Look Back/Ahead
One of the Enemy's devices is to get us to look only at our present state and then gleefully suggest, "Look what a poor follower you are." If you keep focusing on the present alone, you'll feel continually defeated. The best way to beat this attack is to spend more time looking back and ahead. Look back at what you were in the past. Compare that with what you are now. As you praise God for how much He's given you and done to change you already, your faith begins to grow for the future. Simply assume God will continue to change you in the future at the rate He has in the past! And why wouldn't he? Then focus again on the present with renewed confidence.
You may not be everything you should be, but you're a lot different than you were! And you can be assured that you will keep becoming closer to God if you submit to His changing grace, for that is God's will for your life. So if your light is brighter than your life, and you are discouraged by your spiritual progress, look back at how far you've come, then project ahead at how far you could go. That will supply you with the nerve to look at your present state with confidence that God can change you even now. Make sure your light is from GodIt is possible to get under a "human conviction." Sometimes we fall under the shadow of some other person who impresses their own "convictions" on us. It could be a teacher, a pastor, a mature saint in the church, or a close friend. We begin to think that we should stop or start doing something just because someone else has. This "human light" condemns us because we do not measure up to someone else's standards. This condemnation is not from the Holy Spirit. Our job is to obey God, not someone else's light.
The problem is telling the difference between God's conviction and human conviction. If we are not regularly looking into God's Word, it's easy to start getting your light from other people. "This person says Christians ought to..." Or "I heard on a Christian radio program the other day that Christians shouldn't..." Or maybe "I read this book and the author thinks that every Christian ought to..."
If we start down the road of listening to human conviction we will pile up a mountainous burden of "false guilt" because it is impossible to live up to every one else's convictions.
Instead, spend time directly listening to the Lord. How? First through reading His Word. Do you really think the words of any other author are more important that the word of God?
Second, spend time alone with God -- in prayer and listening. How does God speak? Through His word and directly to our hearts, by the Holy Spirit's inner "quiet small voice." But how can you hear this inner voice if you do not quiet yourself and "tune in?" If you are uncertain exactly where God wants you to grow next, how much time have your spent quietly listening to His quiet inner voice? Take some time alone with God and listen. He will sort out all this light and zero in on one area where He wants you to obey.
So if your light is brighter than your life, spend time in the Bible and in prayerful listening to the Holy Spirit's voice. He will direct your steps. He really will!
Quit Trying/Start Trusting
| The only way to become more Christlike is through trusting in Christ's atonement. You and I have no power to change ourselves to become like Christ. Christlikeness is not a result of "trying harder." It comes only through God's miraculous intervention in our lives, changing us inside, that we can be conformed to His image and presence. This is part of our faith in Him and it can only start if we let go of our pride. We must quit trying to change on our own power and start trusting God to change us through His power. |
But there's a hitch. God does not change us automatically. He's not in the business of manipulating spiritual marionettes. We play a great role too. The greatest factor in our changing is our own will to change. God changes us as we cooperate with Him. What do we really want? If we decide with God, then He works in our lives to change us. If we resist His changing grace we are left in our present state -- or perhaps we'll slip back to a former state.
So, the real issue is your will. Concerning that particular conviction... that thing you are trying to stop or start, if you say, "I will obey," and you mean it with all your heart, God will perform His part -- changing you (or beginning to change you). You can't change yourself. But if you decide to change, God will change you.
Don't Resist Him
The reason God brings light to us, urging us to stop something or start another thing, is because he really expects us to obey Him. We must be careful to avoid delayed obedience. This kind of foot-dragging will sooner or later turn into disobedience.
Both of my sons have chores. One of them is to feed the cat each day. When he gets home from school, his mother sometimes reminds him "Son, don't forget to feed the cat." He generally agrees to do it right away. Occasionally he continues playing and says "I'll do it in a minute."
As his mother is getting supper ready, she might again say "Did you feed the cat yet?" His response... "I'm on the way now." But there are so many delights scattered about the floor on the way to the cat -- games, toys, interesting tools... so he gets sidetracked playing. After one or two other reminders, he occasionally comes to the supper table, still having not fed the cat. Dad asks, "Son, have you fed the cat?" He responds, "Not yet, Dad, but I'll get to it right after supper."
Now I don't know what your family is like. But after three or four of these kind of delaying tactics his earthly father will act with warm discipline -- that is, warm to certain parts of his anatomy!
There is an invisible line between delay and disobedience. At some point, continual foot-dragging becomes outright disobedience.
Likewise, the Lord has such a line each of us can cross. Our foot-dragging can become outright disobedience at some point. Delayed obedience leads to outright resistance. God has been gentle and tender in His conviction. He has prodded, urged, inspired, persuaded and convicted. But some get in the delaying habit. They now find themselves in a tug-of-war with God, resisting His leadings.
Have you come to the point of resisting God's convicting work, until he cannot get you to respond freely with a "Change me" prayer? If so, can outright rebellion be far away? If you are stubbornly refusing to obey Him, will this not lead to a spirit of rebellion? Won't you eventually mentally shake your fist in God's face shouting under your breath "I won't change!" Will not this spirit of rebellion eventually lead to your ruin?
So if your light is brighter than your life, and it is because you are dragging your feet, or even because you have been resisting God's prodding, beware! Your resistance could lead to eventual rebellion and your demise. Take heed! Repent of your heavy-handed stubbornness and submit yourself to God's gentle hand.
After all, He isn't planning to make your life miserable! God sends light your way so you will head in a new direction (or stop heading another direction). By obedience you will have the happiest, most fulfilling life. God doesn't want to bludgeon you into a painful path of following Him. Rather, He is a loving Father who wants to bring to your life great meaning. Let Him melt you... mold you... after His will. He will make something beautiful out of your life... if you'll let Him.
