2002-09-17
Good Morning Dear Ones,
We've been looking at what God has to say, through Paul, about our old self and new self in EPH 4: 22-24, which I feel bears repeating. "So get rid of your old self, which made you live as you used to-the old self that was being destroyed by its deceitful desires. Your hearts and minds must be made completely new, and you must put on the new self, which is created in God's likeness and reveals itself in the true life that is upright and holy." What a beautiful picture of sanctification this is! We must work in partnership with God to bring it about.
It is important for us to understand that "roaring lion searching for someone to devour" [1 PET 5:8] which we call Satan. He likes to find any opening he can discover to begin establishing a stronghold in our lives. We must do absolutely nothing to help him do that. It's the reason why no sin is a small matter. If that statement seems harsh, it's because of the negative consequences to us that result when we are not on watch, willing to face painful truths about ourselves, and ready to make the changes in our lives that God commands. What we think of as small sins are cracks in that full armor of God mentioned in EPH 6: 10-20, little places that Satan can get into where we are vulnerable. A Roman soldier wouldn't have gone out to battle in his right mind with holes in his armor; nor, should a committed believer. There are times when we must make restitution for our past sins to restore our obedience to God.
One example was a story I've written about before from "Secrets of the Vine" by Pastor Bruce Wilkinson. A lady came to him, mystified that she was unable to bear spiritual fruit in her life, despite her efforts to do so. Pastor Bruce didn't know the answer right away, but took her question to God in prayer. That's always a good approach-go first to God in prayer. Within a few weeks, Pastor Bruce saw her again. This time he asked her if she was holding any grudges against anyone. She thought for a minute or two and then confessed that her relationship with her mother had really been almost non-existent due to past differences between them. Pastor Bruce told her to do something about that. MT 5: 23-24, "If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then, come and offer your gift." In this woman's case, her offering was efforts to bear fruit in her life. She finally went to her mother and approached her in reconciliation. Her mother was quite astounded after things had been bad between them for so many years, but she was relieved to have the opportunity to reconcile that her daughter had given her. Not only was the relationship saved, but Satan's opening in the woman's life was closed. After that, Pastor Bruce reported that this lady went on to produce much spiritual fruit in her life. We can be sure that the Lord was pleased.
When we find ourselves needing to eradicate sin, even subtle sins, in our lives, there really is a right way to approach the situation. 1) Turn to God in prayer first and do a lot of listening. 2) Ask God to reveal your areas of sin, both overt and hidden. 3) Remember 1 JN 1: 9, "But if we confess our sins to God, He will keep His promise and do what is right; He will forgive us our sins and purify us from our wrongdoing." 4) Confess sin openly and do not try to cover it up. 5) Make restitution, if it is called for. That means either material restitution or restitution of dignity and rights. Rest assured that where God leads, He will provide a pathway in this process for us to take. Our job is to look for it. 6) Be sure we are living righteously, according to God's teaching.
When the enemy accuses us, we can and should command him to be gone aloud and in Christ's name. Remember JN 15: 7, "If you remain in Me and my words in you, then you will ask for anything you wish in My name, and you shall have it." God gives us the courage to do this in PS 10: 17, "You will listen, O Lord to the prayers of the lowly; You will give them courage." PS 18: 3 reminds us exactly what God can do for us. "I call to the Lord, and He saves me from enemies. Praise the Lord!" Who is more of an enemy to us than Satan? How foolish we are when we don't turn first to the Best Friend we have. PS 86: 5, 7, "You are good to us and forgiving, full of constant love for all who pray to You... I call to You in times of trouble, because You answer my prayers." These and many more reminders are found in the Scriptures that let us know how eager God is for us to face our sin, confess it openly to Him, and to repent of it. That is because He knows it is the only way to forward our progress on that hard, narrow path that leads to eternal joy and fellowship with Him and other believers who endure in their faith.
PRAYER: O Lord, for the second message in a row, we are led to express how very imperfect each of us is. Of course, You know that from observing our behavior throughout mankind's history. Dearest Lord, we would like to chart a new path in our lives, the one You laid out for us from the time You sacrificed Your Son on the cross and gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit. The changes in our lives that You command us to make are difficult. They involve facing painful truths about ourselves, reconciling failed relationships, using wisdom in dealing with sometimes excruciating temptation, recognizing the devil's dirty work for what it is, making restitution where it's appropriate for the wrong we have done, and making other kinds of mid-course corrections in our lives. We praise You for wanting us to really be as we were created to be-in Your image [GN 1: 27]. To do this, we must take responsibility for our own thoughts and actions, eschewing the natural tendency to place blame for our problems on You. If any blame should be leveled, it should be toward the real source, Satan. We must remember what You taught us through Paul in EPH 6: 12 about who are real enemies are. Dearest Abba, we must finally acknowledge in our lives that there is never a constructive reason to hold a grudge against anyone. Turning to You first is the right thing to do. PS 9: 10, "All those who know Your mercy, Lord, will count on You for help. For You have never yet forsaken those who trust in You." We acknowledge the truth of PS 107: 43, "Those who are wise will take all this to heart; they will see in our history the faithful love of the Lord." With that we offer You utmost praise and thanks for the powerful good You do. PS 29: 11, "He will give His people strength. He will bless them with peace." Today, we humbly approach Your altar to confess our sins and to offer You our adoration, worship, loyalty, trust, obedience, diligence, honor, glory, praise, and thanksgiving. In Christ's holy name, we pray. Amen.
Tomorrow, I'm led to begin a new segment of our spiritual warfare series called "Witness to the Gospel." It deals with the "Gospel shoes" mentioned in EPH 6: 15 as part of God's full armor and the importance of bringing the message of God's peace. This is a very special part of God's full armor to me personally, because I am only now learning now the different ways that this is done and its real impact on my own life. I hope you will come to feel that same importance in your lives, if you don't already. Our Covenant Partner has manifested His love for us in so many ways, ways that I talk about daily. We can demonstrate our love for Him by knowing well the message of His word and bringing it to others in a way which is sensitive to their needs and effective in carrying out God's agenda. Through His teaching on truth, faith, and righteousness, God has given us a way to escape from the consequences of sin and death. He wouldn't have done that if He didn't love us tremendously. Real love is definitely a two-way street. We need to keep up our end of the Covenant of Grace by showing Him our willingness to be His loving friends too. God really is our First and Best Friend. Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn