Through Him, Not Me
God has been teaching me so many things lately. Where do I start?! The Holy Spirit has been witnessing to my Spirit very strongly in the areas of humility and loving others, particularly those who make it the hardest but need it the most. I have been struggling to overcome my sinful tendencies. "For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 2:21). Oh Lord, this has been me. I stumble and fall a lot these days, back into sin, but now I get back up, pray for forgiveness, and ask God to help me do better next time. I don't tell Him I'm going to do better like I used to, because now I know that I cannot. I ask Him to help me, because that's the only way I stand a chance. By His grace.
My walk as a new Christian has been very humbling so far. God is really working on getting me to understand that without Him, I am nothing and can do nothing. But "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13). Wow, what a verse! All things, not just some. I can do anything, but not by my own strength and skill. I can only do things, all things, through Him! How humbling, yet so amazing. Nothing is out of my reach when I have Christ and am living for Him. Anything he purposes me to do I can, thanks be to Him. I'm telling you though, this has been a hard lesson for me. Before the Holy Spirit came to live in me I was a control freak, a perfectionist, and an overachiever. Bad combination, especially when it comes to humility or accepting help! I always thought I could do things better than anyone else, something I still struggle with. Like I said, God has really been working on helping me see how sinful I am so that I stop thinking I'm somehow better than anybody else or that I can "get holy" myself. Because I can't. When I first came to the Lord I pledged to do better everyday. And when I didn't, I felt miserable, depressed, and hopeless. "Look at me, I keep making the same mistakes over and over and over again, even right after reading scripture or attending church. What is wrong with me?! I don't even know why God loves me!" But that's the devil, trying to make me feel unworthy so I'll fall away from my faith. He's very smart. It almost worked a time or two. But God kept writing something on my heart, a message of hope...
"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned..." (John 3:36).
Amen. Hope. I am a miserable sinner left to my own accord, yes, but I am not just a sinner anymore. I am a saved sinner. God sent his only son into the world to die in my place, to pay the penalty for my sins, so that I might live forever with him. My sins have been washed away. God has forgotten them. He isn't happy when I sin, but he knows that I am a sinner and that's why he sent Jesus. I have been reconciled to the Father, praise be to Jesus, and he sends me his Holy Spirit to help me do better. Sometimes I feel condemned when I do wrong, but that's not the voice of God. That's the devil. The devil tells us we are unworthy, and we aren't on our own, but by God's saving grace we are. HE makes us worthy. Praise be to Him!
We will always sin, unfortunately, since we live in a fallen world. But none of our sins are too great for Him to forgive. All he wants is for us to keep coming back to Him with our sin, nailing it on the cross, and letting Him wash it away. How amazing! Jesus did all the work for us on the cross. We don't have to do anything. All we have to do is accept Him into our hearts, confess our sin, and ask Him to be our Savior. Because the truth is, we are all sinners and all in need of a Savior. And none of us can "do better" on our own accord. We will always fail miserably. But through Him, his grace and mercy, we can become more and more like Him every day. We can become a light in the darkness, a shining beacon of hope. We can become more loving, more faithful, more patient, more self-controlled, and more joyful through Him. By myself I can do nothing, but through Him I can do all things!
So next time I sin, rather than dwelling on it or expecting myself to do the same thing again, I will give it to God. I will nail it to the cross and ask for his grace. I will seek his help, because I need it. He knows I do, or he wouldn't have sent Jesus to die in my place. The penalty has already been paid. I have already been forgiven and washed clean. I just need to keep coming back to him, reconciling myself to him, and praying for his grace to help me avoid sin each day, remembering that I cannot do it without him. And I will rest in the comfort of knowing that I am loved unconditionally, no matter how many times I sin. Amen!
My walk as a new Christian has been very humbling so far. God is really working on getting me to understand that without Him, I am nothing and can do nothing. But "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13). Wow, what a verse! All things, not just some. I can do anything, but not by my own strength and skill. I can only do things, all things, through Him! How humbling, yet so amazing. Nothing is out of my reach when I have Christ and am living for Him. Anything he purposes me to do I can, thanks be to Him. I'm telling you though, this has been a hard lesson for me. Before the Holy Spirit came to live in me I was a control freak, a perfectionist, and an overachiever. Bad combination, especially when it comes to humility or accepting help! I always thought I could do things better than anyone else, something I still struggle with. Like I said, God has really been working on helping me see how sinful I am so that I stop thinking I'm somehow better than anybody else or that I can "get holy" myself. Because I can't. When I first came to the Lord I pledged to do better everyday. And when I didn't, I felt miserable, depressed, and hopeless. "Look at me, I keep making the same mistakes over and over and over again, even right after reading scripture or attending church. What is wrong with me?! I don't even know why God loves me!" But that's the devil, trying to make me feel unworthy so I'll fall away from my faith. He's very smart. It almost worked a time or two. But God kept writing something on my heart, a message of hope...
"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned..." (John 3:36).
Amen. Hope. I am a miserable sinner left to my own accord, yes, but I am not just a sinner anymore. I am a saved sinner. God sent his only son into the world to die in my place, to pay the penalty for my sins, so that I might live forever with him. My sins have been washed away. God has forgotten them. He isn't happy when I sin, but he knows that I am a sinner and that's why he sent Jesus. I have been reconciled to the Father, praise be to Jesus, and he sends me his Holy Spirit to help me do better. Sometimes I feel condemned when I do wrong, but that's not the voice of God. That's the devil. The devil tells us we are unworthy, and we aren't on our own, but by God's saving grace we are. HE makes us worthy. Praise be to Him!
We will always sin, unfortunately, since we live in a fallen world. But none of our sins are too great for Him to forgive. All he wants is for us to keep coming back to Him with our sin, nailing it on the cross, and letting Him wash it away. How amazing! Jesus did all the work for us on the cross. We don't have to do anything. All we have to do is accept Him into our hearts, confess our sin, and ask Him to be our Savior. Because the truth is, we are all sinners and all in need of a Savior. And none of us can "do better" on our own accord. We will always fail miserably. But through Him, his grace and mercy, we can become more and more like Him every day. We can become a light in the darkness, a shining beacon of hope. We can become more loving, more faithful, more patient, more self-controlled, and more joyful through Him. By myself I can do nothing, but through Him I can do all things!
So next time I sin, rather than dwelling on it or expecting myself to do the same thing again, I will give it to God. I will nail it to the cross and ask for his grace. I will seek his help, because I need it. He knows I do, or he wouldn't have sent Jesus to die in my place. The penalty has already been paid. I have already been forgiven and washed clean. I just need to keep coming back to him, reconciling myself to him, and praying for his grace to help me avoid sin each day, remembering that I cannot do it without him. And I will rest in the comfort of knowing that I am loved unconditionally, no matter how many times I sin. Amen!
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