Word of Encouragement (10/22/2020)
“11. When you feel your heart divided between a desire to please God and a sinful desire for ‘stolen waters,’ pray with David that the Lord would unite your heart to fear His name (Ps. 86:11). Go to God and say: “Lord, my heart is out of order. I desire to do the good before me, but I also desire to put it off. Mend my heart, O Lord, for it is Thy bargain [i.e., what He promised in His covenant with us]. Thy own covenant; do it, O Lord, for Thy name’s sake. [Maybe many of you are skeptical (possibly from experience) that this kind of prayer doesn’t really work. But we must not give up. From my experience, the importance of prayer cannot be overemphasized: prayer is in many cases the first step of faith we take since no prayer can come out of total unbelief. Once we start praying, no matter how impossible it may seem, it moves us in the direction of faith and hope.]
“12. In 2 Corinthians 6:16-18, Paul says God will dwell among us as our God and make us His people. Then comes the obligation to which this promise binds us: “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.’ God’s covenant obligates you to give your whole self to holiness. The strength and means by which you are to fulfill and accomplish the work of sanctification to which God calls you lie within God’s promises. They are to you what Samson’s locks were to him; if you cut yourself off from them by unbelief, your strength to mortify and put off sin will decay, and you will become as other men.
“13. If you truly hate sin, though it often arises within you, do not be discouraged, for your sanctification is an ongoing process that will not be complete until Christ comes in glory and delivers you from the body of this death (Rom. 7:24-25). [The key is, ‘If you truly hate sin....’ Many of us may not be so sure about this. But it may be because we misunderstand what truly hating sin means. What does it mean for us to truly hate sin? If we truly hate sin, how can it often arise within us? And how can our sanctification be ‘an ongoing process’? Truly hating sin doesn’t mean that we don’t sin anymore. We may even sin willingly (against our better judgment because of the sinfulness of our flesh and the weakness of our faith). To truly hate sin doesn’t mean hating sin completely and perfectly. But we must keep fighting sin without giving up!]
“14. Remember that Christ will not subdue your sins all at once, but will do it little by little as He subdues the Canaanites for His people (Deut. 7:22). [Deut. 7:22 says, ‘The LORD your God will clear away these nations before you little by little. You may not make an end of them at once, lest the wild beasts grow too numerous for you.’ It was for Israel’s good that God removed the Canaanites little by little. In Christ’s infinite wisdom, He removes our sins little by little, according to His perfect plan and our measure of faith.]
“15. Living out your holiness in Christ will not come wholesale, but will require daily choices: daily putting off specific vices and putting on specific virtues, daily saying no to sin and yes to the Spirit’s leading and conviction As the apostle said, you must die daily to sin (1 Cor. 15:31).” This shows another reason that Christ removes our sins little by little: He works through our character and will, which are not completely free from the influence of sin. True sanctification is more than simply stopping us from sin; it requires transforming our character to truly hate sin and love God’s righteousness. This is what Christ is accomplishing in our hearts and He will not fail to do so.