My Life: #20 The Shepherd Boy Tells God What to Do.
It was imperative that I learned Jesus did not do His own will but rather the will of His Father. He fulfilled the Law to perfection and then gave His life to believers.
WHO IS THE REAL BOSS?
Genesis has made it clear to us regarding humans playing god – for you shall become like god, deciding, or self-interpreting, what the human believes is right and wrong. No longer serving one God with one will as the Body of Christ, but rather serving many gods (emergent universalism) with many kinds of doctrines, which typically ARE doctrines of demons.
God wanted me to know why Jesus is perfect.
He absolutely did/does the will of the Father, despite the temptation of usurping God. It was imperative that I learned Jesus did not do His own will but rather the will of His Father. He carried out the law to perfection and then gave His life as a sacrifice – to put His Life within me as an indwelt believer and made a way to live out the doctrines of His Father through my inner man. This was to be revealed to me by learning to walk in the Spirit.
Allow me to show you what He revealed.
It all starts with humanity setting standards of conduct for self, others, and God – even if the standards are of God. He showed me that whoever determines the laws has the right (or thinks they do) to demand absolute obedience to those standards. The one who demands absolute obedience believes they have the right to judge the attitudes and actions of the person(s) who refused to live by the established rules. Once judgment starts, the judge becomes the one who can set the sentencing or place revenge upon the “guilty” party. This results in the lawmaker selfishly endeavoring to control the circumstances and people who violate their self-righteous rules. In this, we can see the truest form of playing god. In fact, God wanted me to see that when I do this, I covertly believe I am the sovereign god who independently does whatever I please and believes I have the “right” to act in such a foul manner. The ugly part is I realized this act of mastery is idolatry of seeking approval, praise, and acceptance from others, maybe even God. The end result was I typically wouldn’t seek help and guidance from anyone because I was functioning as a god. As most of us know - God has no one to go to for help and guidance – for He is God.
To make this more personal, I would like to share one of the nasty habits my mentor revealed to me.
Early in my ministry, I would use the actions and doctrines of God as a “weapon” instead of a life-transforming seed. I would do my due diligence in data gathering to confront my counselee with issues that front the Truth of the Word of God. I would put those revelations in the face of the person as the “laws of God,” fully knowing that it would bring guilt and condemnation in their lives – hoping that would change their actions and all the while not truly realizing that I was forcing them into self-effort, which is perpetuating their problem. Realistically speaking, I would use their flesh to promote more of it. If they would show any signs of resistance, I would start getting demanding and delivering an attitude of superiority. If the disciple wouldn’t budge, I would often push them all the more. This would not only chase them away from discipleship, but it would also contribute to my foul reputation of being a law-driving discipler.
It needs to be noted there is an appropriate time to press issues, discontinue, or delay the discipleship for self-implicated rebellion or stubbornness.
Most believers run from the Body of Christ when suffering hardship. They withdraw into isolation and pride. We are called to run TO fellow believers when the burdens of life overwhelm us. If you “swallow your pride,” you will get sick; rather, confess it as a sin. Then go seek out help from Jesus through His Body.
A HOME FILLED WITH GOD-PLAYERS
When I look back on my childhood, I see a home and family that was filled with playing god. My childhood home promoted seeking help from no one, to keep secrets – embedding lies like, “You can handle this” or “Go figure it out.” I cannot tell you how often I would lay in bed at night weeping because I couldn’t figure it out. When children are left to “figure it out” in their own dysfunction, it forms in them the independence that challenges God - even when He attempts to provide help and guidance for living life more abundantly – IN CHRIST. That was me! One of the main themes of the enemy is for parents to train children to be strong, independent, and self-sufficient. The problem with this asininity is humanity is created to be dependent, NOT independent. Only Satan is released to be independent.
The aforementioned are the primary strongholds that God actively works to reduce in humans. These misnomers are sins that Satan uses to block a person from receiving Christ and minimally releasing Christ from within to be strong, dependent, and God-sufficient - through the Holy Spirit.
God did not create man to be independent of Him! I needed to realize this! We cannot possibly experience what it means to be a dependent child without having an environment that produces dependence. This is why it was critical for me, as an indwelt believer, to embrace the Truth and reality of God, reducing me to being nothing.
For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. (Gal 6:3 NASB)
For a shepherd boy who comes from a past where everything is about being somebody, this became my all-time greatest challenge - and still is. Finding peace and rest in humanity’s nothingness insults my flesh. Although knowing my efforts of being somebody is likened to telling God what is best for me. My earth-shattering reality is, like David, when I sling that little rock, it often hits God right between the eyes. I am glad that His Grace covers such arrogant independence.
Coming up next is “Allowing the Shepherd to Lead.”