Will Of God - Part II

Walking in God’s will:

Why must one walk in God’s will? This is an intriguing question because the answer to this question would direct us into looking at the foundations of our faith. We must remind ourselves of the Gospel and the question as to ‘why’, will dissolve itself in the Gospel for there is no other Name by which we can be saved and there is none that ‘willed’ for us to take us to our Home, beyond the grave to the celestial shore. The question dissolves itself or loses its meaning once we acknowledge the lordship of Jesus Christ over our lives. To ask ‘why should one walk in God’s will?’ is to questionone’s own commitment to follow Jesus Christ. A commitment to follow Jesus is a commitment to walk in the will of God.

The will of God is certainly the best we can have for our lives, ever. Because of the mystery that exists in this will of God for our lives, in life’s situations many a time, we fail to see the beauty and majesty of God’s will and sovereignty in our lives and thereby fail to trust Him. This makes us stoop down into situations rather than focussingon Jesus, who has willed and designed our lives for His glory. He knows the big picture and we will do well if we would simply trust Him through all our situations. Yet, God has not left us in the dark to wander about without any directions but God has placed many a sign-posts along the way and has given us His precious Holy Spirit, the Counsellor, to guide and lead us in all our ways. A life, lived according to God’s will is glorious and the end thereof is eternal life.

I have borrowed the following principles from the book, ‘The Grand Weaver’ by Ravi Zacharias. It was expedient for me to do this as it provides clarity in what I intend to share with you. Although, the content of it, I’ve written it as the Lord has led me.

ABCD’s to walk in God’s will:

A - Asking without pettiness.

B - Being before doing

C - Convictions without compromise

D - Discipline without drudgery

Asking without pettiness:

⁹“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ¹⁰“For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks, finds, and to him who knocks, it will be opened. ¹¹“If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? ¹²“Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? ¹³“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”. Luke 11:9-13.

Jesus spoke these words to His disciples. He urged them to ask, to seek and to knock. Let us then ask, seek and knock! What do we ask of God? Here, when Jesus quotes of asking of the heavenly Father, He speaks of asking for the Holy Spirit and not a material or a physical thing. We must ask without pettiness. The verse speaks of us receiving the Holy Spirit as well as being filled with Him each day. As we read in the following verses, it’s Him who can guide and lead us to know the Will and the mind of God.

⁹ However, as it is written:

“What no eye has seen,
    what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”—
    the things God has prepared for those who love him—

¹⁰ these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.¹¹ For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.¹² What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.¹³ This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. ¹⁴ The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.2 Corinthians 2:9-14.

If there be God’s will for one’s life and if he must walk by and in it, then he must be filled with the Holy Spirit. It is not an event that happens on some special occasion but it is an everyday experience of being renewed in Spirit. We see, in the life of Jesus that He would seclude Himself to be alone with the Father, so must you seclude yourself to be alone with God. It is not the spirit of this world, but it is the blessed Spirit of God that the redeemed of Christ have. So then, child of God, be renewed in the Spirit each day, be led by the Spirit of God and walk in step with the Spirit. How shall I renew myself in Spirit each day? It is simply by sitting in His presence with absolute surrender and asking of the Holy Spirit to come and fill you. Then, there shall be a flame that never goes out, a communion that never ceases and in all your walk, you will walk in the Will of God.

Being before doing:

We are God’s marvelous created ‘beings’ and not doings. As uniquely as we were created, we were created for the glory of God. Herein, what is impressed is this, you and I,‘being’ a child of God goes before any of our doings. When we believe in Jesus Christ, we become new creatures in Christ Jesus, born not of the flesh but of the Spirit, a heavenly being called to live with eternal purposes. This ‘being’ that you and I are by believing in Jesus, takes its preeminence before the actionscome forth through us.

Everything that we do, must always be an act that is birthed from the beings we are. We are the children of God, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. Also, we see in the life of Joseph, though opportunity presented itself before him to commit adultery, Joseph, ‘being’ one who fears God fled from the place. His ‘being’ went before his doing and thereby he kept himself holy. (Genesis 39:9). It is very much necessary for you and me to ask ourselves whether the action that is done is fitting for a child of God. The identity that you have in Christ goes way before what you and I may do. We may ask ourselves questions like these: Will a child of God do this? Will a child of God choose this? Et cetera.

Convictions without compromise:

Jesus said that the Spirit of God will convict us of sin, righteousness and judgment. There are several convictions that the Spirit of God has given and continues to give us. This includes personal convictions as well as impersonal convictions. It is paramount for us to have ‘convictions without compromise’ to walk in God’s will. We must be willing to be led by the Spirit of God and must have convictions that we will not compromise on which the Spirit of the Lord has given us. It is very important that our convictions must be shaped and given by the Spirit of God, else they might lead us away from God’s will and His purposes.

We all have convictions, if we do, we must check whether it be of the Spirit of God or by our own fleshly intentions. Now, having convictions that is given by the Spirit of God, it is necessary that we do not compromise on them in our walk with God. I love this passage in the book of Daniel of Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.

We read in Daniel, chapter 3. King Nebuchadnezzar sets up a golden image for all officials and peopletobow down and worship at the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music. The Word of God speaks of three, Hananiah(Shadrach), Mishael(Meshach) and Azariah(Abed Nego), who held on to their convictions with no compromise despite the King’s command. Their faith in God was with unflinching boldness. Having refused to obey the King’s command, they are summoned before the King. They stood regal before the King and replied with great effrontery as the following passage shows us,

¹³ Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, ¹⁴ and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? ¹⁵ Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?”

¹⁶ Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. ¹⁷ If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us^[c] from Your Majesty’s hand. ¹⁸ But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

It is important that we have convictions without compromise as these children of God had. Their convictions went beyond their own lives. They were willing to lay down their lives but will not compromise on their conviction of worshiping the only true living God. Their conviction was rooted in their obedience to the commands of God. They trusted God beyond their lives according to His sovereign Will. It is not that God is incapable of saving them from the fiery furnace but even if the latter be the sovereign will of God, they were willing to yield themselves but not compromise. However, we see how God saved them from the fiery furnace and glorified His name throughout the kingdom. It is the same when we hold on to the convictions given by the Holy Spirit without compromise, we bring glory to God.

The same can be said of the apostles when they declared to the persecuting officials that it was necessary for them to obey God rather than men. It is the same of Joseph, Daniel and many saints of God who held on to their convictions with no compromise.

In our walk in God’s will, it is clear that many a time we walk away from His will when we truly do not have convictions in many areas of our life. I believe it is expedient for us to have convictions that are guided by the Holy Spirit and thereby walk in His will.

Discipline without drudgery:

In walking with God’s will, I believe we must have discipline without drudgery. Having a discipline everyday might be mundane and ritual yet I greatly believe it is necessary to walk in God’s will.

It’s written “Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”Proverbs 1:7 (NLT).

⁵ And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
    and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
⁶ because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
    and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”

⁷ Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? ⁸ If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. ⁹ Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! ¹⁰ They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness.¹¹ No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.Hebrews 12:5-11.

God disciplines those he loves.

But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.1 Corinthians 9:27.

In like manner, discipline is necessary to walk in the will of God. I believe this to be one of the most important discipline of a child of God, to spend time in the presence of Jesus every day. We must speak to him and spend time in His presence each day without drudgery.

That’s all with the principles. I would like to conclude with an excerpt from the book ‘On Being a servant of God’ by Warren W. Wiersbe.

“If you’re serving in the will of God, you’re like Esther: “You have come to the Kingdom for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14). What God starts, He finishes (Phil. 1:6). If you decide to quit, He will lovingly discipline you until you’re willing to obey, just as He did with Jonah. If you persist in your rebellion, He may put you on the shelf and label you “disqualified” (1 Cor. 9:27). God will get his work done either with you or without you (Esther 4:14), but you’re the loser if you quit. 

You must depend on the eternal purposes of God and the unchanging promises of God if you’re to keep going when the going is tough. Take my word for it, the going will be tough; but God’s purposes and promises will not fail."

I urge you then to take out time, give yourself to God in prayer and surrender to Him to walk in His will. A life lived according to the will of God is glorious irrespective of what we walk through. Greater trials bring greater glory. God bless you.

                                                                     Allen Joseph Abraham

        SRM Alumnus

            Instrumentation and Control Engineering

Will of God - Part I

PART I

In the recent days I had come to a point of desperation to know what God has planned in my life, His purpose for my life and His Will. In such a quest, God taught me certain things regarding life’s purpose and His Will in our lives. As I write this, I am certain it will bless you. This blog on the ‘Will of God’ will be published as two blogs as it is difficult to cover the subject in a single blog.

Will of God:

This is a huge subject to study and what I write here regarding the Will of God is too little. However, I pray earnestly that it will help you to understand what it is. The Will of God is His heart’s desire, His purpose, His persistent intent. When we look through all of Scriptures, we can understand that the Will of God is revealed in three distinct ways as R. C. Sproul puts it:

1     .      The decretive will of God or His sovereign will;

2     .      The preceptive will of God; and

3     .      The dispositional will of God.

The Decretive Will:

Though the term sounds like a theological jargon, it isn’t. It is derived from the word ‘decree’ which means ‘decide with authority’. This speaks of God’s will that cannot be altered by any man or by any event. It’s the will that He has decreed and none can ever bring about a change in it. This will of God is clearly seen in several events throughout the ages. Job, at the end of his sufferings, speaks of this sovereign will of God saying, “I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted”. (Job 42:2) We see God’s decretive will revealed in our own lives as we look at our own lives. You and me, we did not have the choice to choose our parents or our siblings. It was His sovereign will that brought forth all of these in our lives. His sovereign will is always at work in our lives, every day. His sovereign will for our life prevails through every circumstance and situation. There are several things, you may wonder, how could this have happened in my life, you must remember that it’s His decretive will which is unfolding in our lives. As we ponder at the decretive will of God in our lives, it’s appropriateto look at the scripture from Jeremiah 29:11. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future”. Although this was a prophesy to the people of Israel, we must understand that it applies to each of us as well. This scripture reveals the significant purpose of God intricately placed within the decretive will of God. The decretive will of God demonstrates God’s sovereignty over every creature. Yet, it is very important to understand that the decretive will of God does not overrule the freedom ofwill that God has freely given to every individual. Now, the things that are not under your control are always under God’s control and His will overrules them all. This is His decretive Will. This reveals much of His godliness in the light of His sovereignty. God has a plan in your life, that which is decretive and that which has a purpose in itself, that which is to prosper you, that which gives you a hope and a future. There is much to know and understand of God’s sovereign will but I shall end here.

The Preceptive will of God:

Few term this as the permissive will of God. This ‘will’ in all its essence is interwoven with our will. This will reveals God’s intent towards us and His desire for us. God has laid down precepts (commandments) for His children and He expects His children to walk in them. A man’s free will is tested if it is obedient to God by the preceptive will of God. God has given us His commandments and He has commanded us to walk in it, yet He has given us the free will to decide for ourselves, whether we would walk in them or not. Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments”. (John 14:15). Jesus didn’t enforce it upon His disciples to follow His commandments but He gave them the choice to either love Him or not. ‘If you love me’: making it clear that it is by their own will, they choose to love Him and if they love Him, then they are obliged to follow His commandments. John writes in his epistle, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome”. (1 John 3:5). The love that we have for God is expressly revealed in walking according to His commandments and to a redeemed soul, His commandments are not burdensome.

Personally to each of us, God’s preceptive will means to walk and be in the will of God by our own choice. Jesus said, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to accomplish His work”. (John 4:34). The will of the Father was as food to Jesus Christ. In other words, His life on earth was sustained and lived by fulfilling the will of the Father. This must be the same believers;their sustenance and living is by knowing and walking in His will every day. I’ll address these in depth later. For now, the preceptive will of God is laid down in His Word and all those who choose to love Him are obliged to know and walk in it.

The dispositional will of God:

This is God’s dispositional will, in effect, it is what God is ‘willing’ but this does not overrule man’s free will. Jesus said, “In the same way your Father in heaven is not ‘willing’ that any of these little ones should perish”. (Matthew 18:14). Peter writes in his epistle, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is long suffering toward us, not ‘willing’ that any should perish but that all should come to repentance”. (2 Peter 3:9).  It’s His dispositional will that none should perish but all should have eternal life and yet many perish as they choose to walk in their own ways. We clearly see how a man’s free will is not affected in any measure by God’s will in any way.

As I’ve written earlier, much of our wills and us living our lives deal with the preceptive will of God. As we walk in the preceptive will of God, His will of disposition becomes our will of disposition and with that comes a burden for the souls that are lost.

The will of God that is displayed in these three distinct ways help us understand the working of God in our lives in full measure. Irrespective of our experiences or events in life, God’s plan and His intent toward us is always good. As God’s children, several things that we go through in life would have nothing to do with ourselves but will have everything to do with His plan for our lives. As we walk in His will, let us continue to trust Him, because He is our Father.

In the next blog, I will be sharing on how we can walk in the will of God. 

Allen Joseph Abraham

SRM Alumnus

Instrumentation and Control Engineering

Gratitude

Living with gratitude has not come easily for me.

I know I should count my blessings, but sometimes it’s just easier to count my miseries. That comes more naturally. And miseries capture my thoughts and interrupt my days more readily than blessings. But counting my miseries seems to shrink my soul, and in the end I am more miserable than when I began.

We are, for the most part, troubled people. We are troubled within, and troubled without. We are troubled in our bodies, and in our families. We are troubled with our relatives. We are troubled with our property disputes. We are troubled when we see our loved ones in pain! We are troubled in our workplaces, and in our churches. We are troubled in our neighborhoods, and across our nation.

We welcome trouble with our sin, but we are plagued by trouble even in our best efforts. Job’s friend, Eliphaz, while not the best counselor, got it right when he said, “Man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward”(Job 5:7). Jesus himself said, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33).

Therefore, we, for the most part, are burdened people, because troubled hearts carry heavy burdens with them.

And in the midst of all our nearly constant and complex trouble, Jesus says to us, “Let not your hearts be troubled” (John 14:1). And Paul, who knew more constant and complex trouble than most of us will know, says to us, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Desire Diminishes Gratitude

 I have often lived my life when my focus  on what I don’t have has blinded me to all that I have received from God. Desire has diminished gratitude. And I know I’m not alone. Many of us live so focused on what we don’t have that we miss the present gifts we could be enjoying. We’re blessed and discontented, with lowered joy and heightened dissatisfaction.

Singles pine for marriage; couples for freedom. The unemployed long for jobs; workers for weekends. Childless couples yearn for a baby; parents for sleep. We want what we don’t have — until we have it. And then we want something more or something else. 

Enjoying Gifts, Not the Giver

Of course, we’re not always moping for what we don’t have. We’re not afraid to enjoy the good things of this world. Billions of people daily experience trillions of moments of pleasure, joy, and satisfaction. But this creates another massive problem: Most of those moments are enjoyed without any response of thankfulness to God.

Even when we don’t miss the gift, we often miss the Giver. This thanklessness deeply troubled the apostle Paul, who diagnosed it as an act of rebellion against God:

“Although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened” (Romans 1:21).

Paul connected the sin of thanklessness with idolatry. Instead of thanking God for what he gives, we assign ultimate value to things God made, worshiping and thanking them instead of God. It’s what Israel did at Mount Sinai: claiming the golden calf had brought them out of Egypt, they gave honor and thanks to a pile of gold.

Heaviest Heart in History

No one in the history of the world was burdened in his soul like Jesus on Thursday, April 2, AD 33. No one — no grieving spouse in a solitary house, no weeping parent beside a child’s grave, no heart shattered by a love betrayed, no wordless ache for a wandering prodigal, no desolate soul staring at a terminal test result, no felon in an isolated cell of relentless shame knows the burden that pressed upon Jesus as he walked up the stairs to share the final meal of his mortal life on this earth.

Worship Grows in Gratitude

Often the things that pour off our tongues to others can be complaints of things not going our way or how we’ve been mistreated by others. We’re a rights-oriented culture, and if we don’t get what we think is rightfully ours, we storm off in anger or despair. Often, we slip on the sins of entitlement and discontentment down the slope to anxiety and depression. We can become surrounded by dark thoughts and unmet expectations that weigh down our hearts and put a cloud over our minds.

On the other hand, we will never be able to lift our hearts from despair to worship without expressing thanks to God. The theme of thanksgiving runs throughout all of Scripture. In the Psalms we’re commanded to give thanks to God:

Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples! (Psalm 105:1)

Thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! (Psalm 107:8)

Remember to Say “Thank You”

The spiritual cost to us of being thankless is much higher than we might think. Thanklessness is not merely the absence of verbalizing a “thank you.” It is a symptom of spiritual dullness, of spiritual poverty. Because it is taking for granted and not appreciating grace being shown to us.

Parents know what this looks like. Children, being born self-centered sinners, naturally take for granted all the blood, sweat, tears, and dollars their parents invest in them. So parents are frequently reminding their children to give thanks.

“Remember to thank your mother for making dinner.”
“Thank your grandparents for that nice birthday gift.”

Why do parents do this? For most, it isn’t merely to get their children to perform a social courtesy. What they want is for their children to see grace and feel thankful. 

Gratitude is a virtue most worthy of our cultivation. Indeed, in all the Christian life, gratitude is to be planted, watered, dressed, and harvested. Gratitude gets at the very essence of what it means to be created, finite, fallen, redeemed, and sustained by the God of all grace.

Our Gratitude Is to Be Pervasive

In everything give thanks. Not in some things, but in all things. Every thing, every area of life is to be a the subject of thanksgiving. There's so much to be thankful for.

• Spiritual things — if you didn't have anything else but Jesus, you would have enough to praise God for all eternity. 
• Simple things — you should be thankful for your families, health, food, and even a glass of water. Thank God for the simple things. Thank God for the people He has placed in your life, for the Fellowship He has provided us here at SRM.
• Sorrowful things — you can even be thankful for the heartaches, the pains, and the sufferings.Romans 8:28 says, "...All things work together for good...." That is, the thing itself is not good, but it is God Who is working all things together for good.

Do you want to live on the highest level of life? Cultivate the attitude of gratitude always and in all things. I don't care how bad, difficult, dark, or mysterious things get; take the ultimate step of faith and say, "God, You're greater than this, and I thank You." You say, "Well, I don't feel like thanking Him." Don't thank Him by feeling; thank Him by faith. You're not told to feel thankful but to be thankful. Nothing shows your faith in the absolute sovereignty of God more than just simply thanking God in every situation.

Abhilasha Dey

II Year

Computer Science and Engineering

HANDLING TEMPTATIONS!

It is God’s grace that I write this blog regarding temptations. There is none that escape temptations as everyone goes through it for God allows it in our lives that we may come through victorious in all of them. God is omniscient and there is no event that takes place in our lives without God knowing about it. He allows temptations in our lives that we may endure and escape it, for there is greater glory that awaits us when we overcome temptations. Indeed Jesus suffered through temptations as we read in the Gospels and the author of Hebrews notes it,

        ¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we 
          have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 
          Hebrews 4:15.

If Jesus went through temptations, as His followers, we too would go through it. If He overcame it, we too will overcome it. Jesus was tempted in every way as we are and He overcame every temptation. It is also true that we go through temptations every day. Bottom line. Everyone goes through temptations every day.

As we sojourn in this land pressing forward towards our eternal home, there are several sins that Satan tempts us into, so that we may lose the eternal rewards in God’s kingdom. It is important to understand that Satan is a celestial being and has been present at least since the fall of man and is very deceptive in deceiving God’s children.He plots schemes against God’s children to make them fall and tempts us that we might sin. It is important to understand that there are diverse kinds of sins and therefore, there are diverse kinds of temptations. The list of sins that we may fall into is not exhaustive. In this struggle of overcoming temptations, we overcome one and we see another temptation coming our way and this goes on.

Cause of temptations:

In this discourse, as we discuss about temptations, it is appropriate for us to wonder what causes these temptations. The Bible says:

        ¹³ When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor 
           does he tempt anyone; ¹⁴ but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own 
           evil desire and enticed. ¹⁵ Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is 
         full-grown, gives birth to death. James 1:13-15.

God never tempts anyone, neither is He tempted by anyone. However, God allows temptations in our lives so that we may persevere under it to receive the crown of life. The cause of temptations is our own evil desire as James writes it. The Bible says “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. (Romans 3:23). The sinful nature is present inside all of us as we have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. The psalmist says that we are conceived in sin. Now as sin has entered mankind, the sinful nature exists inside all of us. This sinful nature that is present in us gives birth to the evil desire to do evil and to commit sin. This desire, when it is conceived and grown, it gives birth to sin. How does this happen?

All of us face choices, every single day. Indeed, life is full of choices, from the clothes we wear, to the priorities we set, to almost every single thing we do, we make choices. There is no choice that is made without a desire inclined towards it. At times, we may say that certain choices are made as there is no other option. But, if we break down the situation and look at it, we’ll find that we made a choice desiring the best in a situation. No one can have two desires at equality and yet make a choice. The choice is ultimately made as one desire overtakes the other.

Now, the evil desire present in us motivates us to make the choice, and the choice we make to sin gives birth to sin and when sin fully grows, it causes sickness and brings about death. Death, not of a natural kind, but spiritual.

The Bible says,

        ¹³ No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; 

          he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, 

         he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.1 Corinthians 10:13.

Temptations come our way and all of them are common to mankind. There are no special temptations that we face, differing greatly from what our fellow brothers and sisters face each day. The temptations we face are common to all mankind. Isn’t it comforting to know that we’re not alone in facing these temptations but have one another going through the same temptations? This helps us in being accountable with one another by sharing, bearing up one another in their weaknesses and showing the love of Christ to our fellow brothers and sisters. Indeed, Jesus went through these temptations being born in the human form. And through it all, God is faithful. The temptations we face are those that we can bear and God will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear. This also bears witness of the sovereignty of God over us. Whatever temptations they be, those that we overcame or struggling to overcome, they are not beyond what we can bear and can be overcome through Him who overcame it all. The Bible tells us that God provides us a way out of these temptations so that we may endure them. And it is true in all our temptations, there is always a way out to overcome and not give in.

Now, having understood that, temptations are common to everyone and we can overcome them, let us look deeper into God’s Word to see the directions that God has given us to overcome these common temptations.

Overcoming Temptations:

Every single child of God can overcome temptations, whatever it may be. For God has given His children, His Holy Spirit through whom we overcome these temptations.

Call upon Jesus’ name:

This is a simple thing to do but the multitude of victories that follow are great!

The Bible says,

        ¹⁸ Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are 

          being tempted.Hebrews 2:18.

Jesus suffered temptations and He is able to help those who are being tempted. It is Jesus who can help us during temptations. Many a time while tempted, we forget to call upon the most awesome name, the name of Jesus. Call upon the name of Jesus. I cannot quantify it but there is so much power in the name of Jesus. When we call upon Him, oh, what a sweet release is there from the impoverishing thoughts of temptations. The Bible says,

        ⁹ Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above 

       every name, ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth 

       and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the 

       glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11.

The Lord speaks through Prophet Joel and He says “And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Joel 2:32.

I urge you then call upon Him when you are tempted, call upon Jesus with faith, there is sure relief. For there is salvation in His Name! I cannot explain you enough of the amazing power that is in the name of Jesus. Call upon Him. In many ways when we are tempted, Satan sows thoughts of worldly pleasure and sin and here I urge you brother, when such thoughts arise, shun it and call upon the name of Jesus. Martin Luther King Jr. said, ‘You cannot keep birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair’. This certainly reflects some truth of what we are discussing. Satan may throw thoughts at us, but it is left to us whether we let them grow or disannul them. When such thoughts occur, call upon Jesus’ Name.

His grace is enough:

There is abundance of grace that God has given us through His Son, Jesus Christ. Let us not be ignorant of God’s amazing grace that has saved and is also available to enable us to walk victoriously. The Bible says,

        ¹ Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through 

        our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in 

        which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.

        ¹⁷ For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much 

          more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of 

          righteousness reign in life through one man, Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1-2, 17.

It is important for us to grasp the context of the above verses. To aide that, I encourage you to read through the book of Romans, chapters 3 - 8. In these chapters, Paul writes about the depravity of man, his salvation by faith and through grace, the nature and the works that follow salvation.

The Word of God says, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. (Romans 3:23). We all were sinners before we came to Jesus Christ. The sinful nature is present within us. But when we accepted the Gospel and believed in His name and repented of our sins, we were saved, i.e. we were declared righteous, justified of all our sins because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross. This salvation that we have received is simply because of the grace of God and by our faith upon Him. This was not gained or earned by our works, lest we boast.

Now by this God-given faith, we stand justified before God and have peace with Him through our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, through Jesus Christ, we have access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. I presume that many of us are ignorant of this access we have through Jesus Christ into God’s grace. It is not mere salvation but also abundant grace that God has made available for us.

The Bible makes a comparative statement regarding death and life. Death came through one man’s sin, Adam. And this death has reigned through ages upon everyone. Akin to this, now, we who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness, how much more certain it is that we will reign in life through one man, Jesus Christ. Simply by receiving, God’s abundant provision of grace, we will reign in life and overcome everything pertaining to death – temptations.

        ⁶ For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might

       be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin – ⁷ because anyone who has 

       died has been set free from sin. ⁸ Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also 

       live with him. ⁹ For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again;

      death no longer has mastery over him. ¹⁰ The death he died, he died to sin once for all; 

      but the life he lives, he lives to God.

        ¹¹In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 
       ¹²Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 
      ¹³Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather 
       offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer 
       every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. ¹⁴For sin shall no longer 
       be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. Romans 6:6-14.

This is what happens when we believe and accept Jesus after repenting from our sins: the old man i.e. the old sinful nature is crucified with Jesus and everything of old is done away with and we are set free from sin. When we were baptized, we were baptized into His death and just as Christ was raised from the dead through God’s glory, we too will live a new life. Therefore, we are no longer slaves to sin but we walk in freedom from sin. We have been set free.

Now, God tells us that, in the same way, we ought to count ourselves i.e. consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. I believe this consideration of ourselves as dead must happen every day. It is needed that we remind ourselves each day that we are dead to sin and we are alive to God. How is it that, if we are dead to sin, we find ourselves struggling with sin through temptations? It is because, we are still in our lowly bodies as mortal beings and the sinful nature exists in us but it shall not have dominion over our life as it had dominion in our former way of life.

Therefore, Paul urges us to not let sin reign in our mortal bodies so that we obey its evil desire but must let Christ reign through His Spirit in us. Indeed, Jesus Christ is the Lord of our lives. When we believed in Jesus, we have become His. He has bought us with His precious blood that was shed on the cross and we do not belong to ourselves but to Him. Herein, God has made us stewards of His possession. Therefore, we are not to offer any part of ourselves to sin as an instrument of wickedness but offer every part of ourselves as instruments of righteousness. Although the sinful nature exists, it has no mastery over us, because we are under the grace of God.

Therefore, by His grace and through faith upon Him, we are saved. If we are saved, we have God’s abundant provision of grace. If we have God’s abundant provision of grace, then, we must grow in His grace each day (2 Peter 3:18). If we grow in His grace each day, then sin has no mastery over us. Now, if sin has no mastery over us, we offer ourselves as instruments of righteousness and overcome every temptation. Hallelujah! Let us sit at the feet of Jesus and receive His grace each day.

        ²² But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the 

         benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. ²³ For the wages of 

         sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

         Romans 6:22-23.

Kill sin through His Spirit:

John Owen said, ‘Be killing sin or it will be killing you.’I believe this is true and God through His word demands the same so that we will live.

        ⁵ Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but 

        those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit 

        desires. ⁶ The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life 

        and peace. ⁷ The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s 

        law, nor can it do so. ⁸ Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.

        ⁹ You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if 

       indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they 

      do not belong to Christ. ¹⁰ But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to 

      death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. ¹¹ And if the Spirit of him 

      who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also 

       give life to your mortal bodies because of His Spirit who lives in you.

        ¹² Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation–but it is not to the flesh, 
       to live according to it. ¹³ For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if 
       by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. Romans 8:5-13.

God wants us to live in accordance with the Spirit having our minds set on what the Spirit desires and the fruit of it is life and peace. God reminds us that we are spiritual beings living in the realm of the Spirit and not in the realm of the flesh. We are new creatures in Christ who have the Spirit of God dwelling in us. This Spirit of God gives life in our mortal bodies. Now, there is an obligation, a duty assigned to us. It is an obligation not to the flesh but to the Spirit. The obligation is to put to death the misdeeds of the body by the Spirit so that we will live. As God’s sons, we must fulfill this obligation every day. It is a duty and if we forsake to do it, we will find ourselves succumbing to do the misdeeds of the flesh.

To put to death is to kill every hint of fleshly desire by the power of the Spirit. Although it is mentioned as misdeeds of the body, the misdeeds of the body is the result of yielding our bodies to the fleshly desires. In putting to death, the desires of the flesh by the Spirit, we put to death the misdeeds of the flesh. I believe this happens in the time that we spend alone with God in prayer as we call upon the Spirit of God to fill, strengthen and renew us. We must be filled with the Spirit each day so much so that every carnal desire is burned down in our hearts and minds. We must ask of Him to kill the sinful nature that is at war with God. Paul says “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20) Unto this end we must yield ourselves to the Spirit so that our flesh is crucified with no power to live and have dominion. Let Christ live in and through us.

As there are various sins we may fall into, our fleshly man, if he is allowed to live produces plenitude of fleshly thoughts in our minds. So then, to truly put the sinful nature to death is not merely the absence of fleshly thoughts but the presence of Godly thoughts instead. If indeed the death of the flesh occurs, certainly, the life of the Spirit is manifested.

At times, we see in our lives, that we overcome certain temptations over a period of time and then fall back into it, all over again. In repenting, we wonder ‘how did I yield myself to do such a thing?’We, by the Spirit of God must put to death all the misdeeds of the flesh, sins that we are struggling with as well as the sins we overcame. Let us not grow in complacency towards the sins we overcame for Satan waits for an opportune moment to make us fall into it. We must yield ourselves to His Spirit to put all of them to death each day. Let us be killing sin by the Spirit, else sin will be killing us.

We must put to death the misdeeds of the flesh by the Spirit each day and never cease at doing it, then we will live. If we must forsake it at any day in our lives, we shall find ourselves yielding to the flesh that leads us to sin and ultimately to death.

In overcoming temptations and sins, we can be victorious only through Jesus Christ and by the grace that comes through Him and by His Spirit, whom we have received through Him who lives in us.

An admonition from the Lord:

        ¹”To the angel of church of Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven 

        spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive,      

        but you are dead. ² Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found 

        your deeds unfinished in the sight of God. ³ Remember, therefore, what you have received 

       and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, 

       and you will not know at what time, I will come to you.

        ⁴ Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with 

         me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. ⁵ The one who is victorious will, like them, be 

         dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, 

       but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels.⁶ Whoever has ears, 

        let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Revelation 3:1-6.

It is the victorious or the one who overcomes temptations and those who have not soiled their heavenly garments, who will be dressed in white. But God has made us more than conquerors through Jesus Christ.

        ³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For 
        I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present 
        nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation,
        will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
        Romans 8:37-39.

There is nothing that shall separate us from the love of God, let us love Him with all that we are. I urge you to spend time in prayer with what you have read. If you do not pray, all this becomes as futile knowledge which is ineffective and unproductive for life. But if you will pray now and yield to His Spirit, it will become understanding for your heart which will produce the wisdom of God in your life to live a victorious life.

   Allen Joseph Abraham

   IV Year

   Instrumentation and Control Engineering