“And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” (John 10:28)
He has, for His own reasons, chosen me to live for all eternity in His presence. He has blessed me in this life with more than I deserve, much more. He has called me to serve Him in ways that I had no foreknowledge of and has given me of His Holy Spirit to accomplish that which He has set before me.
But He will not remove from me that which I cannot cast away on my own.
There was a commercial many years ago that said, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste,” and it is that mind, my old sinful nature that He commands me to control.
I cannot, no one, saved or lost, can.
We who have been born-again are being taught to control our impulses, to deny ourselves, to die to self for the glory of God, the Holy Spirit leads us in all truth, and by the knowledge of that truth in love for Him who first loved us, we control, we keep under our flesh, our bodies desires. We inhibit the actions of that part of us that wants to express its free will in all manner of sinful acts.
“And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” (1st Cor. 6:11)
But our thoughts, our imaginations, are an entirely different matter.
Desires unchecked will be expressed with actions, whether they be for the glory of God or the satisfaction of the flesh, wine coolers will lead to gin, weed will lead to heroin, thoughts, continuous thoughts left unchecked, will eventually lead to that which the imagination, the flesh, desires, they will be fulfilled.
“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” (1st Cor. 10:13)
The Lord Jesus Christ was tempted, we will be tempted, He will not remove those temptations, but the way out always begins with the mind. The knowledge that if we succumb to the temptation, that if we willingly and with intent decide to act upon it we will be chastised by the Lord is not enough of an inhibitor, the flesh does not care if it is punished, it gives no thought to the future in that regard, it desires only immediate gratification.
Love for the Lord Jesus Christ is the only strength we have within ourselves to deny the flesh. It is the Holy Spirit within us that reveals that love to us, but it is you that must fight the battle against yourself.
“In your patience possess ye your souls.” (Luke 21:19)
The patience comes with the ability solely out of a love for the Lord to deny yourself in these times, not so that we can receive more in His Kingdom, though we may, not so that we will not “feel badly” because once again we have fallen to the wiles of the devil and our sinful desires, but so that we do not dishonor Him who first loved us.
You have to fight this battle, you will be shown truth, but the flesh hates truth, our sinful nature hates the Almighty, for it desires what the Lord says is sinful.
Now, in part, you know why the heathen rage.
The Almighty is not going to remove our adversary’s ability to tempt us, though they may be hindered in part, He is not going to remove your sinful nature, your ability, your free will to chose to follow it or Him.
“You have to walk that lonesome valley, you have to walk it by yourself, nobody here can walk it for you, you have to walk it by yourself.”
The wretched ones that we are will be glorified one day, the desires that are against the Most High will be removed. Until then, the battle is yours.
Fight well, stand strong. Stay on the Rock of our salvation.
