A great book . . ."When Trying Hard Isn't Enough." (By Neil Anderson) I wanted to share a few insights and quotes from this book, but first I feel like sharing what's happening in my walk with God. Doug and I aren't able to commit to any "cell groups" right now, and I guess I kind of use the tool of the internet as an inter-net cell group. ;) :) This is my way of getting to know others better as well as letting myself be known.
I have to say the more I look at Christ and His Performance, His Sacrifice, His Life and not my own, the freer I've become. Jesus says, "learn of Me . . .know Me." The less introspection of self and the more looking upon Jesus, looking at the Light, the brighter and clearer the freedom that He has purchased for me is and it becomes a reality that I can rest in. . . and abide in this Everlasting, Abundant Life freely given and flowing from His Throne of Grace.
I delight in Him even more, because even more I see how futile my own efforts of trying to please God are and how wonderfully satisfied the Father is with His Son's Life and that Life is now mine to rest in. Resting from my own works. He is my Sabbath.
I have found myself becoming a proclaimer of Christ Alone. I am waking up to His Supremacy and Adequacy. I am waking up to Him, and re-discovering hope in Him and am a captive only to His victorious purposes. No longer a yoke of slavery -- trying to please God myself, because "apart from Christ" I can and am nothing. I reckon myself dead. And I fully trust in Him to keep me, guide me and continually create in me His clean Heart!
I am praying for a spiritual awakening to Jesus . . .and a campaign of Hope! I want to be infected and infect others with the hope that is in Christ (our Hope of Glory)!
Have you ever heard of "Fresnel's Fascination?" I recently learned that he was a french scientist (1822) who revolutionized the impact of lighthouses all over the world. "For 2500 years, attempts to improve safety for ships at sea focused on increasing fire-power to intensify lighthouse beams. But Fresnel TOOK A DIFFERENT TACTIC. He studied the characteristics of light itself. It wasn't long before he discovered light waves. Subsequently, he manufactured glass domes that incorporated several prisms compatible with these waves, refracting them with incomparable brilliance. Known as the Fresnel lens, for the next two centuries his invention was used in lighthouses on every ocean!"
"What better strategy for the Church in this hour? It's about us Christians giving priority to the study of the Light-of-the-world as our Light. It's about ceasing exhausting efforts to fuel spiritual fire in our churches with home-made plans and programs and personalities -- ceasing long enough to take stock of the Glory of the One we're called to share with the nations. Instead of focusing so much of our attention on Christian revival and missions, Fresnel's fascination with light itself encourages us to work, first of all, at enlarging our VISION of the REVIVE-ER and SENDER HIMSELF." (Christ Is All! by David Bryant -- another excellent and uplifting book)
I have lived the first 20 years of my Christian life morbidly introspecting and living a campaign of "death to self" and "discipleship" (self-sanctification). Trying to improve and "die daily" to different areas of my life, not realizing that the "death to self and dying daily" really meant dying to my self-righteous efforts to improve myself and the dying daily of my own attempts to satisfy God's Law and "cleaning up my act." As Paul said, to count all these and any efforts apart from faith in Christ is dung.
This sounds heretically dangerous, doesn't it? No, it's infinitely safe! It's complete
trust in an adequate Savior and a wonderful Holy Spirit Who are so good at what They do! Apart from this trust, this convinced faith, that you received when you first believed, and any attempts of self-"circumcised" living . . .you dangerously fall from grace. Because if you attempt to please the Father on your own, you are then required to satisfy the entire Law and you never can. Thus . . . ON CHRIST THAT SOLID ROCK I STAND . . ALL OTHER GROUND IS SINKING SAND!
God, our Merciful and Faithful Father says He has given to those who are born-again (born of the Spirit) a New Heart with His laws written in our hearts. He has changed our natures, Himself, by exchanging our corrupt nature with that of His Beloved Son -- the Divine Nature. And as "partakers of this Divine Nature" we now, without even trying "love the good and hate the evil rather than loving the evil and hating the good." He has circumcised our hearts! It was an inside job! Transformation freely from the Father as we responded to His invitation and Grace, paid for by the Son and executed by the Holy Spirit. And THIS is how the walk continues . . . in the same way. A walk of continued response to that on-going blessing of His Grace and Mercy, and is executed thru the Resurrection Power of Christ and delivered to us wholly by the Holy Spirit. That walk of response removes all self-boasting and unrighteous judgments of others. . . giving us a complete hope and loving forbearance for others.
His rod and staff is my delight because it confirms my sonship. Blessed conviction and sweet, comforting forgiveness and restoration -- continually, on-going and blessed fellowship with a personal God. Walking in faith, an extremely personal faith. No longer attempting self-perfection but rather abiding in the Perfect One, believing in His constant care and maintenance of His Salvation in me. I am learning to stop "trying" and have begun just "being" His. And when the walk and life slip because I took my eyes off of Him and looked at the wind and the waves of this world -- rather than diving into self-disappointment (which is just my pride) and condemnation, I look UP and receive His Hand of Restoration and look into His eyes of Redeeming Love and begin again that "supernatural" walk on the waters of His Life. For it is no longer I who live, but Christ Who lives in me.
I have found that heeding to the Savior's warning regarding the "leaven of the pharisees" and receiving a continual feed of the antidote of His Grace has helped me de-tox from a toxic faith and another Gospel. Living in the freedom and liberty of the Spirit of Christ vs the slavery and yoke of bondage to the law and the letter of that law. For the Law brings death, but the Spirit brings Life Eternal.
So . . . WHAT IS LEGALISM? Well, I used to have a more surface-type definition. It was and it is the following of very strict religious rules and regulations and man-made traditions in order to satisfy God (usually portrayed as very strict and angry). . . . these are the more "obvious" manifestations of legalism. Since learning to rest in Him, and backing away from self-attempts of pleasing God, I'm seeing the more subtle forms of this deception and have come to realize and agree with the Word that really, this is where the anti-Christ spirit really inhabits and empowers itself.
I have found out the "hard way" that just as in prisons of any control (communism, prisons, etc -- any incarcerations of mind and spirit) can be cruel and heartless physical bondages . . . spiritual bondage is worse. . . and deadly. There is a "camp" where joy is stolen, faith is sometimes killed and hope is often destroyed. It is called LEGALISM.
Trying Hard . . . the question we need to ask ourselves (a safe introspection) should be 1) Do you sum up the Christian life as "trying hard to do what God commands?" And when you fall short, do you come under condemnation and guilt and shame? Do you frequently live in the grip of guilt? Do you feel like you "don't measure up" to God's expectations? In your striving to measure up, do you struggle with a concept of God that He is scrutinizing your every move with a constant scowl of disapproval and thinking, "when will they ever get their act together?"
2) Do you think rigid rules and strict standards are an important part of the life and teaching in your church? Do you often wonder, "Where's the Good News?" Do you come away feeling that there's no hope for you? Do you come under the self-assessment that you're never going to "make it?" Do fear, doubt and unbelief rule in your heart and walk?
If your answer is "yes," you are living a very popular form of legalism -- A performance-based Christianity that opposes the truth that apart from Christ we can do nothing. (john 15:5) This bondage (heavy yoke) involves a striving to avoid sin and do right more than pursuing an intimate, personal relationship with God.
I got GOOD NEWS! God has already cleared the path for us! It is finished! The path is clear! Jesus cleared it. And He maintains it and keeps it clear for us. Its His work as we walk out our personal faith-relationship with God the Father, through abiding in His Son, and walking in loving obedience through the Person and Power of the Holy Spirit. Legalism, on the other hand, is a spiritual wasteland. It robs the joy of His Salvation. It's fruit is fear, unbelief and pride. It is an enemy of our LIberty and freedom Christ died for.
It is my prayer that while decrying the sin of self-righteousness, I won't become self-righteous . . . I already know in my heart how easy it is to "cross the line" and become judgmental while exposing judgmentalism. But I so much want more of this liberty and freedom . . . this easier yoke of Christ alone. I want to focus on Him and be Christ-conscious rather than focusing on myself and being "sin-conscious." I'll just leave all that up to the Potter and relax in His capable hands, letting Him mold me and make me whatever and whenever and however He desires.
What a relief . . . .
I am a recovering legalist!
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