Our Futile Self-Life

In our finite existence, we experience many areas of life, which are so painful and almost impossible to survive. However, with God, all things are possible (Luke 18:27). So, when God dwells in us, we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37), and we can accomplish whatever He calls us to do (Ephesians 2:10). Outside of His anointing, we are powerless and our efforts are futile (John 15:5). We reap no lasting value from all of our earnest, but frantic works for God.

In truth, God does not expect us to succeed apart from Him. As Paul declares, we often concede to sin when we actually want to walk in holiness. We cannot even achieve many of the spiritual goals we set for our self (Romans 7:15-24). There is no shame in this. The shame comes when we persist in living for God from our own self-efforts. We continually fall short, and we live in disgrace and depression because of our failures.


Our attitudes influence our body, soul and spirit. Criticism, gossip, self-pity, depression, anger and bitterness all strongly impact our soul, which in turn affects our body and spirit. Once we realize the futility of attempting holiness on our own, we can sigh in relief and stop disparaging and demeaning our character or someone else’s failings (Proverbs 15:4, 18:21). Living a holy life is impossible for us, but more than possible for Christ in us (Colossians 1:27).


Our part is to guard our body, soul and spirit and to live in surrender to God’s will (Proverbs 4:23; Proverbs 3:5-6). As we meditate on God’s precepts and guard what we focus on, we will mirror His Word and delight in His Truth (Psalm 119:15-16). We are all lost and undone on our own, but Christ is victorious in and through us. When we come to the end of our self-efforts and completely surrender to God’s Spirit and Lordship, then God can actually use us for His glory.


Prayer:

Father God, we know that Your power is manifest only in our helplessness. As we daily surrender to Your will, You conquer our self-life and fleshly carnality. We are in Your care and You live out Your will in our surrendered life. We are strengthened by Your might in our inner core (Ephesians 3:14-21). Holiness and consecration bring revival in us and in Your church, so help us to deepen our union with You in all things.

Thought for the Day:

It is only as we realize our utter human hopelessness, and depend entirely on God, that He can use us for His glory.

 

 

On Dry Land

Read: Joshua 3:1-17

“He rebukes the sea and dries it up; he makes all the rivers run dry.” - Nahum 1:4

The verses in Joshua 3:15-16 always intrigues me, "As soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water's edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away." No miracle occurred until the priests took that first step of faith into the flooded waters of the river. They had to look beyond their natural fears and inhibitions and obey God. Before revealing His mighty hand in our life, God is patiently waiting for full commitment from us, as well.

There are so many skeptics in today’s society that believe the Bible is a book of fairytales and stories written by men, rather than inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16). They do not believe in the power of God because they do not see His power working in the world today. Is it because we have too little faith? Or is it because when He does things for us, we do not share His goodness with the rest of the world? The entire Bible is filled with testimonies of miraculous feats that God performs for His people.

When circumstances get out of our control, or present a problem too complex for us to handle, that is when God’s power manifests in our life. When Jesus healed people in the Bible, many took the time to proclaim the great things Jesus had done for them. Everyone was amazed at the testimonies (Mark 5:20). We have many avenues for sharing these miracles every day. Facebook is a great way to give God glory. Giving personal testimonies to our friends, relatives, associates and neighbors is another way to tell of His glorious and personal touch in the lives of those who serve Him.

Or perhaps due to disobedience or a lack of devotion on your part, God does not intervene on your behalf. There is an easy fix for this problem…repentance and reconnection to God is only a prayer away. Another problem is that many people are afraid to turn total control of their life over to God. They fear what He will require of them. They do not want to go to Africa as a missionary or sell all of their earthly good and give all the money to the poor. God rarely calls people to these drastic commitments of faith; but when He does, He gives us so much more than He ever requires from us.

Our Creator God, in all of His majesty and power, is just waiting to work miracles for us and for those whose lives we touch. He asks for total surrender of your will to His and a total commitment to spiritual goals and focus. Compare the deficient lives we live to God’s great universe. What do we have to lose? With the Trinity dwelling within us there is nothing we cannot do as we walk in obedience to the direction of the Holy Spirit moment by moment throughout the day.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, You are the Mighty One who does great things for us (Luke 1:48) Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you” (Joshua 3:5). Help us to keep our life set apart to You, so that You can continue to do great things for us. In this story in Joshua, the moment the priests set their feet on the dry ground on the other side of the river, the waters of the Jordan River returned to their place and ran at flood stage again (Joshua 4:18). There is no denying the might works You do for those who love You, and they fill us with great joy and inspiration (Psalm 126:2-3).

Thought for the Day:

Surrender every area of your life to God and walk in the power of His Holy Spirit.