Sinful nature is a powerful thing. More powerful than we give it credit for I think. It is, in every sense, who we are before we allow God to step in. We have thousands upon thousands of years of "sinful DNA," if you will, working against us, and yet we only have one lifetime to let the Lord right what we so desperately fight to keep wrong.
The truth is, in our flesh, we really don't want to change (Romans 3:10-12). We have our personality. We have our plans. We have our way of doing things. We have our own way of living. We legitimately think we know what is best for us in any given moment, and we are too proud to accept the change we really need.
When it comes to myself, I'm a thinker and a doer. If there's a problem, I go through the process of planning, arranging, and organizing to come to the best possible solution or scenario. I'm constantly thinking about anything and everything. Thinking about this, thinking about that, thinking about my future, thinking about my past, thinking about what to do, thinking about blah blah blah. Honestly, I'm uncertain whether or not my brain ever shuts down completely.
While being a thinker is NOT necessarily a bad thing, I am definitely learning how to fight daily for that balance between cognitive thinking and silent listening. "Be still. Know that I AM…"
"Just know that I AM. Know that I AM sheer and literal existence, and the source of all life, of all power, of all wisdom, of all goodness, of all love, of all mercy, of all grace, of all truth, and of everything you would ever need to know or need to be. Trust Me, because I always AM, Have Been, and always Will Be."
A good friend of mine recently reminded me, "You're a thinker and a doer, which is great. But that needs to be in balance with coming into His presence and resting in His sovereignty."
Heard that.
I've recently been amazed of how good God really is to me. He has sent events, failures, Scriptures, even specific people to help me to learn that balance. It's not easy. I naturally want to put walls up. I naturally want to problem solve, to mend, to fix, and to manage in my own power. But what I want and what I really need are often two very different things.
I need to be patient. I need to surrender. I need to let God step in and have His way. I need to learn to be still, listen, and let Him do what he needs to do. I need to be willing to be equipped (Ephesians 4:11-16). I've had to learn recently, even during the race, from mistakes I've made because I didn't stop and listen.
Sanctification is not a walk in the park. It's not something a simple camp, retreat, conference, or even a mission trip can complete for you. It is a lifelong WAR against those thousands upon thousands of years of Satan's influence, plus the influence he wants to put on you this very minute. It's taking up your cross daily (Luke 9:23) and surrendering to God's work in you to conform you more into the image of Christ (Romans 8:29). When I think of it that way, it seems so imbecilic to me that I would ever try to plan my own steps or guide my own path (Proverbs 16:9).
So, for all those reading this, and for myself:
"Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it." 1 Thessalonians 5:23
Soli Deo Gloria
