Time of Testing!

(Luke 8:13) “They believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away.”

How long will it take I wonder to learn this simple principle? How long will I continue to want to “put off” without “putting on”? We must put off the filthiness of sin in the flesh but in order for that to have a lasting effect in our lives we must put on righteousness. We must involve ourselves in the race; we must enrol in the game of life and death. We will either live for the flesh looking to satisfy its wants or we will be looking for spiritual fruit that will enable us to walk in victory on this somewhat tiresome road. We will receive strength in and through our Saviour if and when we call upon Him. But the mistake I continually make is this. I look to put off what I know to be wrong in the eyes of God, but I forget to put on righteousness when doing so. The result is often unfruitful; it however is always fruitful when I remember to put on righteousness.

Let me use an example to help illustrate my point; if I am a chocoholic and I wish to stop eating chocolate. The very first application I must apply to achieving this goal is carefulness; I will avoid chocolate factories or the sweet section whilst shopping. I will take my eyes and the lust for chocolate away from any temptation as far as it is possible. This is the first fruit of repentance. I remember when I was newly saved, how as a babe in Christ I took no thought for carefulness, I was protected just like a mother protects her new born baby from danger. It was only once I started to walk and find my feet and I started to grow as a Christian that I then needed to make a decision on whether or not I would be careful and avoid certain establishments that would lure me into sin. So many bad choices through life and yet my faithful Redeemer is yet ever so patient with me. I have understood in theory the purpose of life as I think King Solomon understood and concludes in the book of Ecclesiastes, he says “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13)

In other words, regardless of how long you have been saved or how many times you have failed or fallen in appropriating this to your lives, the sole purpose for all our lives is to find obedience to God. Life must teach us to learn to be obedient to God and His Word. If we have been afforded an opportunity to see another day and we yet breathe here on earth, then God is graciously giving us another opportunity to put that which is wrong, right.

However we must follow the pattern of scripture to accomplish this correctly. We must understand the theory, and then we must appropriate it to our lives. What then is the theory? God hates sin to such an extent that His own Son became a curse as He hung on a tree for our sin. Sin is the exact opposite of who God is, God is love, but love must judge sin and so God judges it by sending His Son to die for sinners, causing them to repent and find forgiveness, this happened once, and it has been establish for eternity and God is now satisfied with His Sons sacrifice. The Lord Jesus said, “It is finished”. Every true born again believer is sanctified by Christ’s sacrifice, they will never be judged for sin. And yet, we who are dead to sin must now no longer live in sin. There must be an ongoing process of sanctification in our lives and this must be applied to our lives on a daily basis. This constant war between the flesh and spirit will stay with us until we fall asleep (die). But sin cannot and must not be allowed to reign in our mortal bodies! Our lives must always be full of repentance. This then is the theory!

How then must I apply it to my life to live as a victorious Christian? I must “put off”, put off what? I must put off anything that robs me of my relationship with God. In every area of my life, I must learn to put it off. This is where I often fall short and I find I am constantly dusting the dirt from my knees. I am not for one minute suggesting that we go on an obsessive hunt looking for sin in our lives. It is the obvious I address. Firstly I need to be honest with myself and recognise sin for what it is, once that is settled, I need to find grace to overcome. This is where the war takes place, I will either be full of joy as I find grace to conquer or I will beat myself up as I walk in shame as I buckle to the temptation. The Lord Jesus never buckled, no not once!

The worst time in my life was when I walked in sin and pretended that I was human and therefore excused the sin in my life. There is no peace there! It is a lie and if that is what you find you are doing in particular areas of your life, I then urge you to stop that thought and kill it now or you will remain miserable for as long as you live there. Sin is like cancer once it takes root it grows at a rapid rate looking to destroy the spirit of life and peace in a believers life. We must keep short accounts!

How then do I “put on” and what must I put on? I must put on righteousness, sin comes a knocking as a thought into my mind and it then looks to take root and once it takes root it brings forth death, in other words once it is rooted in my mind I then succumb to its will. “Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” (James 1:15)

I must look for grace immediately when any though enters my mind that is in opposition to God’s Word. We are all entitled to enter the “Throne Room of Grace” to find grace that will help in time of need. I must learn to fall to my knees and cry out to God my Father in the mighty name of Jesus Christ my Saviour to help me find grace and suppress the temptation. This is what it means to walk in the spirit; I must find victory through the spirit. I must not look to the systems of the world to accomplish my objective. In other words if I do not find grace by calling out to my heavenly Father just as the Lord Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane, then my victory will be short lived as I look to my flesh to overcome instead of relying on the finished work of Calvary. “Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, "My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done."” (Matthew 26:42)

God then sent an angel to strengthen Him; “And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him.” (Luke 22:43)

If I am dependant on my own ability then I minimize the work of our Saviour. God forbid we ever enter that thought process. In conclusion I “Put On” by crying out to God to help in time of need and even if that means I end up calling through many tears.

I realise that I often fail to live like this but as long as my heavenly Father gives me breathe this will be my goal, to find obedience to Him with my life.

“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” (1Corinthians 10:13)

I have not yet learnt this principle with any consistency to my life but I pray that this will change from strength to strength, and not only in my life but in the lives of all you who call upon the name of the Lord.

Signing off

Tyrone