O wretched man that I am!

(Romans 7:24) “Wretched man that I am!

“One Day in the House of the Lord would be more attractive than a thousand elsewhere”, is a song writers lyrics. It is a dazzling privilege to find oneself in the presents of the Lord and no one could ever dispute that. But we forget that it is also a very fearful thing for the flesh to even come near to the glory of God. Moses was bold and asked God to show himself; Moses said, "Please show me your glory." (Exodus 33:18) - This was not conceivable and so it could never be possible for any human to witness God’s Shekinah Glory, no carnal man (sinful man) has seen his face. Sin has made sure of that! John and Paul came face to face with the Lord, but Paul explains his experience like this; “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven--whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. And I know that this man was caught up into paradise--whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows-- and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter.” (2Corinthians 12:2-4) And yet we so often hear people claiming to have had similar experiences, I think not! This kind of experience is a very big deal and it operates outside of the realm of faith. Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.

When all of God’s children get to heaven faith will no longer be needed as a tool for the battle. Moses saw the latter parts of God, he personally witnessed it. This was his experience; “And the LORD said to Moses, "This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name." Moses said, "Please show me your glory." And he said, "I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name 'The LORD.' And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live." And the LORD said, "Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen." (Exodus 33:17-23)

However his experience was outside the realm of faith, he saw God’s back with his physical eyes. The Christians encounters his God through Spiritual eyes and this can only even be done through the realm of faith. Faith then is a key ingredient to get us home. Why then do we have stronger days while other days look to rob us through unbelief? The answer is once again a simple one; it is disobedience that leaves us high and dry doubting our salvation and it always linked to sin. Our own sin robs us of faith.

It is the children of Israel that teach us this lesson; “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.

But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. As it is said, "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion." For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.” (Hebrews 3:12-19)

Therefore it is the sin in our lives which causes unbelief. Peter has this to say; “Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.” (1Peter 2:11) – It is when we give in to these passions that our faith dwindles and the possibility of not entering into the presents of the Lord is probable.

There is not one set of rules for one child and another for the other; God may deal with us differently as a result of our sin, but He is holy and so will never accommodate our sin, how could we ever expect that from Him and yet I still trudge along! How I hate this “body of death”. Will I ever find obedience in areas of my life that I seem so desperately to continually struggle?

One thing I know for sure, without God’s mercy my quest would be a useless one. I am reminded that all the children of Israel passed through the Red Sea and journeyed on into the Wilderness, but not all made it into the Promised Land. It was sin that robbed them of their goal.

What then must we cling to? Praise the name of Jesus Christ our Lord as He is our only hope; “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24)

God continue to have mercy on my soul and all those who at times finds that the light of faith begins to dwindle.

Signing off

Tyrone