He said to me, "Son of
man, can these bones live?" —Ezekiel 37:3
{CHAMBERS} “Can a sinner be turned into a saint? Can a twisted life
be made right? There is only one appropriate answer— “O Lord God, You know”
(Ezekiel 37:3). Never forge ahead with your religious common sense and say,
“Oh, yes, with just a little more Bible reading, devotional time, and prayer, I
see how it can be done.” It is much
easier to do something than to trust in God; we see the activity and
mistake panic for inspiration. […] We would much rather work for God than
believe in Him. Do I really believe that
God will do in me what I cannot do? The degree of hopelessness I have for
others comes from never realizing that God has done anything for me. Is my own
personal experience such a wonderful realization of God’s power and might that
I can never have a sense of hopelessness for anyone else I see? Has any
spiritual work been accomplished in me at all? The degree of panic activity in
my life is equal to the degree of my lack of personal spiritual experience.[…] When God wants to show you what human
nature is like separated from Himself, He shows it to you in yourself. If
the Spirit of God has ever given you a vision of what you are apart from the
grace of God (and He will only do this when His Spirit is at work in you), then
you know that in reality there is no criminal half as bad as you yourself could
be without His grace. […] “I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing
good dwells” (Romans 7:18). God’s Spirit continually reveals to His children
what human nature is like apart from His grace.”
{ELGIN} No one, except God,
knows you like you do. I am referring to
the things that remain unrevealed to others.
I think most if not all of us prefer that people believe we are more
spiritual than we really are. We can
behave really well on Sunday mornings .. for an hour or so anyway. Most of us struggle to be more righteous in our
thinking and doing. We learn to be
content with our current level of sanctification. It’s the best we can do! It’s our old nature at work in us. A constant struggle. During the great revivals it was not uncommon
for people to publicly confess their sins having come under great conviction by
the Holy Spirit. (John 16:8-9) “When he (the Holy Spirit) comes, he will prove the
world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin,
because people do not believe in me (Jesus);”
For that to have happened publicly there must first come conviction and
brokenness privately. When we hide behind
a veil of feigned holiness, fearful that people will reject us if they really
knew what we are made of, we cripple the new man. I am not suggesting that we stand on a street
corner and shout out every sin … but I am encouraging you to not let the fear
of what men may think of keeping you from submitting to the conviction of the
Spirit and confessing your sins to the Father.
Don’t show more respect or fear for men than you do for the Father. (Matthew
10:28) “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.
Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Psalm
118:6) “The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do
to me?” To do that requires faith …
faith that comes from your pursuit after God.
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