Hi there,
So this is something really easy and strengthening to focus, in your walk with Christ: the time will come when your previous desire to sin (hate, lie, distrust for example), clashes with your (Christian) desire to die on your Cross. As Jesus said "Father not my will but Yours be done", that was a turning over of what Christ wanted to do, to the Cross that God wanted Him to die on. You might think that its disempowering, but it is not! Our dying on our Cross, has far more power than sin, sin is almost easy and light to forget, once you are walking towards the Great Door in Heaven. You might think "no, that's a long way off" but even a good life (of seventy years) is not long going, before it is over! You can commit to this, you can start to say "Lord, I thank you that the good life of seventy years is almost over and I have served you faithfully in it, in Your Name Amen", if you do this every day, you will have purpose and meaning.
The point is, unlike a mid-life crisis, we should be looking forward to that "clash", it should make our faith and expectation clearer to us, enable us to be more direct. The life of the nations, will continue on without us, until they realise what it was we had in God - which they can't do until they see our dying in a context that is connected to God. Even the dying is not the point, but committing to it helps us realise that there is a "resurrection" coming (one that is unique to us). We should be expectant, we should be committed. These things will come together in the Holy Spirit and give us direction and meaning. We should expect to conquer sin on the way to the righteousness of God, which is Grace beyond the Law and Righteousness beyond Rejection. God wants to give our Cross, power. If God can give our Cross power, nothing can hold us back!
The "clash" also means that judgment is diminished; the Devil can't hold us back, as much as he might dream or like to. There is leadership in this, because we come to serve more greatly when these things are being worked out in the Lord, according to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Sin, Righteousness and Judgment all dealt with in the Holy Spirit, we should be asking that the Bride Herself be rewarded, with the joy of receiving us in the Resurrection. This is a tremendous turn around, from the sin we were going to continue in, having nothing else to hope for! This is the purpose of God, being worked out in our lives, even through a clash.
I hope this has given you focus to your faith, at whatever stage it is up to!
God bless.
So this is something really easy and strengthening to focus, in your walk with Christ: the time will come when your previous desire to sin (hate, lie, distrust for example), clashes with your (Christian) desire to die on your Cross. As Jesus said "Father not my will but Yours be done", that was a turning over of what Christ wanted to do, to the Cross that God wanted Him to die on. You might think that its disempowering, but it is not! Our dying on our Cross, has far more power than sin, sin is almost easy and light to forget, once you are walking towards the Great Door in Heaven. You might think "no, that's a long way off" but even a good life (of seventy years) is not long going, before it is over! You can commit to this, you can start to say "Lord, I thank you that the good life of seventy years is almost over and I have served you faithfully in it, in Your Name Amen", if you do this every day, you will have purpose and meaning.
The point is, unlike a mid-life crisis, we should be looking forward to that "clash", it should make our faith and expectation clearer to us, enable us to be more direct. The life of the nations, will continue on without us, until they realise what it was we had in God - which they can't do until they see our dying in a context that is connected to God. Even the dying is not the point, but committing to it helps us realise that there is a "resurrection" coming (one that is unique to us). We should be expectant, we should be committed. These things will come together in the Holy Spirit and give us direction and meaning. We should expect to conquer sin on the way to the righteousness of God, which is Grace beyond the Law and Righteousness beyond Rejection. God wants to give our Cross, power. If God can give our Cross power, nothing can hold us back!
The "clash" also means that judgment is diminished; the Devil can't hold us back, as much as he might dream or like to. There is leadership in this, because we come to serve more greatly when these things are being worked out in the Lord, according to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Sin, Righteousness and Judgment all dealt with in the Holy Spirit, we should be asking that the Bride Herself be rewarded, with the joy of receiving us in the Resurrection. This is a tremendous turn around, from the sin we were going to continue in, having nothing else to hope for! This is the purpose of God, being worked out in our lives, even through a clash.
I hope this has given you focus to your faith, at whatever stage it is up to!
God bless.
