m) WE HAVE already declared in the previous Chapters what we have to overcome and how. The Lord desires that we also SEE and understand another practical side of overcoming our self, what the “denying of our self and taking up our cross and following the Lord” (Mt. 16:24) really means. What does it mean to say “I die daily”, (1Cor. 15:31) to “crucify my flesh” (Gal. 5:24) or to “reckon myself dead” (Rom. 6:11), etc.
Here we must repeat and register in our conscience the fact that DEATH IS NOT AN END OF EXISTENCE; rather, it is a SEPARATION. Hence, to “DIE”, to “BE CRUCIFIED” practically means TO BE SEPARATED FROM THE NATURE (SOURCE) OF SIN, FROM THE FLESH, from the spirits that cause us to sin and keep us in bondage of living in our old, natural soul. They will then lose all their power and influence over us.
THE DEATH OF OUR OLD SELF THEN MEANS THE SEPARATION OF OUR SOUL FROM ITS NATURE OF SIN; NOT FROM OUR SINS AS DEEDS, WHICH WE COMMIT, BUT FROM ITS VERY NATURE OF SIN, LAW OF SIN, SPIRIT OF SIN, SOURCE OF SIN, WHICH CAUSES US CONTINUALLY TO SIN. THAT IS THE TRUE DELIVERANCE OF OUR SOUL, ITS TRUE PERFECTION, WHOLENESS, HOLINESS AND ITS TRUE AND FULL SALVATION!
OUR CREATED SOUL (HEART, MIND, WILL) DOES NOT CEASE TO EXIST WHEN IT DIES TO ITS SINFUL NATURE!
When the Lord brings us through darkness or evil or problems or testing or conflict or troubles of any kind, He is then able to show us WHO WE ARE, where our soul fails, where it reacts in an old and unacceptable way, where it is influenced or even governed by the forces of darkness and evil, where it keeps producing bitter and wild fruit that is not acceptable to the Lord. The Lord shows us where our soul needs to “die”, which is to say, to be separated from the forces that cause our soul to fail.
When we then SEE and understand what we need and what the Lord hates, we are then called by the Lord to decide by our free will to BE DELIVERED from it, to be SEPARATED from it, FREED from it. It is important for us to realize that unless we SEE what is sinful, unacceptable and what the Lord hates in our soul, we will never be able to confess it and repent from it effectively. That also means that we will not be delivered from it effectively. Let us therefore see and understand the following fact:
WHEN WE “DIE” TO OUR OLD SELF, TO OUR OLD MAN, HE DOES NOT DISAPPEAR FROM OUR LIFE! BEING SEPARATED FROM US, HE LOST HIS INFLUENCE, HIS POWER OVER OUR EARTHLY LIFE. BUT WHEN WE DESIRE HIM TO RETURN, HE IS SUDDENLY “THERE” AND READY TO EMBRACE US AGAIN. HIS “FINGERS SEEM TO BE ALWAYS STICKING OUT OF HIS COFFIN” TRYING TO GET OUR ATTENTION. HE WILL BEG US, REASON WITH US, TEMPT US, PERSUADE US, PAY ANY PRICE JUST SO WE WOULD RECEIVE HIM AGAIN INTO OUR LIFE AND INTO “HIS OLD TIME RELIGION”. HE IS A FOXY PERFORMER AND DIPLOMAT.
But these are things and facts which soulish believers cannot see or understand. Yet, once they start “dying” to their old soulish life, they will be able to start SEEING these things. These facts are vitally important to our destiny and the way by which we will get to our destiny.
The death and resurrection of our SPIRIT AND SOUL determines our future Life (existence in the Presence of God) or, without them, our future Death (existence in a separation from God). TO CHOOSE OUR DESTINY IS OUR PART TO DO, NOT GOD’S PART! Remember Lucifer! God did not choose his destiny, Lucifer chose it in himself. We must also be conscious of the fact that with our choice of Life we are also choosing the conditions that God set for us clearly in His Word – His Covenant with us. These conditions are between Him and us and they include OUR PART TO DO in cooperation with Him, under His guidance, His Power, Wisdom and Grace.
WE CANNOT DO OUR PART OF OUR SALVATION
WITHOUT GOD, AND GOD WILL NOT DO HIS PART
OF OUR SALVATION IN US – WITHOUT US!
The above truth may also explain most of our failures, pains and frustrations we experience in our salvation process during our earthly lives. We, who mean “business” with Our Lord and are not just “weekly visitors in a building with stained windows”, are undoubtedly experiencing all kinds of difficulties and pains, problems, frustrations even tragedies during our earthly life as born-again, baptized believers. All these ill consequences are always due to the above spiritual facts and whether we are learning them during our Christian life or not. We must say the following:
WHENEVER WE TRY TO DO GOD’S PART IN OUR SALVATION PROCESS, WE ALWAYS FALL, AND THAT FALL WILL ALWAYS CAUSE US PAIN, SUFFERING, MISUNDERSTANDING, FRUSTRATION AND MANY OTHER ILL EFFECTS, EVEN HARDENING OF OUR HEARTS TOWARD TRUTH OR EVEN TOWARD GOD HIMSELF.
WHENEVER WE TRY TO DO OUR PART IN OUR SALVATION PROCESS WITHOUT GOD, IN OUR OWN POWER AND OWN WAYS, WE AGAIN FALL AND THE SAME ILL CONSEQUENCES FOLLOW!
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To be continued next week in chapter 5 – part 10
brother Hanola
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