Take up the whole armor of God…praying always… —Ephesians 6:13,18
“You must learn to wrestle against the things that hinder your communication with God, and wrestle in prayer for other people; but to wrestle with God in prayer is unscriptural. If you ever do wrestle with God, you will be crippled for the rest of your life. If you grab hold of God and wrestle with Him, as Jacob did, simply because He is working in a way that doesn’t meet with your approval, you force Him to put you out of joint (see Genesis 32:24-25). Don’t become a cripple by wrestling with the ways of God, but be someone who wrestles before God with the things of this world, because “we are more than conquerors through Him…” (Romans 8:37). Wrestling before God makes an impact in His kingdom. If you ask me to pray for you, and I am not complete in Christ, my prayer accomplishes nothing. But if I am complete in Christ, my prayer brings victory all the time. Prayer is effective only when there is completeness— “take up the whole armor of God….”” - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest
Do you brush your teeth in the morning? Does that seem like an odd way to start a devotion? Brushing your teeth is a discipline. So is getting up to go to work. If you don’t do either one, there are negative consequences. You value your teeth … and you value your source of income .. so you make yourself do those things. After a while, they become more routine, but still …. You must choose to do them. That is the same with prayer and obedience. We must discipline ourselves to do them. Our natural selves pushes back – or wrestles with our spiritual selves. The message from our natural self is – you are too busy to brush (pray) this morning … you can do that later … or I will just call in sick today … I don’t feel like going to work (doing the will of God) today.
Something I have noticed as I grow older … the speed at which my body atrophies …. Loses strength .. stamina … tone … is accelerating. And the difficulty I have getting back to where I was is also increasing. If I slack off in any way, BOOM! I am sliding down the steep slope of atrophy.
It’s the same with our spiritual life. A life without spiritual discipline is a life of spiritual weakness. The danger is .. you can become used to that condition and start to think that it is normal. Well, it may be common, but it is far from “normal” if you are a Christian. I want to encourage you to get serious about your spiritual condition … Many Christians are more concerned about the natural aspects of their life than they are about the spiritual aspects.
Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation - 2 Corinthians 5:16-18
God has called you to so much more than mediocrity in your faith walk. I can encourage you but the Spirit must convict your heart, if you need it. Think about your new life in Christ. Like Jesus, you have two natures. You spiritual nature should be dominant. And like Jesus, seek to do the Father’s will. And like Jesus, stand against temptation with the Word of God. And like Jesus, be disciplined to talk to the Father and look to Him. And like Jesus bring Glory to God , the Father, through obedience and devotion. And like Jesus …. Fulfill the purpose the Father has given you.
By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone
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