I have not yet....tried changing water in to wine. ;-)
And if you ask my wife, I still leave clothes on the bed instead of hanging them up regularly, which she would prefer; and I don’t shave every day, another thing she wishes I would do.
I’ve not swung a golf club in a while but doubt I could shoot a perfect par game if I went out and played this weekend; and I doubt I would beat anyone in a game of H.O.R.S.E. on the basketball court.
But I can tell you that I am walking in more freedom than I ever have walked before. And I only have one person to thank for that and it is Jesus.
I would in no way suggest that He has ‘completed’ His work in me but the more I study, the more I experience, and the more I write and share with you here, the easier it gets for me to declare with no hesitation or apologies...”He whom the Son sets free, is free indeed”. (John 8:36)
We were called to be free. (Gal. 5:13). If Jesus paid the price to purchase our freedom, why would we not want to walk in it? (Heb. 2:3)
We sing about this freedom; we preach about this freedom, and many who are struggling with various bondages and sin issues pray that they too may experience this freedom.
But let’s be honest...when someone comes along (like myself) and suggest anyone who is a believer ought themselves to be walking in this freedom, it almost comes across as offensive or self-righteous or with an air of ‘holier than thou’, does it not? And I did not even mention skepticism and unbelief.
Now I am not making fun of anyone here with this next statement I assure you; but I hear well-meaning ‘believers’ often say in the most humble tone as they hang their head in a posture of humility....”I thank God for His grace and mercy as I fail Him every day” (as in they ‘sin’)....or “I am a wretched sinner saved by grace”. (not was - but still am)
Can I just say - that as humble and contrite as that may sound to us, it is a horrible testimony to the work of the Holy Spirit in our life suggesting that the price Jesus paid on the cross for us was for naught.
Because what we are really conveying in both word and action is this: “Yes, I believe that Jesus paid the ultimate price for my sins and ‘set me free’, but I really am ‘not free’ (John 8:34) because I still sin every day and will continue to sin until I die and go to heaven. But Praise God that He still loves me. And we wonder why a lost world shakes their head and laughs at us when they drive by our church buildings. They see and know us. But I bet if we introduced them to a God who could deliver them from all their earthly, sinful, and fleshly struggles, then they might be more inclined to hear what we had to say. Granted, many will never come to Christ as they love the darkness more. (John 3:19-21)
So exactly what...did He ‘set us free’ from?
‘Condemnation’, you say? Well, yes...that is one of the perks but....you have to be ‘in Christ’ which means you no longer live after the flesh but the Spirit. Otherwise...the condemnation stays with you because you continue to sin. (Rom. 8:1)
This really does get easier for me to share the more I see it come alive in the bible. This is an interesting book you know, this bible of ours. We know how many sincere believers claim to love it and claim to live by it, while owning multiple copies of it...yet...do they really know what all is in it?
Consider this: You are sitting at a church service in any number of evangelical/fundamental or professing ‘bible-believing-churches’ out there. And the pastor stands up and ask: “How many here today believe in the rapture and that it is closer today than it ever was?”
There will no doubt be a resounding response of ‘Amens’ and some might even break out in to song singing “I’ll Fly Away Old Glory”...
Here’s the two-part question I would like to ask: “How many here believe God has the power to ‘call everyone out of this place right now and meet Him in the clouds?” (I’m picturing those old ‘rapture graphics’ where planes crash, cars careen off the highway and mounds of clothes are left in piles as all the churches in the land go dark)
Of course we all affirm that we believe that. So here’s my second question: “How many here believe God has enough power to set you free so you don’t yell at your wife and kids anymore, or complain and grumble and find fault with everything around you? How many believe God can set you free from uncontrollable lust or anger issues or wallowing in self-pity or maybe holding on to grudges and resentment as you struggle to forgive others?
Would the response be as hearty and passionate? And if we do respond again, with a resounding ‘Yes and Amen’, then why are we still struggling with these very issues? If we can’t even believe God for small things like that, and that the power the Word declares is ours to receive and walk in so we overcome all the sins of the flesh, not to mention the power of the enemy, then how on earth do we believe God is going to be able yank us into heaven, let alone 6 inches off the church pew?
No, seriously...would you think about that a second? And while I’m at it...let me throw in one more for ‘extra credit’ – Do we really believe folks who are NOT abiding in Christ are going to be ‘caught up or away’ or at least protected from the coming storms and floods that Jesus warns us about in Matt. 24? Why would we think it’s ok to not abide in Him, yet all will be well with our soul?
So if by chance I have your attention now, and you find yourself asking ‘How do I know if I’m really abiding in Christ’ as opposed to just ‘saying I believe in Him’? That’s a great question. And if you continue to be sinning, then that might be a huge red flag given what 1 John 3:6,9 tells us.
And why on earth do I keep circling back to this same old topic? Well, for one, as off the wall as it may sound to many and so foreign to anything else you might be hearing preached these days, sin is the tool, the net, the hook, the device Satan uses to work his way back into your soul or body to carry you away into captivity.
We love to quote how ‘no one can snatch us from the Father’s hand’. (John 10:28) That is correct. So why do you think Satan ‘tempts’ us to ...’come out’ of the Father’s protective hand? You might go meditate on James 1:12-16 here in a bit.
There was a reason Paul exhorts us to give “NO Place to the devil” (Eph. 4:27) along with ‘making no provision for the flesh’ as he writes there in Rom. 13:14. And certainly you are familiar with what Jesus taught about once an unclean spirit goes out of man...that he will again attempt to find a way back in ...and if he does see an open door, guess what? He brings company and the condition of that person will be far worse in the end. (Matt. 12:43-45).
Have you ever thought why...demonic spirits continue to tempt you? For one, God allows them to test your heart. But ‘sin’ is the door that allows them in! God says...So you want to keep the enemy out? Don’t sin. (1 John 5:18). Oh...and in case this was not made clear, you can’t stand against him in your own strength or power. You better have a covenant partner who is way more powerful than the devil. Which means you would do well to abide In Him (Jesus).
And IF....you are abiding in Him, He is going to lead you to put to death all the deeds of the flesh nature. (Rom. 8:13). But you have to follow and obey Him, which is what ‘saved children of God’ do. (Rom. 8:14; Heb. 5:9; John 10:27). And IF...you are following His spirit, you will NOT be fulfilling the lust of the flesh nature (Gal. 5:16) because you are not ‘dialing it down’ or ‘putting it on a leash’; you are putting it to ‘death’. (Col. 3:5). Those who actually ‘belong to Christ’ have done this very thing – Gal. 5:24.
Jesus came to offer us ‘Abundant Life’. (John 10:10) He also explains there what the ‘thief’ comes to do – ‘steal, kill, and destroy’.
How many sincere believers today...struggle with...anxiety...fear...depression...loneliness? What about ‘self-loathing’ or self-hatred, low self-esteem. Any good deacons out there still battling with lust or anger issues? How about forgiveness issues. Dare I toss in faithful church members who wrestle with ‘sexual identity’ or ‘gender identity’ issues? Does this sound like the ‘abundant life’ Jesus came to offer? Do we really think pharmaceutical meds and years of counseling’ are the cure for these ongoing struggles?
Remember the question God asked Adam in the garden, ‘Who told you that?” (Gen.3:11). May I now ask...Who told you that you could not be free of sin and walk like Jesus walked? (1 John 2:6). Who told you that you could not be free of these other struggles I just mentioned? Who or what did Paul say our real ‘struggle’ is with there in Eph. 6:12?
One more question if I may? Jesus asked this to a person who said he could not walk in the manner in which he was designed to walk - “Do you want to me made well?” (John 5:6)
What about You? Do you want to be ...made well?
Stay tuned. ;-)
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