When we become children of God, we are given a new nature. That new nature hates sin and longs to do only that which pleases Daddy. But that new creation is wrapped in a cocoon of cursed and carnal nature. The transformation has not been fully complete. Because of this there is a war within the children of God between the desire to live for Daddy and live for self, to accept His control and solution or to rule our own lives and be our own answer.
There are wrongs that immediately after they are done leave disgust in their wake. We hate that we did that. We may not even understand why, and we really never want to do that again. This is true of believers and non-believers alike. Some sin feels like death from the jump. But some sin is temporarily pleasurable. It satisfies the hunger and longing or meets the need or covers it up or distracts from the problem and pain or stimulates the senses or....... These are different sorts of sins, and not everyone reacts the same. Some things that would bring instant loathing to you might be a huge temptation for me and vice versa. These are the areas that lead to bondage, addiction and habitual sin.
There are many different things that we can be addicted to, but they all have some things in common. They all have elements of obsession and craving. They all provide relief or pleasure or both. They all lead to a point where the damage they cause outweighs the good they do for us, and by that time, they are beyond the ability of the addicted one to simply lay them down and walk away.
The obsessive nature of addiction is the most illogical desire for self destruction. It's the overwhelming desire to play with the fire that you know will burn you. Even after it quits working or when it hurts or does more damage to indulge than not to, those things which hold us in bondage call out to us as though they are still the answer. This time it will work. This time will be like it used to be and the pain, fear, loneliness, emptiness, anxiety, despair, what have you, will be taken away without the side effect of destruction and misery and self loathing that follows returning to the chains that bind. There is a part of us that is comfortable with the old solution, even when it fails. There is a part of us that wants to do that thing, whatever it is, that brings pleasure, even if it costs more than we wish to pay. There is a part of us that desires to indulge self, even when we know it breaks Daddy's heart and leads to death. This is not always, or often in my experience, instantly removed. If self were instantly and permanently dealt with when we come to Jesus, Jesus wouldn't have said that we must daily take up our cross, our method of execution of self, to follow Him. It wouldn't be a daily thing. It would be a one time thing that if we did right and completely wouldn't need to be repeated.
When the obsession begins to build within us, there is a part of us that wants to give in. Period. But there is also a part of us that wants to obey and please Daddy. That's our new nature, and it may not feel as strong or as loud as the siren's call of the desire to do wrong, but ti's there. That is the new creation within, the adopted child of God wanting to do right. The first voice that desires wrong does not negate the existence of the second, and the desire of the old nature does not disqualify us from having the right to turn to our Daddy and cry out for help. There is nothing wrong with praying something along the lines of Lord, I know this is wrong and will only cause problems in my life, but I really want to do it for some reason. Help me please.
And if we fail and give in? That kicks off the craving. Even as destruction is unleashed and condemnation sets in we need more. It's overwhelming and makes the obsession feel like nothing. It will lie and say you've already failed, so you might as well run with it. You're worthless and don't deserve help or forgiveness, so don't turn to Daddy. Ride it till the wheels come off and try to enjoy the fall until the crash that you deserve comes.
But the solution is still the same. It's Jesus. It's grace. Desiring sin is not sin. I know that will irk some religious folks, but it's true. Desiring sin is a by-product of not yet being fully made perfect. The desire to disobey does not mean you're an orphan nor does it mean you can't turn to Daddy. Failing to look to Him for help and giving in does not cancel your adoption and doesn't mean you must continue on to destruction because you got off the road of His will. We can strap ourselves to the safety of His Spirit within us, and though the siren of sin may still call, remain safely in His will. And if the siren does lure us onto the rocks, we can call out to Jesus, our refuge, strength and healer. We do have the right as children of God to ask for help and forgiveness and restoration. We don't have to lie there broken and beaten to die.
This site is free. If this blessed, helped and or informed you, the best thing you can do is pass it on via the social buttons below. And please subscribe or follow Unshackled Life Ministries on Facebook.
Unshackled Life Ministries is grateful for every person that reads the daily Unshackled Moments, the weekly Unshackled Echo and or listens to the Audio Messages. I want to thank those who have clicked "like" on something that blessed or ministered to them on social media, commented on the blog or replied to an email subscription. It is encouraging to know that God is using this ministry to help and bless others. Please remember that if God used something from this ministry to help, encourage or bless you, it could also bless someone else. Would you help get the devotions and sermons to more people by sharing this? Hitting the share button or forwarding this to a friend will help us reach more people with the good news of freedom and the encouragement to live an Unshackled Life. Thank you and God bless.
No comments:
Post a Comment