Paul tells us that ‘the carnal mind is enmity or hostile against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God’. (Rom. 8:7-8)
Where I believe more professing believers have struggled in their walk of faith has had to do with this total surrendering of our wills that are arguably rooted in our hearts and/or minds. In the same way a trainer has to break the will of a wild horse in order to earn its trust and make good use of him, so does the Holy Spirit have to bring us to a similar place. Our old natures just don’t want to submit to the Lordship of Christ. Jesus even asked those who claimed to be followers: “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord, and not to the things I say?” (Luke 6:46)
James hits the nail on the head in his letter describing this all too common condition as ‘double-mindedness’. Anytime you hear that phrase, think again of how Paul makes this quite easy to understand there in Romans 8 as he expounds upon the ‘carnal mind’ and the ‘spiritual mind’. There is a huge conflict between the two...and you cannot serve both. What might be the fruit or evidence of such a conflict? Well, James helps us out here.
He talks about how we can on one hand, be offering praise to God...and in the next moment, cursing or speaking ill of people who were made in the image of God. (3:9). In the next verse, he adds that out of the same mouth proceeds both blessings and cursing and addresses the brethren there saying in effect, “Guys...that is not how this is supposed to work!” (3:11). He then asks: “Can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? You can’t get both fresh water and salt water from the same spring!” (12) And what exactly does he instruct us to repent of in James 4:8?
Jesus taught something similar regarding trees bearing either good fruit or bad fruit...but make no mistake about it...the trees He’s involved with cultivating will not bear both. (Matt. 7:16-20)
To be ‘rooted in Christ’ means to be abiding in Him. And He’s the one who produces the fruit in us...we are simply the branches. (John 15:1-7). To think we are capable of working or trying harder to ‘be a better Christian’ is folly. You will wear yourself out trying and accomplish little.
Going back to James’ letter, he tells us that a ‘double-minded man is unstable in all his ways’. (1:8). That is a rather bold indictment, but he’s on to something here. Look at the word picture he uses there in vs. 6 suggesting that we can easily become ‘like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.’
Paul uses similar language when he talks of those who are truly ‘joined’ to Christ are ‘no longer children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine’. (Eph. 4:14-16). Granted, he is speaking more in the line of all kinds of teachings that exist out there, but this also resonates with what I spoke to yesterday. Our moods can easily shift with the winds of every thought that lands on our noggin if we are failing to bring in to captivity, every thought to the obedience of Christ. (2 Cor. 10:5). We don’t tend to do that, or WANT to do that when we are not abiding in Jesus. Trust me on this one. I speak from experience.
I bet many can identify with this scenario: Many might admit that while you ‘love Jesus’ and ‘believe or trust in Him’, you are not walking where you need to be. (Have you ever given serious thought as to why that might be? As in, are we loving something more...than Him?). Then, there was that special service you attended where it seemed God had your attention. Your heart seemed ‘soft and pliable’. (Adversity can have that effect on our hearts as it humbles us. Remember the prodigal son? Luke 15). So then the music began as you made your way to the alter...to ‘get right with God’...for the ‘umpteenth time’. You shed real tears. You meant business with God. You might have even felt goose bumps and spoke in tongues. Why...someone may have even prayed for you and you ‘fell out’ or got excited and danced a ‘holy jig’ right there in front of everyone. Others of you...not being as demonstrative...just felt an assuring peace and resolve that you might have ‘turned a corner’.
But that was on Sunday. By the time Thursday rolled around...the memories of what had transpired at the alter just a few days before were nothing more than glowing embers that would soon die out. And so the roller coaster of the Christian life continues on...as we experience the ‘highs and lows...the ups and downs’ that we have been convinced are the ‘norm’ for any believer.
But I would suggest otherwise. Actually the bible teaches us otherwise. What I want to share next is not to be accusatory or judgmental. But if you are one who finds themselves being ‘tossed about the waves’ on a regular basis, that might be a good indicator that you may have somehow missed that chapter on ‘abiding in Christ’. And while that may sting to give consideration to, it should also be good news to think there is a ‘better path’ that awaits you. Again, I speak from personal experience.
When we are, as James suggested, double-minded, and says we are like that wave of the sea tossed about in the wind, I am reminded of when Jesus walked out on water to meet up with His disciples who were a tad frantic at the time. We read there in Matt. 14:24 that the ‘winds were contrary and they were tossed by the waves’. Look what Jesus asked them: “Why did you doubt? O you of little faith...”.
IF/when we are abiding in Christ, that is not to say we won’t experience storms and contrary winds, but...but...but...there truly is a peace in the midst of the storm and you don’t have ‘work it up’ or ‘convince yourself of this truth in spite of what you are feeling. You will genuinely experience it. Psalm 91 makes that quite clear.
The reason we are admonished by Jesus Himself...to abide in Him, is so that He can lead us to ‘clear the land’ of all that has hindered us from walking on this ‘pathway of peace’. In other words, removing those sources of rebellion and resistance that reside in our hearts and old sinful nature. I’ve been very open and transparent as to how over a year ago, God woke me in the middle of the night through a dream to expose a ‘spirit of self-pity’ that had resided within me for years and that very night, He set me free of it. And I am ‘free indeed’ I can share with you and continue to be free. The strange thing about that whole experience was that I was totally ignorant and blind to the fact how that had influenced me for so long. That is, until Jesus exposed it in my heart and I was quick to confess and repent of it.
That’s why John says we are deceived to say we ‘have no sin’. (1 John 1:8). We don’t know what is in our hearts. (Jer. 17:9). But God does and that is why He leads us to expose those things to us so we can repent and turn from them as He leads us to put them to death. That is how the ‘land of our hearts’ are cleansed, and cleared and purified as we are conformed to His image and likeness. But this does not happen until we begin to abide in Him. Which means He becomes Lord and we do as He says. (Luke 6:46; Heb. 5:9). This idea that we can get a “Jesus is my Savior Ticket’ without surrendering to His Lordship is a deceiving lie and very misleading teaching.
Oh...and when we finally get serious about abiding in Him, that is not to say that you might not stumble ...OCCASIONALLY. But that is the exception and not the rule , like so many have come to believe. “Oh....I’m a saint who sins...because we are all sinners who will always sin until we get to heaven because nobody is perfect, just forgiven’. John reminds us that IF...we sin, not ‘when’...that we have an advocate with the Father and we can run to Jesus for forgiveness. But the idea here is that we repent of that sin and no longer do it. Period. ( 1 John 2:1; 1:9). When you fall, you get back up but true repentance means you don’t continue in that sin. And whoever is abiding in Him, no longer sins. (1 John 3:6).
Sin...gives place the devil who comes to steal, kill, and destroy. (Eph. 4:27; John 10:10). That might explain that regardless of what great things happened on that Sunday night service, when Thursday morning rolled around you were back in the pit. And it won’t take long before in the end, you will be so defeated and, as Jesus implied, in a much worse condition. (Matt. 12:43-45)
You’ve probably seen this scenario in a movie or even experienced yourself where someone is battling the elements of adverse weather, howling winds, bitter gust and they finally reach that abandoned cabin and get in and shut the door behind them. You can feel the peace and warmth and rest as they start a fire and sit back and relish the calming presence of the warmth of that fire. You still hear the howling winds outside, probably the way Noah did when he was in the ark and all hell broke loose. But to be ‘in Christ’ and abiding In Him...is...to be ‘in the ark’.
What are you waiting for?
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