Take a Deep Breath Galatians 2:20 - I have been crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life that I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. Colossians 3:16 - Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. When I was a child I had a dream every now and then that did not make sense at the time, but helped me later to understand some of what was going on inside of me. I would dream that I had fallen overboard a boat and was sinking in the water. I would hold my breath and struggle, knowing that I had to hang on or I would drown. Then eventually it would be unbearable and I could not hold my breath any longer. I would give up and take a deep breath, expecting to inhale water. Instead I would find myself breathing normally, and would be amazed to find that I could breath under water. Then I would wake up. Perhaps you too have had some dreams that recur and do not make sense to you. Dreams are actually very powerful mechanisms that reveal a lot of what is going on in the inner man. They were always thought significant in Bible times and were often interpreted by those who had the wisdom to do so. Today we do not pay much attention to them and dismiss them as stupidity most of the time. But actually dreams are a very important way of finding out what is going on in your spirit, and they can even be used by the Lord to speak to you during your sleep. This is a fascinating study and one which we have covered in the GMRN Archives, but it is too large a subject to discuss in a Daily Blessing. However I would like to use my dream to illustrate a spiritual principle that we sometimes struggle with. Serving the Lord has in times past been considered a very difficult thing. Many of the songs in our hymn books and even some of the popular recordings of the past have portrayed the spiritual life as a struggle to be endured until the Lord comes. We are supposed to struggle along, facing suffering and lack and being opposed on all sides, and unless we are faithful to the end we dont reach our heavenly reward. No wonder many who start their Christian life with great enthusiasm eventually give up, because it is just too hard. We have to fight every day against the devil, the world and especially the flesh - our own inherent sinfulness. So we grit our teeth and push our way through, hanging on for all we are worth, trying our best to always live the way the Lord wants us to. I remember reading an illustration Watchman Nee gave in one of his books. He described how he was at the beach one day and saw a person struggling in the waves and crying out for help. There was a lifeguard on duty, but he seemed to be ignoring the cries. He just stood there watching until the drowning person started to show signs of giving up and going under. Then in a few short strokes he swam in and pulled him out. Afterwards someone scolded him for not responding sooner. His reply was that since the person was struggling too badly he could not go in, otherwise the drowning person would grab hold of him and drown them both. The only way around this was to either knock the person out or wait until they were tired out and were not struggling anymore. We behave the same way where the Lord is concerned. We need help desperately, but we grit our teeth and hang on, trying to do our best without His help. Then we complain because He does not come to our aid. But often we have to come to the end before anything happens. Just as in my dream I had to stop trying to keep from drowning, we need to stop trying to do what we know we cannot do and let Him take over. Suppose you have a need that you have brought to the Lord in prayer. You have given it to Him, but you carry on struggling to solve the problem yourself. You feel that you have to help the Lord out. After all, God helps those who help themselves, doesnt He? No, I dont find that common expression anywhere in Scripture. The Lord does not want to help you live the spiritual life. He wants to be that life! The Spiritual life is not a patched up life. It is a replaced life. The key to victory is from Colossians 1:27: Christ in you, the hope of glory. Pauls statement in Galatians 2:20 is quite clear. I have died, and the life I now live is Christ living in me. It is His faith that causes me to walk in victory now and it is His authority that is now vested in me. The Bible abounds with teaching concerning doing things in the name of Jesus. So we try to make the name Jesus mean something special. Actually in some countries, including the country I live in, the name is quite common. And those who carry the name certainly dont carry any power. I can use their names without it meaning a thing! No, using the name of Jesus means a lot more than mouthing the words, In Jesus name. You cannot use the power and authority that is in that name until your name becomes linked with it. To use the power in the name, you have to become the name. The Scriptures tell us that the Holy Spirit was given to reveal Christ. He was given to cause Christ to be formed in us. And the only way that is going to take place is when we are prepared to submit ourselves totally to Him. When I am faced with a challenge, like loving someone that I cant stand, how do I overcome it? By gritting my teeth and muttering, I love him even if it kills me? By putting up a false front? By saying I love you, when I do not? No you cannot do it - only Jesus can do it. So you love them In Jesus name. In other words, you let Jesus love them through you. Now lets get this straight. You are not going to be able to do this by yourself. You can only do it when you start to think the thoughts of Christ. A good place to start would be to so fill your mind with His Word, that it begins to change your thought structures. Then the next time you are faced with a challenge, instead of trying to figure out how to respond, you will find the Word coming up from deep inside you and telling you what to do. And then of course, there is no better person to live the life of Christ than Jesus Himself. And since He lives in your spirit through the Holy Spirit, He is not only willing but able to do so if you will just let go and let Him do it. Its quite simple really. Just take a deep breath. Youll find you can breath underwater. So stop gritting your teeth and let go. Stop struggling to live the spiritual life and let Jesus live it. Stop being concerned about what people think about you. Its not you they are condemning, because the life you are living is the life of Jesus. I think He is quite capable of taking care of Himself dont you? And Hes quite capable of taking care of you too if you will let Him.
Posted on: Fri, 04 Jul 2014 10:11:04 +0000
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