed. They caught so many fish the nets almost broke.
This is an important principle of obedience we must grasp: obeying instead of reasoning, or as one of my friends calls it, ”The Nevertheless Principle.” She says sometimes she feels G.o.d leading her to do things that don't always make a lot of sense. When she hears herself expressing that sentiment, she quickly adds, ”Nevertheless.” Then she obeys. That is really all G.o.d asks of us: to obey instead of reasoning against something He is telling us to do. The best policy is to check with your spirit and see if you have peace rather than checking with your mind to see if what G.o.d is asking is reasonable.
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