Uses of Affliction 07 032014

Uses of Affliction 07

6.  Discovery of latent corruption whether in saints of sinners.

Oh yes!  Murmur - murmur - murmur - - -

Peek-a-boo sins are tough ones.  They lie quietly in the shadows just waiting for their trigger.

Take our afflcition.  We never susupected we were lukewarn and lazy - but we were.  We never thought of ourselves as materialistic - but we were.  We would have been aghast had anyone told us we were prideful - until pride raised its ugly head.  We would never have thught our trust in God was alloyed with a trust in stuff and people - but it was.  We never would have seen how our wills were still competing with His - but they were.  (OK -you can change and the "weres to "ares" for the sake of full disclosure).

Our latent sin is exposed by our affliction.  We are convicted of that sin.  We repent.  We are restored and continue in our growth.

We struggle and will struggle with latent sin until He comes.  And strugggle we must if indeed our goal is to be conformed as God wishes us to be conformed to His likeness, to be holy as He is holy.

Afflistions will turn up the heat to bring those latent sins to the surface and this is a great mercy.  God could leave us to hopelessly struggle but His grace and mercy provide for our need in this and His Holy Spirit will battle for, with and even agwinst us (our flesh) to root out such sinfulness and cleanse our hearts.

Please, please consider the wonder of a sin hating God who will do all in His great power to relieve us of this toxic remainder.  He is willing to do whatever He must to expose and then address that sin that lurks beneath our awareness.  Though sometimes hard and unpleasant the result is merciful and magnificent.

I will tell you that most likely what the affliction will expose is the depth of our self-love.  It is not behaviors that afflcitions expose here but those deep and abiding roots of pride and self-ness that result in the sinful behaviors and attitiudes.  It is the ehart that God wishes to heal and relieve.

Psalm 139:2 He understands!!!!

You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. 

(Psa 139:2)

Think about it.  I know you know that God knows when we sit don and when we rise up.  But have you considered that He "understands" our thoughts?  That's not just our good thoughts or our thoughts about Him but He understands our less than acceptable thoughts as well.  He understands!!

Consider:

Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.   (Heb 2:17-18)

He understands!!

I don't know how to express the depth and breadth of this.  It, for me, is overwhelming and kind of a scary comfort.  He understands!!

Consider - He was made like us- He was tempted Himself.  Yes, unlike us He did not sin but He "gets it."

Now, this can in no way be taken as some sort of an excuse for our way-ward and inappropriate thoughts - sin is still sin and error will always be error - but He understands!!

As Patti and I pass through this time of testing and trial we have "not so good thoughts."  Fearful thoughts, legalistic thoughts, hopeless thoughts, fleshly thoughts and murmuring thoughts.  They just come and when they do they distress us - greatly.  But I keep having some interesting thoughts as well.

I think, "Why me, why this,why now, why so heavy?"  Kind of like Moses I want to say, "Here I am Lord, send Aaron!"   Even, "Let this cup pass from me!"  But I am humbled when

I have the thought, "If not me, then who?"  I struggle to accept that this is His will for us right now.  Not to sound arrogant - but, He picked us for this and this for us for His glory and honor - not to mention our blessing.  This makes us no more "special" than any other believers - it just makes us the ones He is using where we are, in this circumstance.

With no Egypt there would have been no Exodus.  Without a crucifixion there would have been no resurrection.  No, I'm not elevating myself or my situation but I am trying hard to see it within the context of God bringing glory to Himself and strengthening me.

What helps is, He understands my fearful and anxious thought,s and though I know He desires that I overcome them by trusting Him, He is sympathetic to my weakness and frailty (which is part of what He wants me to see and appreciate so I will lean on Him).

Please dear ones hold tight to the truth that He understands all our thoughts!  Yes, He disapproves of many and worries for us over others but none of them come as some cosmic shock to Him.  He knew we'd have them and has provided relief for and from them because He understands!

Father my heart and my mind are weak and rebellious.  Only You can temper and tame them.  Knowing that You understand and that You sympathize and provide is such a comfort.

But Father, do not let me grow lazy or complacent concerning them.  Let me take hold of them and bring them to You for Your ministry and mercy.  Be gentle with me Lord for I am much like a little rabbit - jumpy and anxious.  Care for me by giving me the heart of a child when it comes to You.  Give me stronger trust and firmer assurance as each day passes and my imaginings and fancies prove false though frightening.

Let me know more and more Your lovingkindness and Your understanding and open myself to Your instruction and care.  Make me remember Your past mercies and provision and be deaf to the lies and cries of the deceiver.  Let me look only to You and hear only You as You minister to me through Your Word, Your Spirit and Your people.

Thank You for letting me know - You understand!!

Amen

Check your "log!" 012313

Matthew 6:24 ESV
"No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

We've had a look at the love of money and how it can be so subtle and easy to miss.  And that led me to greed.  Yeah, ouch!

See like to think of greed as we do avarice.  If it's not big and obvious and abusive then it must not be there.  Right?  Well not really.

See, we have been somewhat numbed to sin as sin with no degrees or shades.  We have actually come to a place where we talk about "little" sins and "big" sins.  We have even come to find comfort in opposing and fighting some sins while conveniently ignoring others.

Oh, this is nothing "new" but in considering the passage in Matthew I was struck that it is a clear either/or with no buffer room at all.  So, if I am a "little greedy," or a little mammonish I'm on the wrong side of the line.

Yes, we all sin.  But we must keep the following in mind AND heart:

1 John 1:8-10 ESV
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. [9] If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. [10] If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

We will not cease to battle sin this side of heaven but it is a battle we must keep clearly in view.  We must faithfully seek the Spirit's conviction, faithfully confess our sins and faithfully repent - knowing His promise of forgiveness is realized through the blessing of conviction and repentance.

Consider also:

Luke 6:41-42 ESV
Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? [42] How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye.

Our sin should be "logs" to us.  Our brothers' sins but specks.  God did not forgive me my brothers' sins but my own.  He did not die for my brothers' sin to redeem me but died for my sins.

I have no "specks" only logs.  If I have grown to see them as specks I am well and sadly deceived.  But, being received is not sin, just it's "on ramp.". If I do not seek/pray to discover my decievedness then I sin.  If I ignore my deception when it is exposed, I sin.