I idealize the intimacy that I have had with the Lord, the sweet fellowship of being in His Word, being encouraged by His Word and so mindful of His sayings, but when I look back, there is so much pomp and pride and sin. I did well, I walked well, and it was because God had grace on ME.
There was very little fruit of love and gentleness in my intercourse with others, but a whole lot of flaunting my knowledge and my 'good standing in the Lord'. And forgetting that God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble.
James 4: 6 (KJV) But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
Where I am not careful, I so easily switch into pleasing the flesh. The flesh is proud of itself, even though it doesn't gain but daily suffers irretrievable loss; we decay a little everyday until our time is up.
And neither can I blame others in my life for "causing me" to do poorly in my personal walk, whether by being inadequate examples of godliness, or by offering outlets for sin.
James 1: 14 (KJV) - "But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed."
Sin is a personal decision and though others may goad us, we are the ones who make the footsteps.
And where we quench (starve) the Spirit by continually heading quickly to please our fleshly impulses (to look, to taste, to touch) without the daily accumulation of God's Word, we will empower the flesh, and weaken our strength to do right which is God's will.
These things I know, or rather "knew", because knowing is in the present tense. One fatal mistake is where we forget, and let go of the important things God has taught us. Previous lessons about overcoming sin, and addressing issues of pride, anger and even lust.
When I am silent, especially on declaring the things of God, it may very well be that it is an indication that I haven't been bearing much fruit, because the overflow of God's filling in our hearts and mind is thanksgiving and praise.
We can't be happy in petty things for long, like a meal, a temporary accomplishment, but we may be eternally happy and assured in the Lord.
Being unable to overcome certain patterns of thinking led me to wonder, did I really crucify the old man with Christ?
I had been led to think:
-I am having no success in overcoming the fleshly impulses. (eating, watching, talking, thinking)
-Confession is no good or inadequate.
-Continually trapped in having to please what I feel like doing rather than what I must do.
-I can't do God's will.
When we forget that we were spiritually insensible, and needed the Word and Spirit of the Lord for life in Christ, persisting only in the flesh is a downward spiral.
First step is to go back into the Word. There is comfort, and reminders in the Word, and also action sequences.
Psalm 119
9Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.
10With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.
11Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
Reminders from the Word:
-I am a son, and the Lord has set me free from the bondage of sin.
-The Truth will set us free, and we may be sanctified by God's Truth (Word) (John 17:17)
-Heed God's Word - hear and do
-I have the Spirit of adoption, sonship (Romans 8: 15-16)
-God my Father has put an excellent Spirit within me (Daniel 6:3)
-He has given me all "spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3)
-Let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
Without the Word of God, we would walk continually in the flesh, because we would lose sense of flesh and spirit. How do we as 'subjective individuals' tell between the impulse of God, or from our wayward flesh that obstructs us and wars against the soul.
1 Peter 2:11 (KJV) Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
If we are to walk in the Spirit, we would walk like Christ, and after His example. However if we lose sense of what, who and how the Lord is, and stay away from the record of what He is like in the Scriptures, we would forget His zeal for the sanctity of the temple, His rebuke of the Pharisees who proffered a religion they did not live, His speaking of the enemy who seeks to ruin God's work, His speaking of a coming judgement where the righteous will go to life everlasting, and the wicked to eternal punishment.
We would be left with an indulgent, all-loving, unrighteous and unholy Christ who does not care how we live, in sin or not.
The Bible teaches us,
1. Not to wander from God's commandments, not neglect or lack of care.
2. We clean up our way by doing God's sayings. (there is a record of what God has said)
3. We store up what God has left us to remember and circulate in our hearts and minds.
Beloved children of God have the resources to overcome sin. By clinging to His Word, we may be cleansed, nourished, refreshed, dealt with under the conviction of the Spirit about our sinful thoughts, behaviours, attitudes, and increase in personal knowledge about who God is, and how He is like.
Thank God for comfort and reminders in His Word, even where human forgetfulness and the failures of the flesh does hinder us most times.
The joyful thing is that God loves and continually works to perfect us, and we have the spiritual resources to do so.
Philippians 1:6
Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a very good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ;
2 Timothy 3: 15-17 (KJV)
And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works
Now to hold on to these things, and not leak, and also not to be proud that God has brought me to renewed understanding of these.
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