In the melodies of bossa nova
I hear my heaven composition,
And in its harmony I feel the air in my
Divinely built mansion.
One day every day will be bossa nova.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Doing things in our own strength (Conclusion)
As the God of Israel never commanded His servants to do anything beyond their ability, responsibility, or authority, so the Lord Jesus, God in the flesh, never commanded His disciples to do anything they could not do.
One day, as some of you may remember, Jesus was on a boat with Peter, James, and John, who were fishermen. He commanded them to throw out their nets for a catch. He didn't give them a golden super net, but commanded them to use the same net they had been using to fish all that night, the net they used without success.
They threw out their nets. Jesus caused a miracle catch of fish which gave them more fish than the boat could carry. Now it is noted that the very same net they had been using didn't break, so Jesus clearly strengthened the net they already had. But be clear that it was not a new net from heaven.
In the situation when Peter walked on water at Jesus' command, it was Peter's own legs, moved by Peter's own strength, that walked on water. Jesus didn't come to the boat, pick Peter up, and carry him, because that is not what Peter asked. Nor did Jesus send His Spirit into Peter to make Peter walk, or "walk for Peter." No. Peter walked, and Jesus made it possible for him to stay afloat on the water.
As it was in the Old Testament and the New Testament, so it is today.
God sends us to our destinations in the strength we have, requiring no more of us than we are able. When we use the strength that we have, God honors and vindicates us. And what we cannot do, God does for us.
As I've shared before, I share again. (If you've read my blog "How Do We Actually Keep From Sinning?", then you can skip the next analogy.)
I used to be a bouncer. One night a woman wanted me tell a man next to her to leave her alone. I asked the woman if she told the man to leave her alone. She said no. I told her that I could not tell the man to stop bothering her unless she told him first. Once she told him, then I could come in and enforce her wishes. If he refused to listen to me, I could get him out of the bar (with the other bouncers if necessary.)
She had to speak to the bothersome man according to her ability, responsibility, and authority as a free adult American citizen. Once she did, she need not do any more. I would come in and do for her what she does not have the ability, responsibility, and authority to do.
Do you see? It is the same with God.
If you are trying to break a habit, deal with a difficult person, or accomplish a difficult goal, you must do what you have the ability, responsibility, and authority to do, and pray for that which you don't have the ability or authority. If you wait for a miracle where one is not required, you will wait in vain. In addition to this, you are asking for God to dishonor you, to treat you as Satan treats those whom in enslaves. You will wait for a feeling or motivation that is really up to you. Do you want to obey God? What if you don't? What if you feel like you have no genuine desire or motivation to obey? Well what if you did? What would you do if you did have motivation to obey God? DO THAT! C.S. Lewis makes that point very well in a quote from "Mere Christianity."
“Do not waste time bothering whether you ‘love’ your neighbor; act as if you did. As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him.”
In whatever situation you are in, there are two issues alone:
1. Will you completely place your trust in God as your Creator and Savior right now?
2. Will you do what you know deep in your heart and conscience God requires of you?
You can do these two things with the strength you have. You need no more strength for these two things. If you did, then you have the strength to ask God. If you didn't have the strength even to ask for the strength you don't have, then God would have acted for you already. He will not leave the weak and helpless without strength or help. But He will require you to use the strength that you have to the extent that you can.
May you go in the strength that you have, wherever God's Spirit leads you.
One day, as some of you may remember, Jesus was on a boat with Peter, James, and John, who were fishermen. He commanded them to throw out their nets for a catch. He didn't give them a golden super net, but commanded them to use the same net they had been using to fish all that night, the net they used without success.
They threw out their nets. Jesus caused a miracle catch of fish which gave them more fish than the boat could carry. Now it is noted that the very same net they had been using didn't break, so Jesus clearly strengthened the net they already had. But be clear that it was not a new net from heaven.
In the situation when Peter walked on water at Jesus' command, it was Peter's own legs, moved by Peter's own strength, that walked on water. Jesus didn't come to the boat, pick Peter up, and carry him, because that is not what Peter asked. Nor did Jesus send His Spirit into Peter to make Peter walk, or "walk for Peter." No. Peter walked, and Jesus made it possible for him to stay afloat on the water.
As it was in the Old Testament and the New Testament, so it is today.
God sends us to our destinations in the strength we have, requiring no more of us than we are able. When we use the strength that we have, God honors and vindicates us. And what we cannot do, God does for us.
As I've shared before, I share again. (If you've read my blog "How Do We Actually Keep From Sinning?", then you can skip the next analogy.)
I used to be a bouncer. One night a woman wanted me tell a man next to her to leave her alone. I asked the woman if she told the man to leave her alone. She said no. I told her that I could not tell the man to stop bothering her unless she told him first. Once she told him, then I could come in and enforce her wishes. If he refused to listen to me, I could get him out of the bar (with the other bouncers if necessary.)
She had to speak to the bothersome man according to her ability, responsibility, and authority as a free adult American citizen. Once she did, she need not do any more. I would come in and do for her what she does not have the ability, responsibility, and authority to do.
Do you see? It is the same with God.
If you are trying to break a habit, deal with a difficult person, or accomplish a difficult goal, you must do what you have the ability, responsibility, and authority to do, and pray for that which you don't have the ability or authority. If you wait for a miracle where one is not required, you will wait in vain. In addition to this, you are asking for God to dishonor you, to treat you as Satan treats those whom in enslaves. You will wait for a feeling or motivation that is really up to you. Do you want to obey God? What if you don't? What if you feel like you have no genuine desire or motivation to obey? Well what if you did? What would you do if you did have motivation to obey God? DO THAT! C.S. Lewis makes that point very well in a quote from "Mere Christianity."
“Do not waste time bothering whether you ‘love’ your neighbor; act as if you did. As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him.”
In whatever situation you are in, there are two issues alone:
1. Will you completely place your trust in God as your Creator and Savior right now?
2. Will you do what you know deep in your heart and conscience God requires of you?
You can do these two things with the strength you have. You need no more strength for these two things. If you did, then you have the strength to ask God. If you didn't have the strength even to ask for the strength you don't have, then God would have acted for you already. He will not leave the weak and helpless without strength or help. But He will require you to use the strength that you have to the extent that you can.
May you go in the strength that you have, wherever God's Spirit leads you.
Doing things in our own strength (Part 3)
God gave His children control over their volitions. He is not like Satan or demons who seek total domination or possession.
With Gideon and Adam we've seen the cooperation of submission.
We see the same with Abraham.
God promised Abraham and Sarah a son. God showed grace to them and fulfilled His promise. At the time God said, Sarah became pregnant.
Now how did she become pregnant? Immaculate conception? Did God Himself impregnate her, as some falsely believe that He did with the virgin Mary? BLASPHEMY!
God opened Sarah's barren womb. God gave her the ability to be impregnated by her husband, though she was naturally beyond the age of child bearing. But Abraham "knew" his wife as as any other husband would know his wife. God opened and empowered Sarah's womb. Abraham and Sarah did what husbands and wives do.
Now we come to what I consider a kind of climax in my Old Testament examples. For me, this example makes the point better than any other.
God calls Moses to deliver Israel in Exodus chapter 3. In chapter 4, Moses is concerned about Israel doubting him, and asks God about his concern. God says these words in reply,
"What is that in your hand?"
"A staff," Moses answered.
"Throw the staff to the ground."
Let's stop here and ponder what is happening.
Now this staff in Moses' hand is the very staff he has been using as a shepherd. It is this staff that God commands Moses to throw to the ground. Moses doesn't say, "LORD, I can't throw it down 'in my own strength.'" Of course Moses can throw down a stick...or allow gravity to simply pull it to the ground as he opens his fingers.
God did not command Moses to turn the staff into a snake, because Moses could not do that "in his own strength." But what Moses could do, God commanded. He did not take charge of Moses' arm and make his arm throw down the staff. Nor did God pull the staff from Moses' hand by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Most importantly, God did not even tell Moses the staff would become a snake! Moses had no idea this was going to happen, which is why he ran from the snake! So it took little to no "faith" for Moses to obey the commandment of God. He only did what he had the ability to do.
The same is true for his hand becoming leprous and being healed. God told Moses to put his hand inside of his cloak, not telling him it would become leprous. Moses performed the simple acts of putting his hand in his cloak and taking it out.
Moses throws down his staff. God turns it into a snake.
Moses puts his hand in his cloak, God makes it leprous.
No magical golden staff came from heaven for Moses, but only the staff in Moses' own hand was necessary, the same old staff he'd been using. With this staff, Moses performed mighty wonders.
The same is true with David. He didn't receive a super slingshot to kill Goliath, but instead he used the same slingshot he always used as a shepherd protecting sheep. He used the same basic slingshot skills he'd been using, and God blessed this with success.
Adam, Abraham, Moses, David, and Gideon used the strength they had, or their own strength, to do God's will. And what they could not do, they trusted God to do, according to His ability, responsibility, and authority. But they used their God given ability, responsibility, and authority, for God's glory.
There is even a situation where the men of Israel go to war under the leadership of Joshua, and we see men of God using "their own strength" to accomplish God's will. Read these verses with me:
With Gideon and Adam we've seen the cooperation of submission.
We see the same with Abraham.
God promised Abraham and Sarah a son. God showed grace to them and fulfilled His promise. At the time God said, Sarah became pregnant.
Now how did she become pregnant? Immaculate conception? Did God Himself impregnate her, as some falsely believe that He did with the virgin Mary? BLASPHEMY!
God opened Sarah's barren womb. God gave her the ability to be impregnated by her husband, though she was naturally beyond the age of child bearing. But Abraham "knew" his wife as as any other husband would know his wife. God opened and empowered Sarah's womb. Abraham and Sarah did what husbands and wives do.
Now we come to what I consider a kind of climax in my Old Testament examples. For me, this example makes the point better than any other.
God calls Moses to deliver Israel in Exodus chapter 3. In chapter 4, Moses is concerned about Israel doubting him, and asks God about his concern. God says these words in reply,
"What is that in your hand?"
"A staff," Moses answered.
"Throw the staff to the ground."
Let's stop here and ponder what is happening.
Now this staff in Moses' hand is the very staff he has been using as a shepherd. It is this staff that God commands Moses to throw to the ground. Moses doesn't say, "LORD, I can't throw it down 'in my own strength.'" Of course Moses can throw down a stick...or allow gravity to simply pull it to the ground as he opens his fingers.
God did not command Moses to turn the staff into a snake, because Moses could not do that "in his own strength." But what Moses could do, God commanded. He did not take charge of Moses' arm and make his arm throw down the staff. Nor did God pull the staff from Moses' hand by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Most importantly, God did not even tell Moses the staff would become a snake! Moses had no idea this was going to happen, which is why he ran from the snake! So it took little to no "faith" for Moses to obey the commandment of God. He only did what he had the ability to do.
The same is true for his hand becoming leprous and being healed. God told Moses to put his hand inside of his cloak, not telling him it would become leprous. Moses performed the simple acts of putting his hand in his cloak and taking it out.
Moses throws down his staff. God turns it into a snake.
Moses puts his hand in his cloak, God makes it leprous.
No magical golden staff came from heaven for Moses, but only the staff in Moses' own hand was necessary, the same old staff he'd been using. With this staff, Moses performed mighty wonders.
The same is true with David. He didn't receive a super slingshot to kill Goliath, but instead he used the same slingshot he always used as a shepherd protecting sheep. He used the same basic slingshot skills he'd been using, and God blessed this with success.
Adam, Abraham, Moses, David, and Gideon used the strength they had, or their own strength, to do God's will. And what they could not do, they trusted God to do, according to His ability, responsibility, and authority. But they used their God given ability, responsibility, and authority, for God's glory.
There is even a situation where the men of Israel go to war under the leadership of Joshua, and we see men of God using "their own strength" to accomplish God's will. Read these verses with me:
The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.”
So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword. Exodus 17:8-13
Wow!
First, notice that the "staff in Moses' hand," the same old staff he'd been using as a regular old shepherd, is now THE STAFF OF GOD! Not a new, shiny heavenly golden staff, mind you! The same old staff!
Second, MOSES' HANDS GREW TIRED!
Now wait just a minute!
Why didn't God give Moses supernatural strength and endurance, like he would give Samson later on? We know Moses is holding up the staff "in his own strength" because he is getting tired, and God never gets tired. So what happens? Does God strengthen Moses' arms? Negative. Aaron and Hur hold up Mose's hands, IN THEIR OWN STRENGTH! It is human strength that is holding up Moses' hands--the human strength of Moses, Aaron, and Hur. Now why didn't Aaron or Hur just take "the staff of God" and hold it INSTEAD OF MOSES? In fact, and again, WHY ANY OF THIS? WHY DOESN'T GOD JUST WIPE OUT THE AMALEKITES HIMSELF?!!?! FIRE FROM HEAVEN? PLAGUES!!!? SOMETHING!?
No, we see a cooperation between God and men, earth and heaven. God would not do for Moses, Aaron, and Hur, what they could do for themselves, according to the ability, responsibility, and authority He gave them, as well as not doing anything for Joshua and the army that they had the ability to do.
These are my examples from the Old Testament. Now we move to Jesus, God in the flesh. As it was with the Father, so we will see with the Son....
Doing things in our own strength (Part 2)
In the Bible, from beginning to end, God does not require of people what He has not given them the ability, responsibility, and authority to do. And God does not do for people what He has given them the ability, responsibility, and authority to do.
Take Adam in the Garden of Eden.
In Genesis chapter 2, God planted the Garden of Eden and put the man in the garden to work it.
Who planted the Garden?
God.
Who put the man in the garden?
God.
Who worked the garden?
Adam.
God made Adam in His image and likeness. As God brought order in creation, Adam was to bring order in the garden.
God created the garden. God put man in the garden. Man worked the garden. We see the cooperation of freewill submission, and not the domination of demon possession.
Again, look at God's relationship to Adam in the same chapter of Genesis.
God made the animals. God brought the animals to Adam. Adam named the animals.
God did not require Adam to make the animals and bring them to himself. If God had, then Adam could have rightly said, "LORD, I can't do that 'in my own strength.'" And he would have been right. He did not have the ability, responsibility, or authority to create animals.
But Adam was created in the image and God. God named the day, night, sky, earth, and seas. And Adam, in the image of God, had the ability, responsibility, and authority to name the animals. After all, God gave Adam dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the cattle, over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that moves on the earth.
Yet again, take for example, God's creation of the woman.
God put the man into a deep sleep, opened up his flesh, took out a rib, closed the man's flesh, and made a woman out of the rib. God then brings the woman to the man. So far, we see God alone acting according to His divine ability, responsibility, and authority. God was not pleased that the man should be alone, so it was up to Him to do what pleased Him in relation to the man.
Once God brings the woman to the man, then the man says, "This is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called woman, for she was taken out of man."
God made her. God brought her. Adam named her.
God acts. Man acts in the cooperation of free will submission. We'll see the same thing happening with Abraham and Moses.
Take Adam in the Garden of Eden.
In Genesis chapter 2, God planted the Garden of Eden and put the man in the garden to work it.
Who planted the Garden?
God.
Who put the man in the garden?
God.
Who worked the garden?
Adam.
God made Adam in His image and likeness. As God brought order in creation, Adam was to bring order in the garden.
God created the garden. God put man in the garden. Man worked the garden. We see the cooperation of freewill submission, and not the domination of demon possession.
Again, look at God's relationship to Adam in the same chapter of Genesis.
God made the animals. God brought the animals to Adam. Adam named the animals.
God did not require Adam to make the animals and bring them to himself. If God had, then Adam could have rightly said, "LORD, I can't do that 'in my own strength.'" And he would have been right. He did not have the ability, responsibility, or authority to create animals.
But Adam was created in the image and God. God named the day, night, sky, earth, and seas. And Adam, in the image of God, had the ability, responsibility, and authority to name the animals. After all, God gave Adam dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the cattle, over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that moves on the earth.
Yet again, take for example, God's creation of the woman.
God put the man into a deep sleep, opened up his flesh, took out a rib, closed the man's flesh, and made a woman out of the rib. God then brings the woman to the man. So far, we see God alone acting according to His divine ability, responsibility, and authority. God was not pleased that the man should be alone, so it was up to Him to do what pleased Him in relation to the man.
Once God brings the woman to the man, then the man says, "This is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called woman, for she was taken out of man."
God made her. God brought her. Adam named her.
God acts. Man acts in the cooperation of free will submission. We'll see the same thing happening with Abraham and Moses.
Doing things in our own strength (Part 1)
"We can not do anything in 'our own strength,'" according to some Christians.
By "anything," they mean the act of submitting to God and resisting the devil, or doing God's will and refusing the devil's. This is an attempt in humility, according to Jesus' words, "Abide in me, and I in you. .. Apart from me you can do nothing." (See John 15)
The impression I've always gotten from this concept is that a miraculous power has to come over me, enable me to want to do God's will, and then make me do it. So if I was tempted by sin, I should pray, quote scriptures, and wait for "the power." According to those who hold such a belief, I should pray something like this, "I can't do it. God, do it through me." I should "let go and let God." After all, "it's not about trying, it's about trusting." And so the cliches go.
I understand the desire of those who believe this, having been one who was taught the same, and one who practiced "letting go and letting God." I know the desire to abide in Christ, to stay connected to Him in total dependence and total surrender, seeking His power. But there are two problems with this belief:
1. A Deception. The power never happened when I would wait for it to hit me. No matter how many prayers I prayed or scriptures I quoted, God never made me want to obey Him, and He never made me obey Him. No feeling came. No internal motivation to resist sin came. No internal supernatural ability came to say "no" to Satan and sin, and "yes" to God.
2. The reason is that God is not Satan or a demon. He does not partake in possession or domination in the ways of Satan and demons. With God there is the cooperation of free will submission.
Understand these two truths:
For example, in Judges 6:11-14, when God called Gideon to save Israel from the Midians, the LORD said to Gideon, "Go in the strength that you have and save Israel from the Midanites. Am I not sending you?"
What is the difference between Gideon "going in the strength that he has" and "going in his own strength," according to the present day cliche? Nothing. These are two ways of saying the same thing. And it is actually very encouraging for God to say this to Gideon. It shows that all Gideon has to do is be as strong as he presently is at that moment. No more strength is required of him than what he has. I believe this is what happened in the Old Testament, the New Testament, and what happens today with God's children in their God given missions. We see this with Adam, Abraham, and Moses in the Old Testament. We see this with Jesus in relationship to His disciples. We'll discuss this in the coming blogs....
By "anything," they mean the act of submitting to God and resisting the devil, or doing God's will and refusing the devil's. This is an attempt in humility, according to Jesus' words, "Abide in me, and I in you. .. Apart from me you can do nothing." (See John 15)
The impression I've always gotten from this concept is that a miraculous power has to come over me, enable me to want to do God's will, and then make me do it. So if I was tempted by sin, I should pray, quote scriptures, and wait for "the power." According to those who hold such a belief, I should pray something like this, "I can't do it. God, do it through me." I should "let go and let God." After all, "it's not about trying, it's about trusting." And so the cliches go.
I understand the desire of those who believe this, having been one who was taught the same, and one who practiced "letting go and letting God." I know the desire to abide in Christ, to stay connected to Him in total dependence and total surrender, seeking His power. But there are two problems with this belief:
1. A Deception. The power never happened when I would wait for it to hit me. No matter how many prayers I prayed or scriptures I quoted, God never made me want to obey Him, and He never made me obey Him. No feeling came. No internal motivation to resist sin came. No internal supernatural ability came to say "no" to Satan and sin, and "yes" to God.
2. The reason is that God is not Satan or a demon. He does not partake in possession or domination in the ways of Satan and demons. With God there is the cooperation of free will submission.
Understand these two truths:
God does not do for us what He has given us the ability, responsibility, and authority to do.
God does not require of us what He does not give us the ability, responsibility, and authority to do.
For example, in Judges 6:11-14, when God called Gideon to save Israel from the Midians, the LORD said to Gideon, "Go in the strength that you have and save Israel from the Midanites. Am I not sending you?"
What is the difference between Gideon "going in the strength that he has" and "going in his own strength," according to the present day cliche? Nothing. These are two ways of saying the same thing. And it is actually very encouraging for God to say this to Gideon. It shows that all Gideon has to do is be as strong as he presently is at that moment. No more strength is required of him than what he has. I believe this is what happened in the Old Testament, the New Testament, and what happens today with God's children in their God given missions. We see this with Adam, Abraham, and Moses in the Old Testament. We see this with Jesus in relationship to His disciples. We'll discuss this in the coming blogs....
Friday, February 24, 2012
How do we actually stop sinning? (Part 3)
It was written by the Apostle Paul:
"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."
Think of what God did with Cain before he murdered Abel. And think again of when God came to Abimelech in the following scripture from the book of Genesis:
"Now Abraham moved on from there into the region of the Negev and lived between Kadesh and Shur. For a while he stayed in Gerar, and there Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” Then Abimelech king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her. "
But God came to Abimelech in a dream one night and said to him, “You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken; she is a married woman.”
Now Abimelech had not gone near her, so he said, “Lord, will you destroy an innocent nation? Did he not say to me, ‘She is my sister,’ and didn’t she also say, ‘He is my brother’? I have done this with a clear conscience and clean hands.”
Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept you from sinning against me. That is why I did not let you touch her. Now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not return her, you may be sure that you and all yours will die.” Genesis 20:1-7
God came to Abimelech and warned him of impending sin. And we know that God came to Cain, warning him of the "sin crouching at his door," warning him of his anger that would lead to his brother's murder.
Think of it like crime shows or movies where an officer or detective or "good guy" comes in, and a "bad guy" has a gun to his head or to someone else's head. What does the good guy say to the bad guy? "YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THIS!" The very presence of the good guy has introduced an element of reality, shaking the bad guy out of his insanity. "YOU HAVE A CHOICE. YOU HAVE OPTIONS," says the good guy.
God did the very same thing with Cain and Abimelech, and I believe He does the very same thing with believers AND unbelievers, as it is written by Paul:
"From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’" Acts 17:26-28
Again, look at what Jesus says about the Spirit:
“Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned."
John 16:5-11
Watchman Nee, the author of "The Spiritual Man" said this concerning the Spirit's conviction of the conscience:
"If we desire to follow the spirit (and since we never reach a stage of infallibility), we must heed what our inward monitor tells us regarding both inclination and overt action. For its works would be decidedly incomplete if it were only after we have committed error that conscience should rise up to reprove us. But we realize that even before we take any step-while we are still considering our way our conscience together with our intuition will protest immediately and make us uneasy at any thought or inclination which is displeasing to the Holy Spirit. If we were more disposed today to mind the voice of conscience we would not be as defeated as we are."
God, by His Spirit, comes to us BEFORE and after we are tempted, to warn us of yielding, and to convict us if we yield. He also commends us if we resist, giving us encouragement and strength to continue to resist.
This is the first aspect of God's empowering grace: His presence and revelation of the liberty we have to resist the temptation. I believe this applies, though to a very limited extent, to unbelievers as well. With unbelievers, the goal of the Spirit's conviction is salvation, not just the resistance of sinful actions.
Nevertheless, until the sinner is saved, the Spirit still seeks to show them a way out of the sinful life, and the sinful decision of that moment.
The main points I'm making are these:
God's empowerment, when it comes to moral decisions or actions, is like the power of a perfect attorney. It is not like a physical power or energy that moves or makes the will act or choose or refuse. He can perfectly persuade and convince and motivate with truth, as the Lord Jesus said:
"If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32
What sets the real disciple of Christ free?
The truth.
Therefore, the first truth of God's empowering grace is liberty, the fact that we have a choice.
If in any way we don't believe we have a choice in what we do, or that we cannot choose freely unless God does something to us, through us, or for us, beyond what He has already done in giving us a free will and a convicted conscience, we will wait for something miraculous or supernatural to happen to us BEFORE we resist sinning. But that something won't happen, and the devil will discourage us with condemnation.
Let me give one more illustration of this. When I was a bouncer, I had two experiences of the empowerment I'm speaking of. In the first, a woman looked at me and mouthed theses words, "Please get him away from me." I said in her ear, "Did you ask him to leave you alone?" She said, "No." I told her that she had to tell him to leave her alone FIRST. Then, AND ONLY THEN, could I step in.
The second experience involved me and a police officer stationed at the bar I worked. I told the officer that a patron needed to leave. The officer told me the same thing I told the young lady. I had to tell the patron to leave. If he refused, he is now trespassing. Then the officer would come and give the same command, reinforcing my command. After this refusal, the patron would be trespassing after warning, and be taken to jail...not by me, but by the officer.
Do you see the points? The woman had to exercise the authority of her identity by her will FIRST. I had to excercise my authority as a bouncer FIRST. Then the woman and I would experience the empowerment, or enforcement, of our wills or decisions. I (and the other bouncers) would get the man out for the woman. The police officer (and other officers, if necessary) would get the patron out. Notice the "power" given to my will and the woman's will. We spoke. Our wills, or words, were enforced. The power was in our enforcement, so that it didn't matter how big the man was that allegedly bothered the woman, or how big the patron was that needed to leave, we had more than enough power behind our words to have our words or wills enforced.
BUT THERE HAS TO BE A WILL TO ENFORCE! HOW CAN GOD EMPOWER US TO REFUSE SIN IF WE DON'T ACTUALLY REFUSE IT?
What I revealed to the woman was her liberty to tell the man to leave her alone. Perhaps she didn't know that she had that liberty and power, that SHE could actually tell the man to leave her alone. I didn't know that the police needed me to give the man the order first. And this empowered me from that time on. Therefore, the first truth of God's empowering grace is His liberating and reinforcing presence, just like my presence liberated and reinforced the woman as one who should be respected, and the officer's presence reinforced and liberated my authority as a bouncer.
The second truth of God's empowering grace is His goodness towards us. Joseph told Potiphar's wife that the Lord was with Him, and that Potiphar had given him everything except her. Joseph saw and appreciated God's goodness, and this motivated or empowered him to resist tempation.
Going back to the analogy of the officer in the movie, the one trying to stop a man from killing himself: The officer usually says something like, "You don't have to do this! You have a choice. Think of your wife and children who love you."
The officer is appealing to the goodness of the man's life as a motivation to resist the temptation to commit suicide. If the man can be convinced that he has something good to live for, then he will not kill himself.
The same is true with God and the one tempted to sin. God shows the one tempted His goodness as a provider, and His willingness to meet whatever need he is trying to meet selfishly. He persuades the tempted one by His Spirit to turn from sin and turn to Him. There are many ways God does this, in many situations. He may do this through a loved one, through circumstances that remind a person of a specific blessing, etc. This is the second truth of God's empowering grace.
The third truth is God's revelation of the vileness of sin. I've said this in an article I wrote in The Discipleship Dojo. In every temptation to sin, there will be something in the temptation that reveals it as unappealing. This is part of God's faithfulness in not letting us be tempted beyond what we are able, according to 1 Corinthians 10:13. This is one of the ways of escape God promises. Even with the power of Satan, Satan's world system, and the power of the selfish nature of our bodily passions, God will not let the strength of the temptations exceed the strength of our wills to resist. If there is any way that God DOES DO SOMETHING to us, through us, or for us, it is in the equalizing of our strength with the strength of the tempter or temptation. God "levels the playing field," if you will.
Think of temptation like weight lifting. If we experience 1000 pounds of resistance, then we will receive the ability to resist 1000 pounds, or even more! So, "where sin abounds, grace will even more so abound." Nevertheless, we still have to actually refuse to sin as Joseph did, to say a decisive and final "NO!." The strength will be there to do so IF WE ACTUALLY WANT TO RESIST THE TEMPTATION! If this is the case, we will submit to God and resist the devil. And in submitting our wills to God, God will empower, or reinforce, our submission. God did for Joseph what I did for the woman, and what the officer did for me. God reinforced Joseph's continual resistance and refusal to commit adultery.
In summary,
The way we actually stop sinning is to actually refuse the tempter or temptress! To say a decisive and final "No!" We refuse because God has given us the liberty to do so, because of His infinite and eternal goodness towards us, and because of the vileness of sinning against God and against people. These three truths are God's empowering grace, the motivations, powers, and persuasions given by God's Spirit that enable us to resist sinning. God's empowering grace is not a supernatural or miraculous power that kicks in and makes us resist sin or stop sinning, or that makes us choose to submit to Him and refuse to sin. The creature needs the Creator, but not like a puppet needs a puppet master. God is our liberator and enforcer, enforcing the law of liberty for humanity, made in His image and likeness and glory. He sent His Son to set us free from sin's slavery, revealing to us the good news of our emancipation. For the unbeliever, He does this through creation, conscience, conviction, and the gospel. For the believer, He does this by the indwelling Spirit. For both, He persuades by the truth, by the Spirit of truth who is truth, by His word, which is truth. If we will accept the truth, we will be empowered by God's grace to refuse sin. If we reject the truth, we yield to falsehood. The choice is ours. We have a choice. Amen.
For an indepth look at living without sinning, read Cleansed and Abiding: A Proposed View of Christian Perfection by James-Michael Smith, and Is It Possible To Live Without Sin? by me!
"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."
God given liberty to humanity is the first aspect of God's empowering grace.
Think of what God did with Cain before he murdered Abel. And think again of when God came to Abimelech in the following scripture from the book of Genesis:
"Now Abraham moved on from there into the region of the Negev and lived between Kadesh and Shur. For a while he stayed in Gerar, and there Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” Then Abimelech king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her. "
But God came to Abimelech in a dream one night and said to him, “You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken; she is a married woman.”
Now Abimelech had not gone near her, so he said, “Lord, will you destroy an innocent nation? Did he not say to me, ‘She is my sister,’ and didn’t she also say, ‘He is my brother’? I have done this with a clear conscience and clean hands.”
Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept you from sinning against me. That is why I did not let you touch her. Now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not return her, you may be sure that you and all yours will die.” Genesis 20:1-7
God came to Abimelech and warned him of impending sin. And we know that God came to Cain, warning him of the "sin crouching at his door," warning him of his anger that would lead to his brother's murder.
Think of it like crime shows or movies where an officer or detective or "good guy" comes in, and a "bad guy" has a gun to his head or to someone else's head. What does the good guy say to the bad guy? "YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THIS!" The very presence of the good guy has introduced an element of reality, shaking the bad guy out of his insanity. "YOU HAVE A CHOICE. YOU HAVE OPTIONS," says the good guy.
God did the very same thing with Cain and Abimelech, and I believe He does the very same thing with believers AND unbelievers, as it is written by Paul:
"From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’" Acts 17:26-28
Again, look at what Jesus says about the Spirit:
“Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned."
John 16:5-11
Watchman Nee, the author of "The Spiritual Man" said this concerning the Spirit's conviction of the conscience:
"If we desire to follow the spirit (and since we never reach a stage of infallibility), we must heed what our inward monitor tells us regarding both inclination and overt action. For its works would be decidedly incomplete if it were only after we have committed error that conscience should rise up to reprove us. But we realize that even before we take any step-while we are still considering our way our conscience together with our intuition will protest immediately and make us uneasy at any thought or inclination which is displeasing to the Holy Spirit. If we were more disposed today to mind the voice of conscience we would not be as defeated as we are."
God, by His Spirit, comes to us BEFORE and after we are tempted, to warn us of yielding, and to convict us if we yield. He also commends us if we resist, giving us encouragement and strength to continue to resist.
This is the first aspect of God's empowering grace: His presence and revelation of the liberty we have to resist the temptation. I believe this applies, though to a very limited extent, to unbelievers as well. With unbelievers, the goal of the Spirit's conviction is salvation, not just the resistance of sinful actions.
Nevertheless, until the sinner is saved, the Spirit still seeks to show them a way out of the sinful life, and the sinful decision of that moment.
The main points I'm making are these:
God's empowerment, when it comes to moral decisions or actions, is like the power of a perfect attorney. It is not like a physical power or energy that moves or makes the will act or choose or refuse. He can perfectly persuade and convince and motivate with truth, as the Lord Jesus said:
"If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32
What sets the real disciple of Christ free?
The truth.
Therefore, the first truth of God's empowering grace is liberty, the fact that we have a choice.
If in any way we don't believe we have a choice in what we do, or that we cannot choose freely unless God does something to us, through us, or for us, beyond what He has already done in giving us a free will and a convicted conscience, we will wait for something miraculous or supernatural to happen to us BEFORE we resist sinning. But that something won't happen, and the devil will discourage us with condemnation.
Let me give one more illustration of this. When I was a bouncer, I had two experiences of the empowerment I'm speaking of. In the first, a woman looked at me and mouthed theses words, "Please get him away from me." I said in her ear, "Did you ask him to leave you alone?" She said, "No." I told her that she had to tell him to leave her alone FIRST. Then, AND ONLY THEN, could I step in.
The second experience involved me and a police officer stationed at the bar I worked. I told the officer that a patron needed to leave. The officer told me the same thing I told the young lady. I had to tell the patron to leave. If he refused, he is now trespassing. Then the officer would come and give the same command, reinforcing my command. After this refusal, the patron would be trespassing after warning, and be taken to jail...not by me, but by the officer.
Do you see the points? The woman had to exercise the authority of her identity by her will FIRST. I had to excercise my authority as a bouncer FIRST. Then the woman and I would experience the empowerment, or enforcement, of our wills or decisions. I (and the other bouncers) would get the man out for the woman. The police officer (and other officers, if necessary) would get the patron out. Notice the "power" given to my will and the woman's will. We spoke. Our wills, or words, were enforced. The power was in our enforcement, so that it didn't matter how big the man was that allegedly bothered the woman, or how big the patron was that needed to leave, we had more than enough power behind our words to have our words or wills enforced.
BUT THERE HAS TO BE A WILL TO ENFORCE! HOW CAN GOD EMPOWER US TO REFUSE SIN IF WE DON'T ACTUALLY REFUSE IT?
What I revealed to the woman was her liberty to tell the man to leave her alone. Perhaps she didn't know that she had that liberty and power, that SHE could actually tell the man to leave her alone. I didn't know that the police needed me to give the man the order first. And this empowered me from that time on. Therefore, the first truth of God's empowering grace is His liberating and reinforcing presence, just like my presence liberated and reinforced the woman as one who should be respected, and the officer's presence reinforced and liberated my authority as a bouncer.
The second truth of God's empowering grace is His goodness towards us. Joseph told Potiphar's wife that the Lord was with Him, and that Potiphar had given him everything except her. Joseph saw and appreciated God's goodness, and this motivated or empowered him to resist tempation.
Going back to the analogy of the officer in the movie, the one trying to stop a man from killing himself: The officer usually says something like, "You don't have to do this! You have a choice. Think of your wife and children who love you."
The officer is appealing to the goodness of the man's life as a motivation to resist the temptation to commit suicide. If the man can be convinced that he has something good to live for, then he will not kill himself.
The same is true with God and the one tempted to sin. God shows the one tempted His goodness as a provider, and His willingness to meet whatever need he is trying to meet selfishly. He persuades the tempted one by His Spirit to turn from sin and turn to Him. There are many ways God does this, in many situations. He may do this through a loved one, through circumstances that remind a person of a specific blessing, etc. This is the second truth of God's empowering grace.
The third truth is God's revelation of the vileness of sin. I've said this in an article I wrote in The Discipleship Dojo. In every temptation to sin, there will be something in the temptation that reveals it as unappealing. This is part of God's faithfulness in not letting us be tempted beyond what we are able, according to 1 Corinthians 10:13. This is one of the ways of escape God promises. Even with the power of Satan, Satan's world system, and the power of the selfish nature of our bodily passions, God will not let the strength of the temptations exceed the strength of our wills to resist. If there is any way that God DOES DO SOMETHING to us, through us, or for us, it is in the equalizing of our strength with the strength of the tempter or temptation. God "levels the playing field," if you will.
Think of temptation like weight lifting. If we experience 1000 pounds of resistance, then we will receive the ability to resist 1000 pounds, or even more! So, "where sin abounds, grace will even more so abound." Nevertheless, we still have to actually refuse to sin as Joseph did, to say a decisive and final "NO!." The strength will be there to do so IF WE ACTUALLY WANT TO RESIST THE TEMPTATION! If this is the case, we will submit to God and resist the devil. And in submitting our wills to God, God will empower, or reinforce, our submission. God did for Joseph what I did for the woman, and what the officer did for me. God reinforced Joseph's continual resistance and refusal to commit adultery.
In summary,
The way we actually stop sinning is to actually refuse the tempter or temptress! To say a decisive and final "No!" We refuse because God has given us the liberty to do so, because of His infinite and eternal goodness towards us, and because of the vileness of sinning against God and against people. These three truths are God's empowering grace, the motivations, powers, and persuasions given by God's Spirit that enable us to resist sinning. God's empowering grace is not a supernatural or miraculous power that kicks in and makes us resist sin or stop sinning, or that makes us choose to submit to Him and refuse to sin. The creature needs the Creator, but not like a puppet needs a puppet master. God is our liberator and enforcer, enforcing the law of liberty for humanity, made in His image and likeness and glory. He sent His Son to set us free from sin's slavery, revealing to us the good news of our emancipation. For the unbeliever, He does this through creation, conscience, conviction, and the gospel. For the believer, He does this by the indwelling Spirit. For both, He persuades by the truth, by the Spirit of truth who is truth, by His word, which is truth. If we will accept the truth, we will be empowered by God's grace to refuse sin. If we reject the truth, we yield to falsehood. The choice is ours. We have a choice. Amen.
For an indepth look at living without sinning, read Cleansed and Abiding: A Proposed View of Christian Perfection by James-Michael Smith, and Is It Possible To Live Without Sin? by me!
How do we actually stop sinning? (Part 2)
"We can not do anything in 'our own strength,'" according to some Christians.
By "anything," they mean the act of submitting to God and resisting the devil, or doing God's will and refusing the devil's. This is an attempt in humility, according to Jesus' words, "Abide in me, and I in you. .. Apart from me you can do nothing." (See John 15)
The impression I've always gotten from this concept is that a miraculous power has to come over me, enable me to want to do God's will, and then make me do it. So if I was tempted by sin, I should pray, quote scriptures, and wait for "the power." According to those who hold such a belief, I should pray something like this, "I can't do it. God, do it through me." I should "let go and let God." After all, "it's not about trying, it's about trusting." And so the cliches go.
I understand the desire of those who believe this, having been one who was taught the same, and one who practiced "letting go and letting God." I know the desire to abide in Christ, to stay connected to Him in total dependence and total surrender, seeking His power. But there are two problems with this belief:
1. A Deception. The power never happened when I would wait for it to hit me. No matter how many prayers I prayed or scriptures I quoted, God never made me want to obey Him, and He never made me obey Him. No feeling came. No internal motivation to resist sin came. No internal supernatural ability came to say "no" to Satan and sin, and "yes" to God.
2. The reason is that God is not Satan or a demon. He does not partake in possession or domination in the ways of Satan and demons. With God there is the cooperation of free will submission.
Understand these two truths:
For example, in Judges 6:11-14, when God called Gideon to save Israel from the Midians, the LORD said to Gideon, "Go in the strength that you have and save Israel from the Midanites. Am I not sending you?"
What is the difference between Gideon "going in the strength that he has" and "going in his own strength," according to the present day cliche? Nothing. These are two ways of saying the same thing. And it is actually very encouraging for God to say this to Gideon. It shows that all Gideon had to do was to be as strong as he presently was at that moment. No more strength is required of him than what he had. I believe this is what happened in the Old Testament, the New Testament, and what happens today with God's children in their God given missions. We see this with Adam, Abraham, and Moses in the Old Testament. We see this with Jesus in relationship to His disciples. We'll discuss this in the coming blog....
By "anything," they mean the act of submitting to God and resisting the devil, or doing God's will and refusing the devil's. This is an attempt in humility, according to Jesus' words, "Abide in me, and I in you. .. Apart from me you can do nothing." (See John 15)
The impression I've always gotten from this concept is that a miraculous power has to come over me, enable me to want to do God's will, and then make me do it. So if I was tempted by sin, I should pray, quote scriptures, and wait for "the power." According to those who hold such a belief, I should pray something like this, "I can't do it. God, do it through me." I should "let go and let God." After all, "it's not about trying, it's about trusting." And so the cliches go.
I understand the desire of those who believe this, having been one who was taught the same, and one who practiced "letting go and letting God." I know the desire to abide in Christ, to stay connected to Him in total dependence and total surrender, seeking His power. But there are two problems with this belief:
1. A Deception. The power never happened when I would wait for it to hit me. No matter how many prayers I prayed or scriptures I quoted, God never made me want to obey Him, and He never made me obey Him. No feeling came. No internal motivation to resist sin came. No internal supernatural ability came to say "no" to Satan and sin, and "yes" to God.
2. The reason is that God is not Satan or a demon. He does not partake in possession or domination in the ways of Satan and demons. With God there is the cooperation of free will submission.
Understand these two truths:
God does not do for us what He has given us the ability, responsibility, and authority to do.
God does not require of us what He does not give us the ability, responsibility, and authority to do.
For example, in Judges 6:11-14, when God called Gideon to save Israel from the Midians, the LORD said to Gideon, "Go in the strength that you have and save Israel from the Midanites. Am I not sending you?"
What is the difference between Gideon "going in the strength that he has" and "going in his own strength," according to the present day cliche? Nothing. These are two ways of saying the same thing. And it is actually very encouraging for God to say this to Gideon. It shows that all Gideon had to do was to be as strong as he presently was at that moment. No more strength is required of him than what he had. I believe this is what happened in the Old Testament, the New Testament, and what happens today with God's children in their God given missions. We see this with Adam, Abraham, and Moses in the Old Testament. We see this with Jesus in relationship to His disciples. We'll discuss this in the coming blog....
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