Effectively coping with our humanity:
We have an innate thirst for God that persists even when we try to deny His existence. Why? It’s because deep down we know that He is the source of unconditional love. Yet many think that love is hard to connect with.
The only reason it is difficult is because our human side wants to wallow in the ways of the world. When we do that, we are bound by the anxieties that are weaved within the present culture, which reflects the ongoing demise of this system of things.
Those who have not reached out to God face the real potential of drowning in meaningless chatter, falling prey to the fantasies of pagan idolatry, suffering the world’s negativity and of frittering away their short time on this planet on empty busyness, projects and causes – all designed to try to impart some self-worth upon the doer. None of these activities glorify God, denying them the love, acceptance, security and recognition that they so desperately seek.
The ultimate outcome is a life that is not lived.
We all live in a world that is under the sway of the devil himself, who is actively trying to recruit us in every moment.
Thus, even though we live in it, we have to stop being at the effect of it. The only way to do that is to seek out our Creator in simple stillness.
Regardless of how the world has humbled us, or even our own behaviors have humiliated us, there continually remains a loving, compassionate God that looks to restore us with His outstretched hand:
‘Do not fear [anything], for I am with you; Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, be assured I will help you; I will certainly take hold of you with
My righteous right hand [a hand of justice, of power, of victory, of salvation].’ Is. 41:10 AMP
God also knows that because of pride, many need this humbling before they can see their need for Him. It’s what draws them to the truth, making them ready to take on a new way of being.
It requires that one gets to know what their attachment points to the world have been, so that they can ask God to help them let those go. And it’s easy to find those points, because they exist in the areas of life that are not working, where the mistakes are made – showing up in self-defense and aggression. This is especially so in our attachment to the past.
When you connect with God through Christ, your past is forgotten in His eyes.
And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the Lord.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already,” says the Lord. “And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.” Jr. 31:34 NLT
So, if God forgets it, you should do the same.
Yet even when we walk our spiritual path – studying the word, meditating in His presence, and do our best to bring light into the darkness, we will feel that we have failed God from time to time.
Only God knows whether or not you were successful and He honors your earnest efforts regardless of the outcome.
And it is here where we can begin to shift our thinking. First, we can let go of the burden that we can of our own, become a good person. Jesus says that we cannot:
Jesus answered, “Why are you asking Me about what is [essentially] good? There is only One who is [essentially] good; but if you wish to enter into eternal life, keep the commandments.” Mt. 19:17 AMP
He says God confers His ‘goodness’ upon us when we walk in obedience. He places the gift of Himself within us through Christ by His grace.
We can acknowledge that by ourselves (in the flesh) we are empty – painfully clinging to the scraps of life that fail to fulfill.
When we accept God’s invitation through Christ, the Holy Spirit fills us with the Godhead, imparting a love that permeates our soul and spirit with such abundance that it spills out of us as well. As we stay in the presence of that love, we will stop clinging to the old way of life that left us wanting.
Our human side will not go away. It’s part of us until our eternal transformation. Yet when we continue to seek out our spiritual side, we’ll be able to place our flesh in its proper hierarchy, which is where it is in submission to the spirit.
Remember that your spiritual maturation is an ongoing process:
So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. 2 Co. 3:18 NLT
it will take time. Christ is the author and perfecter of your faith:
…let us run with endurance and active persistence the race that is set before us, 2 [looking away from all that will distract us and] focusing our eyes on Jesus, who is the Author and Perfecter of faith [the first incentive for our belief and the One who brings our faith to maturity], who for the joy [of accomplishing the goal] set before Him endured the cross, [b]disregarding the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God [revealing His deity, His authority, and the completion of His work].Heb. 12:1,2. AMP
Your faith is from Him! It is He who believes for you. You can always tap into Jesus to shore yours up.
In this maturity, we begin to take our minds off of ourselves so that we could dive into the unique purpose that God created for each of us – which always involves selfless service to others, bringing glory to our Father. It is the sharing of oneself. It is looking to God for our satisfaction.
Finally, to keep us empowered in our quest in advancing God’s kingdom, we give the Holy Spirit’s leading inspirations pre-eminence in our lives for directing our actions, so that we speak God’s truth and spread HIs love. And we can do that when we place a little bit of our human side aside…
Goodnight and God bless.