The Teddy Bear Can't Help You.

My Utmost For His Highest

 

Do not quench the Spirit. —1 Thessalonians 5:19

 

“The voice of the Spirit of God is as gentle as a summer breeze— so gentle that unless you are living in complete fellowship and oneness with God, you will never hear it. […] Beware if in sharing your personal testimony you continually have to look back, saying, “Once, a number of years ago, I was saved.” […] Beware of trying to cover up your present refusal to “walk in the light” by recalling your past experiences when you did “walk in the light” (1 John 1:7). […] Suppose God brings you to a crisis and you almost endure it, but not completely. He will engineer the crisis again, but this time some of the intensity will be lost. […] Never become attached to anything that continues to hurt God. For you to be free of it, God must be allowed to hurt whatever it may be.”  CHAMBERS

 

What is it that you continue to cling to that does not reflect your new life, but your old one.  The Spirit will speak but will you listen?  He will say “This is the way, walk in it” (Isaiah 30:21) But will you listen.  There are aspects of our old nature that are comfortable to us, like a child and its blanket or Teddy.  When difficulty comes, we turn to it.  It has no more power to help us than that blanket or that teddy bear.  In fact, it only makes things worse.  You know what those things are for you.  Habits, relationships.  It is not a logical, rational thing .. that would be too easy to solve.  No, it is irrational, illogical.  It’s obvious that it hurtful not helpful, but you continue to turn to it.  That is the power of the flesh, my friend.  That is what Paul wrote about (Romans 7-15,17-20,23-24).  “For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. […] So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. […]  but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?"

 

You see, those things you turn to that only bring more trouble, that you struggle with have a spiritual source.  You must recognize them for what they are and seek a spiritual solution.  You cannot win on your own.  Resistance is futile!  Spiritual problems require spiritual solutions.  The Spirit will speak.  He will guide you, but you must yield to the Spirit and not to the flesh.  That won’t happen if you are not seeking God, but just living your life and resting in the fact that you are saved.  You are missing the life you could be living.  CHARLEY