Don't Fix the Fix

 

Born as a person who wants to please, I am devastated when I realize that I often fell short of my goal. I have always striven for perfection in myself in order to find favor with others. After I came to Christ, my housemate shared with me these key verses that taught me not to stress over reaching perfection (Galatians 3:1-3).

It took me another ten years to come to understand the full meaning of this and how to actually let go and let God. The first step was to recognize that I was one of the world’s best Codependents, and that God wanted to set me free from that bondage. It was a revelation to me to realize that I did not have to solve all of the problems of the world and then feel like a martyr because I neglected myself in the process.

We often solve a person’s problems for them, which thwarts the hand of God in their life. We rob them of a blessing and we force God to have to produce another trial for them to overcome in order to strengthen their faith. It has been said, “Do not fix the fix that God has fixed to fixed someone; or God will just have to fix another fix to fix them!” We cause them to needlessly suffer another trial.

The foolish Galatians (3:1-3) were trying to perfect their life after receiving salvation as a free gift. They thought they had to earn their sanctification. God calls us to enter into His rest (Hebrews 4:10) and to leave our perfection to Him! We do not earn salvation or sanctification, because it is GOD that is working in us and giving us both the desire and the power to live a holy life (Philippians 2:12-13).

Prayer:

Father God, remind us to accept our privileges as Your children and heirs. Christ in us is an ever-present reality that we often ignore. Teach us to tap into the amazing spiritual power that You provide for us, and to walk in Your ways every step of our day. Thank you for becoming a man and paying our sin debt and giving us the victory over both sin and death (1 Corinthians 15:57).

Thought for the Day:

Do not fill your day with ceaseless activity, but walk in the power of God’s Spirit and reap both productivity and fulfillment. 

Enjoying Eternal Rest Now

 

Hebrews, chapter three, gives the account of Israel forfeiting their chance to enter Canaan, the land of promise, because they relied too heavily on their human reasoning. Hebrews, chapter four, is one of the most healing chapters in the Bible. It promises us eternal rest for our weary soul (Psalm 95:11). This is not simply eternal rest after death, but eternal rest while we are still living (Genesis 2:2). Few people ever really enter God’s rest, because they do not have the faith to let go and let God take over their life (Hebrews 4:1-2).

The people of God everywhere in every generation have this opportunity to have abundant life now (Psalm 95:7-8). However, we fail through unbelief to enter the rest promised to us from the foundation of the world (Hebrews 4:3-9). If we choose to believe God’s Word, we enter His rest through the door of salvation in Christ (John 10:9). The next step is to cease from our stress and striving. We do this by allowing God to give us the desire and ability to follow His Spirit, rather than to deal with life from our human resources (Hebrews 4:10; Philippians 2:12-13; Ephesians 2:8-9).

God calls all those who strive and are burdened to come to Him, so He can give us rest (Matthew 11:28). The only time God ever encourages us to strive in the Bible is to strive to enter the narrow door of salvation and then to strive to enter His rest. It is not easy to lay down our will and ambition and to surrender completely to the will of God and the direction of His Holy Spirit (Hebrews 4:10-11). However, God even gives us the gift of the faith and grace to enter His rest (Ephesians 2:8-9). We only need to receive it whole-heartedly.

God’s Sabbath rest is a way of life, not an occasional experience (Hebrews 4:11). We spend time every day digesting His Word, which is sweeter than honey (Psalm 119:103). The Word of God cleanly separates our fleshly thoughts and actions from our spirit-led ones, and it demonstrates God’s power, truth and ability in us and through us (Hebrews 4:12-13). We hide His Word in our hearts (Psalm 119:11), and it gives us constant direction and delight (Psalm 119:24). Bible truth is nourishment for our soul and a light to our path (Proverbs 3:8; Psalm 119:105).

We allow God to work through us, not from the basis of our own effort and energy, but by obedience to His Spirit. We cling to, trust in and depend upon Jesus as He uses us to do His works in the earth (John 3:18, Amplified Bible). His Word cleanses, heals and delivers us from sin, sickness and Satan’s oppression (Psalm 107:20, 119:9; Matthew 8:8, 8:16; John 15:3, Ephesians 5:26). The eternal rest in our spirit and soul are available to anyone humble enough to cease from his/her own efforts and to walk in the Spirit moment by moment throughout the day (Galatians 5:16,25).

Prayer:

Father God, Your Word provides us with strength, productivity, fulfillment and peace (Psalm 1:3, 119:28). It gives us Your roadmap to peace in this life. You grant rest to Your people and You chose us as Your eternal residence (1Chronicles 23:25). You rested from Your works and gave us Your example, so we will rest from our labors as well (Hebrews 4:4,10). We enter Your eternal rest only if we believe and trust in You (Hebrews 4:3). Help us all to attain Your rest (Hebrews 4:1). Allow Your Word to teach us to discern between the flesh and the spirit and always to follow Your Spirit (Hebrews 4:12).

Thought for the Day:

Through God’s Word, His Spirit and His presence in our life, we enter into His rest.