Our Greatest Satisfaction

by Laurie Aker

Why is it that when we say we love the Lord and He is our God, we don’t put Him first? Why don’t we set aside time to be with Him in His Word? We allow our affections to wander, and our desires drift off to the temporal. Is sleep more important that sanctification? Is entertainment more edifying than the eternal? Are passions more satisfying than Christ?

It is an ever-present sin struggle that we will experience until we reach heaven. Even when we desire this joy, this fellowship, and this communion, the world and its pressures, our worries and our cares, and our passions and our longings can almost seem to put an invisible, super-strong cellophane wrap around our hearts that is clear but seemingly impenetrable. The words of God are right in front of our eyes. They enter our minds, and we try to apply them to our hearts, waiting with anticipation for them to pierce the outer layer, only to discover there is yet another layer and then another. We may even feel the Spirit’s touch, but it seems as though our hearts are incorrigible. We know God is all-powerful and His Word is effective. Why is it that we feel beyond its reach? Mentally, we know this isn’t true, but the wall that appears to be present, the excruciating pain, or the apparent numbness or deadness in our hearts becomes discouraging. We are dis- tracted, pulled, tossed, turned, and even tormented. We long to be satisfied by the Lord. We long to truly pursue an ongoing communion and oneness with the Lord that would not only glorify God, but draw others to Him. However, we allow other things to detour us time and time again.The temporal things the Lord has given us to enjoy we misuse. We hold and cling to the temporal solution. We let the temporal come between us and the eternal.

Will we ask the Lord to help our hearts have the same conviction as Joshua: “Choose this day whom you will serve . . . But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Josh. 24:15)? The Bible tells us that Joshua followed the Lord fully. Will we follow the Lord fully? Will we be willing to pursue God and His righteousness with our all, that we would be fully satisfied in Him that He would be greater to us that even life itself? Will we set our eyes upon the Lord and seek after Him with all of our heart to foster and develop the soil of our hearts, that we too might know the deep and penetrating satisfaction of the Lord in the depths of our souls? The goal is that God, and only God, would be our greatest satisfaction and our greatest delight— better than the finest symphony or your favorite food.

____________________

This blog post is an excerpt from the Thistlebend Discipleship Study Falling in Love Again with Your Lord available here.

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Getting Below the Layers of Sin

Thistlebend Quiet eMoment

by Laurie Aker

Focus Scripture: Luke 9:7-9 ESV

7 Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening,
and he was perplexed, because it was said by some
that John had been raised from the dead,
8 by some that Elijah had appeared,
and by others that one of the prophets of old had risen.
9 Herod said, “John I beheaded,
but who is this about whom I hear such things?”
And he sought to see him. 
______________________________

Herod thought to himself, how can this be?
“John I beheaded, but who is this…?”

John had confronted Herod about marrying his brother’s wife,
but Herod had no intention of leaving her.
It is interesting that he felt so threatened.
Guilt has an interesting and insidious way of spitting fire.
We need to be wise and careful about confronting someone
who is in sin — he or she might take your head off.
Probably not literally.

When someone is in sin they are often want to continue in it.
It is a part of their world. It is familiar.
Sin is blinding and binding to all of us.
We self-protect unconsciously, we hide our sin from others,
we dress it up to look like something else,
we build a 12 foot thick wall around it,
and if necessary a moat.
We do anything we can to block anyone who might be a threat.

Thankfully, most of us don’t go to the lengths that Herod did.
But our defenses are still multi-layered, varied, and masterful.
Ever wonder why it can take so long to change
when you finally do confess your sin
and turn in genuine repentance?
There are layers of sin to remove.

TAKING THE TRUTH TO HEART

Would you allow these thoughts
to cross the moat of your defenses,
enter beyond the gate,
and penetrate the wall of protectiveness?
Would you be willing to ask the Lord
to search your heart today?
Would you be willing to ask Him
to reveal areas of sin in your life,
in your heart, in your thinking?
Would you be willing to ask Him to show you
any actions, words, or deeds
that indicate any unrighteousness?
That would speak of ungodliness,
idolatry, self-centeredness, or ….?

AND BRINGING IT TO LIFE

Choose one truth from today and apply it to your heart.
Take it with you throughout the day.

PRAYER

I confess that I am a sinner
in need of your grace daily.
Lord, have mercy.
“Hear my prayer, O Lord;
give ear to my pleas for mercy!
In your faithfulness answer me,
in your righteousness!” (Psalm 143:1)

In His hands for His glory,

Laurie
_____________________________

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Why Willpower Alone Can’t Produce Obedience

by Steve Fuller

The Importance of Feelings

In my early years as a Christian I relied on my own will-power to obey Christ, and did not see much need for Spirit-power.

But that changed when I saw that God’s commands focus not just on actions, but also on feelings.

Take Deuteronomy 28:47-48 as an example –

Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things, therefore you shall serve your enemies…

So God does not want sullen obedience, or lethargic obedience, or I-can’t-wait-for-this-to-be-over-so-I-can-do-what-I-really-want-to-do obedience.  God wants obedience that’s full of joy in Christ.

Passage after Passage

And then I started noticing this emphasis on feelings everywhere – in passage after passage.  Here are some examples –

  • Isaiah 41:10 — Fear not, for I am with you …
  • Matthew 5:6 — blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness …
  • Matthew 6:31 — therefore do not be anxious, saying, ’What shall we eat?’
  • Romans 12:10 — love one another with brotherly affection …
  • Romans 12:11 — do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serving the Lord …
  • 2 Corinthians 9:7 — for God loves a cheerful giver.
  • Ephesians 4:31 — let all bitterness and wrath and anger…be put away from you…
  • Colossians 3:12 — put on…compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness…
  • Colossians 3:23 — Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord…
  • 1 Peter 2:1 — so put away all…envy

This emphasis on feelings showed that my will-power alone could not produce biblical obedience.

Here’s why –

Feeling Envious

Let’s say you are feeling envious that your friend is spending more time with someone else than with you.

And yet we saw in 1 Peter 2:1 (above) that God commands us to put away all envy.

But as soon as you try to stop feeling envy, you discover something — you can’t.

And the reason you can’t is because feelings can’t be turned on and off by an act of the will.  We can’t just CHOOSE to stop feeling envy, or to start feeling feel peace, or joy, or contentment.

Jim Elliot, martyr-missionary to the Auca Indians of South America, agrees.  Here’s what he wrote in his journal –

“How vial and base my thoughts have been lately. Not just unkind or unsympathetic, but rotten, lewd thinking that cannot be overcome simply by willing to be rid of them.” (Jim Elliot, in Elizabeth Elliot’s Shadow of the Almighty: the Life and Testament of Jim Elliot, pp.105f; italics his)

But if we can’t WILL ourselves to get rid of wrong feelings or to stir up right feelings, what can we do?

Not-So-Helpful Approaches

One not-so-helpful approach is to admit that we can’t do it, and wait for God to change our hearts in his own time.

But God does not tell us to WAIT for him to take away our envy. He commands us to PUT AWAY our envy.

Another not-so-helpful approach is to start acting as if we had the commanded feelings, believing that the feelings will come through the acting.

But if you are envious of your friend, will acting as if you were not envious take away your envy? I don’t think so.

So what can we do to change our feelings?

Faith and Feelings

God’s Word shows that there is a cause-and-effect relationship between faith and feelings.

That’s true regarding joy –

For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. (Psalm 33:21)

And peace –

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. (Isaiah 26:3)

And love for others –

The aim of our charge is love that issues from … a sincere faith. (1 Timothy 1:5)

So when I’m not experiencing joy and peace in Christ, and the resulting outflow of love for others, that shows there’s a problem in my faith.

And the good news is that when I take steps to strengthen my faith, I will experience the Holy Spirit changing my feelings.

Putting Away Envy

Let’s take the example of envy. What can I do if I am feeling envy because my friend is spending more time with someone else than with me?

The fact that I am feeling envious shows that there’s a problem with my faith — I am not trusting all that God promises to be to me in Christ Jesus.

So what promise am I not trusting? And what lie am I trusting?

I am not trusting John 6:35 — that fellowship with Jesus will satisfy all my heart hungers and thirsts. Instead, I’m trusting the lie that to be satisfied I need to have my friend spending more time with me than with someone else.

So what can I do? Here are steps I have found helpful –

First, turn to Jesus as I am.

I don’t need to overcome my envious heart BEFORE coming to Jesus. In fact, the only way I can overcome my envious heart is BY coming to Jesus.

And even though I am struggling with envy, as I look to Christ by faith alone, he welcomes me with open arms (Luke 18:13-14).

Second, confess my envy as sin and receive assurance of forgiveness.

I would confess that I am NOT trusting Christ as my all satisfying treasure, and that I AM trusting my friend to be my all satisfying treasure.

I would confess this as sinful unbelief, and be assured that on the basis of Christ’s death I am fully forgiven, and on the basis of Christ’s righteousness I am fully accepted (1 John 1:9).

Third, ask for the Spirit’s power to change my heart

I can’t change my feelings by my own will power — but the Holy Spirit can.  And will.

So I would pray earnestly for God to increase the Spirit’s work in my heart (Luke 11:13), asking him to help me once again see and feel Christ as my all satisfying treasure.

Fourth, meditate prayerfully on God’s word

The sword the Spirit will use to slay my envy is the word of God (Ephesians 6:17).

So I would take Scriptures that display the glory of Christ, and ponder them, pray over them, and meditate deeply on them.

Fifth, continue until the Spirit changes my heart

Envy shows I have heart hungers and thirsts.  But Jesus promises that if we will come to him and believe in him he will satisfy all our heart hungers and thirsts in himself (John 6:35).

And coming to him and believing in him is exactly what we are doing in taking these steps.  So as you take these steps you can claim Jesus’ promise that he will meet you and change your heart so you are completely satisfied in him.

So trust his promise, and keep praying and meditating on God’s word, until your heart is so satisfied in Christ that you no longer feel envy.

That’s How

That’s how to “put away all … envy.”  Not by gritting your teeth and trying not to feel envy.  Not by waiting for God to change you.  Not by acting like you are free from envy in hope that your actions will change your feelings.

But by understanding that sinful feelings are caused by unbelief.  And by fighting the fight of faith until your faith is strengthened so you once again feel joy and peace in Christ, and love for others.

________

This article has been reposted from the Living by Faith Blog.  The original article may be accessed here.

The Importance of Feelings

In my early years as a Christian I relied on my own will-power to obey Christ, and did not see much need for Spirit-power.

But that changed when I saw that God’s commands focus not just on actions, but also on feelings.

Take Deuteronomy 28:47-48 as an example –

Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things, therefore you shall serve your enemies…

So God does not want sullen obedience, or lethargic obedience, or I-can’t-wait-for-this-to-be-over-so-I-can-do-what-I-really-want-to-do obedience.  God wants obedience that’s full of joy in Christ.

Passage after Passage

And then I started noticing this emphasis on feelings everywhere – in passage after passage.  Here are some examples –

  • Isaiah 41:10 — Fear not, for I am with you …
  • Matthew 5:6 — blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness …
  • Matthew 6:31 — therefore do not be anxious, saying, ’What shall we eat?’
  • Romans 12:10 — love one another with brotherly affection …
  • Romans 12:11 — do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serving the Lord …
  • 2 Corinthians 9:7 — for God loves a cheerful giver.
  • Ephesians 4:31 — let all bitterness and wrath and anger…be put away from you…
  • Colossians 3:12 — put on…compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness…
  • Colossians 3:23 — Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord…
  • 1 Peter 2:1 — so put away all…envy

This emphasis on feelings showed that my will-power alone could not produce biblical obedience.

Here’s why –

Feeling Envious

Let’s say you are feeling envious that your friend is spending more time with someone else than with you.

And yet we saw in 1 Peter 2:1 (above) that God commands us to put away all envy.

But as soon as you try to stop feeling envy, you discover something — you can’t.

And the reason you can’t is because feelings can’t be turned on and off by an act of the will.  We can’t just CHOOSE to stop feeling envy, or to start feeling feel peace, or joy, or contentment.

Jim Elliot, martyr-missionary to the Auca Indians of South America, agrees.  Here’s what he wrote in his journal –

“How vial and base my thoughts have been lately. Not just unkind or unsympathetic, but rotten, lewd thinking that cannot be overcome simply by willing to be rid of them.” (Jim Elliot, in Elizabeth Elliot’s Shadow of the Almighty: the Life and Testament of Jim Elliot, pp.105f; italics his)

But if we can’t WILL ourselves to get rid of wrong feelings or to stir up right feelings, what can we do?

Not-So-Helpful Approaches

One not-so-helpful approach is to admit that we can’t do it, and wait for God to change our hearts in his own time.

But God does not tell us to WAIT for him to take away our envy. He commands us to PUT AWAY our envy.

Another not-so-helpful approach is to start acting as if we had the commanded feelings, believing that the feelings will come through the acting.

But if you are envious of your friend, will acting as if you were not envious take away your envy? I don’t think so.

So what can we do to change our feelings?

Faith and Feelings

God’s Word shows that there is a cause-and-effect relationship between faith and feelings.

That’s true regarding joy –

For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. (Psalm 33:21)

And peace –

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. (Isaiah 26:3)

And love for others –

The aim of our charge is love that issues from … a sincere faith. (1 Timothy 1:5)

So when I’m not experiencing joy and peace in Christ, and the resulting outflow of love for others, that shows there’s a problem in my faith.

And the good news is that when I take steps to strengthen my faith, I will experience the Holy Spirit changing my feelings.

Putting Away Envy

Let’s take the example of envy. What can I do if I am feeling envy because my friend is spending more time with someone else than with me?

The fact that I am feeling envious shows that there’s a problem with my faith — I am not trusting all that God promises to be to me in Christ Jesus.

So what promise am I not trusting? And what lie am I trusting?

I am not trusting John 6:35 — that fellowship with Jesus will satisfy all my heart hungers and thirsts. Instead, I’m trusting the lie that to be satisfied I need to have my friend spending more time with me than with someone else.

So what can I do? Here are steps I have found helpful –

First, turn to Jesus as I am.

I don’t need to overcome my envious heart BEFORE coming to Jesus. In fact, the only way I can overcome my envious heart is BY coming to Jesus.

And even though I am struggling with envy, as I look to Christ by faith alone, he welcomes me with open arms (Luke 18:13-14).

Second, confess my envy as sin and receive assurance of forgiveness.

I would confess that I am NOT trusting Christ as my all satisfying treasure, and that I AM trusting my friend to be my all satisfying treasure.

I would confess this as sinful unbelief, and be assured that on the basis of Christ’s death I am fully forgiven, and on the basis of Christ’s righteousness I am fully accepted (1 John 1:9).

Third, ask for the Spirit’s power to change my heart

I can’t change my feelings by my own will power — but the Holy Spirit can.  And will.

So I would pray earnestly for God to increase the Spirit’s work in my heart (Luke 11:13), asking him to help me once again see and feel Christ as my all satisfying treasure.

Fourth, meditate prayerfully on God’s word

The sword the Spirit will use to slay my envy is the word of God (Ephesians 6:17).

So I would take Scriptures that display the glory of Christ, and ponder them, pray over them, and meditate deeply on them.

Fifth, continue until the Spirit changes my heart

Envy shows I have heart hungers and thirsts.  But Jesus promises that if we will come to him and believe in him he will satisfy all our heart hungers and thirsts in himself (John 6:35).

And coming to him and believing in him is exactly what we are doing in taking these steps.  So as you take these steps you can claim Jesus’ promise that he will meet you and change your heart so you are completely satisfied in him.

So trust his promise, and keep praying and meditating on God’s word, until your heart is so satisfied in Christ that you no longer feel envy.

That’s How

That’s how to “put away all … envy.”  Not by gritting your teeth and trying not to feel envy.  Not by waiting for God to change you.  Not by acting like you are free from envy in hope that your actions will change your feelings.

But by understanding that sinful feelings are caused by unbelief.  And by fighting the fight of faith until your faith is strengthened so you once again feel joy and peace in Christ, and love for others.

– See more at: http://livingbyfaithblog.com/2014/04/25/why-willpower-alone-cant-produce-obedience/#sthash.fa5lWjbe.dpuf

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