In my Christianity, I never wanted to be one of those Christians that was always asking God for something. "God help me pay this bill." "Help me stop this or start that." "Bless me with this thing or that person" (I can't be the only one whose prayed that prayer). I considered myself one of those "strong Christians" that only needed God to handle the "big stuff." (How arrogant is that?) The truth is that there is nothing more dangerous to your relationship with God than self-reliance (in any area). When we believe that "we got this" we often find out the hard way how much we do not.
Have you ever failed in an area where you just KNEW you had been delivered?
What happens is that when we think we've overcome a certain thing, we start to give ourselves credit for the deliverance, rather than God, and then walk in pride (which we often try to mask as self-confidence).
"Oh, I'm past THAT!"
"I will NEVER do that again!
"I am SO over him!"
Sound familiar? But think about how many times you have had to recant one of those statements. The truth is that it is God who delivers us and we need Him to STAY delivered. We will never be in a place, no matter how removed we are from some things, that we don't need God to stay removed. Without Him, we will go back and we will do it again. We will get in the same financial bind. We will wake up with the same dude (or a different one). We will gain all the weight back. We will start making emotion driven decisions yet again. In essence, we will revert to what we are accustomed to doing when faced with a new level of challenge, if we take our deliverance for granted and do not make a conscious effort to continually seek God to stay delivered in Him.
Now don't get me wrong, there are some things that, as we mature in God, they will lose their ability to tempt us to return. But make no mistake, that is not because YOU have become so strong that you cannot be tempted. It is ONLY because you have allowed the SPIRIT of God to rule in that area of your life, and the Spirit in you is stronger than the temptation. At any point where you start to believe that "YOU got this," rather than "God got this," God will allow the enemy to show you otherwise. And no matter how mature you "think" you are, faced with the right temptation and an out of balance relationship with God, you are likely to revert back once again.
So, where God has delivered you, stay humble and always only give HIM the glory for your deliverance. Take none for yourself and do not take your deliverance for granted. It is not you who has overcome. It is God in you! So stay alert. The enemy is always lurking close by, trying to figure out how he can destroy you. Stay sober and stay strong in the Lord. You are only as delivered as your current obedience represents. When your obedience ends, so will your deliverance.
Have a great weekend!
Have you ever failed in an area where you just KNEW you had been delivered?
What happens is that when we think we've overcome a certain thing, we start to give ourselves credit for the deliverance, rather than God, and then walk in pride (which we often try to mask as self-confidence).
"Oh, I'm past THAT!"
"I will NEVER do that again!
"I am SO over him!"
Sound familiar? But think about how many times you have had to recant one of those statements. The truth is that it is God who delivers us and we need Him to STAY delivered. We will never be in a place, no matter how removed we are from some things, that we don't need God to stay removed. Without Him, we will go back and we will do it again. We will get in the same financial bind. We will wake up with the same dude (or a different one). We will gain all the weight back. We will start making emotion driven decisions yet again. In essence, we will revert to what we are accustomed to doing when faced with a new level of challenge, if we take our deliverance for granted and do not make a conscious effort to continually seek God to stay delivered in Him.
Now don't get me wrong, there are some things that, as we mature in God, they will lose their ability to tempt us to return. But make no mistake, that is not because YOU have become so strong that you cannot be tempted. It is ONLY because you have allowed the SPIRIT of God to rule in that area of your life, and the Spirit in you is stronger than the temptation. At any point where you start to believe that "YOU got this," rather than "God got this," God will allow the enemy to show you otherwise. And no matter how mature you "think" you are, faced with the right temptation and an out of balance relationship with God, you are likely to revert back once again.
So, where God has delivered you, stay humble and always only give HIM the glory for your deliverance. Take none for yourself and do not take your deliverance for granted. It is not you who has overcome. It is God in you! So stay alert. The enemy is always lurking close by, trying to figure out how he can destroy you. Stay sober and stay strong in the Lord. You are only as delivered as your current obedience represents. When your obedience ends, so will your deliverance.
Have a great weekend!
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