Tag Archives: surrendered heart

Of mountain tops and valleys

 

Do you beat yourself up or get discouraged when you fail in your Christian walk? You shouldn’t.

 

One of the lies of Christian living is that we are able to live perfect human lives with the power of the Holy Spirit. But it’s not true. We’re reminded in Romans 3:20, no one is righteous, not even one. Being filled with the Spirit and walking perfectly in step with the Spirit are not the same. Yes, the Spirit gives power for victorious living, true guidance, comfort, and more. He draws us ever closer to God if we let him, but it’s a life long process of being molded into his likeness. Think of it like marriage. You fall in love and then come to that glorious wedding day. You wonder if you could possibly love each other more than you do right now. And yet, years later, hopefully you are still discovering new depths of love that come from your marriage relationship. Probably also you discover how easy it is to trip up over simple stumbling blocks like communication, selfishness, thoughtlessness and pride. It’s an ongoing process.

 

Walking in step with God is like that. It involves dealing with the dark, unpleasant side of our personality. Call it your old self, the way you typically behaved before you came to know Jesus.  This old self may include traits like envy, self-pity, pride, self indulgence, disobedience, impatience, and an unwillingness to forgive others or self. I’m sure you add a few to the list. My old self used to think my way was the best way and became irritable when my plans were thwarted. That led to anger and bitterness which gave way to unforgiveness. I surrendered that to God, “crucified” it on the cross so to speak. But still the memory of that old behavior returns, not for long or to any great degree now, but enough to sometimes sidetrack me momentarily.

 

With trials come disappointment, confusion, doubts and despair. We start to ask where God is in all this, and why can’t we overcome these issues with his Spirit on our side? Actually, when we insist on dwelling on these attitudes and behaviors we keep God from working in our lives. If we persist in doubt, where will we find faith? If we continue in our anxiety, where will we find peace? If we insist on justifying our anger and bitterness, where will we find the humility of a surrendered heart? If we insist in rebelling against God, how will we join forces with the one we’re resisting?

 

If we turn to the Spirit for guidance he is faithful to lead us, shape us, and mold us into God’s likeness. It might not look like perfection on this side of heaven. The good news is God isn’t looking for perfection. He’s looking for faithfulness. He’s waiting for you to let go of your busy schedule and simply be available. He longs to find a teachable spirit in you and me. Do you think he’s interested in our excuses of why we don’t have time, or aren’t available? Do you suppose he’s eager to hear how we feel justified in our self seeking behaviors and apathy toward his other children? More likely, he’s looking for a humble heart willing to obey him. Whoever really loves him obeys him.

 

Scripture consistently portrays God as a loving father waiting for his wandering child to return home to him. He looks for repentance, not perfection. He seeks a humble spirit that invites him to “search my heart O God and see if there is any wrong way in it so I can surrender it to your control.”

 

The faith journey of a spirit-filled believer will include both exhilarating mountain top experiences and dark lonely valleys. It’s an ongoing process that requires humility, surrender of self, a desire beyond self interests, obedience, and a faith that continues to believe. We’ll look at how to develop and nurture these characteristics tomorrow.

 
I’m very much still learning to live one day – one moment – at a time, in the Spirit’s power. On the mountain tops and through the valleys, like you, I’m learning to depend on God’s Word to be true and profitable for EVERYTHING I encounter, turning more quickly to the Spirit’s guidance and responding more eagerly in a way that seeks to honor him.