Jesus didn’t just provide salvation to get into heaven. He provided the power to walk in newness of life and enjoy heaven on earth. We may not think about this very much but many if not all of us walk in bondages of some sort. Many are very subtle.
I am referring more specifically to patterns in life that we repeat over and over again that get us in trouble. Or simply they are things inbred if you will, through our experiences in life which are then mixed with our natural tendencies that create prisons of habitual behavior that keep us from God’s best in our lives.
Ok that was a mouthful. But I think it makes sense. Anyway you look at it we all have baggage. Stuff that inhibits us living a full life. There are fears that we carry that stop us from making decisions that would be beneficial. Sure we don’t always confront our fears but God does and has! There are also things we do over and over again the same way getting the same results: Wrong results, pain inflicting results. How many times have you thought about things you do and afterward you say to yourself, “why did I get trapped into this again?”. Or am I alone?
I believe as I look at the word of God there is hope to change anything in our life that doesn’t lead us into fuller life and success. God wants us to be successful! So what stops us? Maybe I am just raising the questions more than giving answers to this paradox in life but I do believe the closer we walk with the Lord the more HE will reveal those areas that can be changed.
We make choices. If we are too weak to change the choices we make then we must learn to find strength in His Word, in Him! There is no other way. Eventually as we lean on Him and choose to serve His righteousness we become free from the past pattern and create a new pattern that brings life and fulfillment to us and others around us. Could it be that simple? Well yes and no. Yes because He has provided everything we need for life and Godliness. No because in order to appropriate everything we need we must act differently following His commands.
We need to obey the Word (hopefully rightly interpreting the word) which may be contrary to what we feel at the moment. It is a choice of our will to walk in the newness of life. It is not enough to talk about it, we must act on it.
Ok so here is a simple example that I hope will help. I remember years ago raising my children that as missionaries we really didn’t have much money except for our needs. Nothing extra. So when we were anywhere in stores, etc. when our children would ask for something we would say we don’t have any money. Well after a while (years) I realized that even if we had money for something we would still say we had no money. It became a pattern. And at times a lie. Well this didn’t help me say what God says about me. It doesn’t say what I want to see as a new reality. That is having more than enough! So we finally had to change our speech. Now we would say simply we are not going to buy that now. Or buy it! But the point is we had to change the way we thought automatically until the new automatic no longer left us talking like we never had anything. And of course the reality of things changed over time.
I trust that helps. Look at yourself in the mirror. Listen to yourself when you say things. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you see what you can’t see. Be willing to be discovered by God! And admit you need to change while asking Him to help you. Walk in a new life! Really!
