Why is it so Hard to Live the Christian Life
Why is it so Hard to Live the Christian Life?
We allow so many worldly things to occupy our thoughts, the Word cannot have
the pre-eminence in our lives.
We're in the greatest battle ever fought. It's a struggle of Life against
DEATH. Satan is set to besiege us in all three realms of body, spirit, and
soul. The only way we can have the victory is get into Christ. He's already
overcome. If we are truly born into Him, we too are over comers, and can
live above sin.
Because Jesus paid the price for our salvation, we can come into Christ by
faith in the Word God is fulfilling in our day. To receive Him is to receive
the Spirit, to receive the Spirit is to be born again. The New Birth comes
only by a clear understanding of the Word God is fulfilling now.
If we can only find His promises for OUR day and through faith and obedience
see that Word manifesting through us, we will be born again. There is no
other way. Unless we are walking in the Light of the Word He is manifesting
NOW, we are not and cannot come under the Blood, or be born again (I John
1:7). God is only writing epistles of the PRESENT Truth. In each of the
Seven Church Ages, God allotted a portion of Word or Spirit, and by
foreknowledge, predestinated a people who would fulfill It.
Once we're born-again, the Bible becomes a new Book. Suddenly It makes
sense. Former understandings seem childish. Our victory is assured, but only
our soul has been redeemed. It's born a 'spirit babe', unskilled in the Word
of righteousness. As we grow in the faith and grace of God, we apply that
understanding to overcome Satan's attacks in the other realms which make us
a human being: our mortal spirit and our flesh.
Hebrews 4:12: 'For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than
any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and
spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and
intents of the heart'.
We face the same temptations Satan offered Jesus - the lust of the eye, the
lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. The Word discerns whether our
problem is Spiritual, in our mortal spirit, or our flesh. And we must
overcome as He overcame, by the Word of God and prayer.
Once we're mature, we'll know our weaknesses and keep them covered at all
times. Satan is a good adversary. Like a boxer who's studied his opponent,
he targets those weaknesses, and if we don't keep them covered, he's
entitled to punch. If we have some besetting problem, a good way to overcome
it is to do the opposite. Always shun the very appearance of evil. Don't
play with evil, tempting Satan to see how close you can come without
actually falling. Resist the Devil, and He will flee from you.
I John 3:9: 'Whosoever is born of God does not commit sin or disbelieve the
revealed Word for the faith remains in him and he cannot unbelieve because
he is born of God'.
The soul has only one contact: faith, or unbelief. Faith excludes unbelief
in the revealed Word which is sin. Smoking, lying, drinking, adultery,
stealing, and murder are NOT sin, they're the fruit of unbelief. People do
those things because they are sinners. But a life lived by the Word is the
Word expressed, that puts you above sin.
Christians are not sinners (IJohn 3:5-6). But only our soul is regenerated,
the nature of the world is still in our spirit and body because they're of
the world and desire the things of the world. Once we're born again, we
bring them subject to the Word.
First, apply the Word to bring under subjection the five senses through
which the world contacts our spirit: affection, memory conscience,
reasoning, and imagination. Next, we bring the five senses of the flesh:
see, hear, taste, touch, and smell, subject to that sanctified spirit.
If we are going to overcome in this spiritual battle, we'll know our Defense
and our weaknesses, and not underestimate the wiles of the enemy. The
weapons of our warfare are not carnal, our defense and our attack is through
applying the Word of God by faith, not church fellowship and psychology.
The Anointing is not emotions; the Anointing is Supreme Power in control.
The greatest Anointing ever given anyone was to Jesus Christ. We have the
Spirit by measure. As we to grow-up into the Life of Christ, we lay aside
our own will, and our carnal desires, maturing into the likeness of Him
which is by Faith. But so long as we have mortal spirits and corruptible
bodies, we'll have problems in our flesh and spirit. Yet if we're born of
God, we cannot sin. Quickly we'll repent of our mistakes, put them under the
Blood, make restitution where possible, and forgetting those things which
are past, press toward the mark of our high calling in Christ.
So don't be discouraged, saint of God, we are more than conquerors through
Christ Jesus who strengthens us by Spiritual understanding of His Bible,
quickening our mortal flesh to the Word, and every One. Faith is our
victory, seek greater understanding, for no true believer is any stronger
and spiritually alive than his knowledge of and adherence to the pure Word
of God.
e-mail to: ags@biblebelievers.org.au