Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2.fluke 9/24/84; site vax3.fluke.UUCP Path: utzoo!decvax!ittatc!dcdwest!sdcsvax!sdcrdcf!hplabs!tektronix!uw-beaver!fluke!emery From: emery@fluke.UUCP (John Emery) Newsgroups: net.religion.christian Subject: Re: To my Christian Family --- What's God doing for and through you? Message-ID: <1528@vax3.fluke.UUCP> Date: Mon, 11-Nov-85 00:38:50 EST Article-I.D.: vax3.1528 Posted: Mon Nov 11 00:38:50 1985 Date-Received: Thu, 14-Nov-85 02:02:30 EST References: <2408@cal-asd.fluke.UUCP> Distribution: na Organization: John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc., Everett, WA Lines: 111 In article <2408@cal-asd.fluke.UUCP> ptl@fluke.UUCP (Mike Andrews) writes: > >Hi, > >Thought it'd be fun to hear from my Christian Family as to the works >God is Personally doing for each of you and through you. First of all, I wish to thank Mike for sharing his experiences with us and hopefully inspiring others to tell what God is doing for them in their church and personally. I would like to share a few things that God has done for me. Much of what he has done for me has been in my personal life. However he is starting to open up opportunities for fellowshipping with others. Of course the first miracle was when he drew to his Son, Jesus. I felt joy and love in a way that I never knew in my life before. I was living a new life after I had put Jesus first in my life. It was great. Now I would like to share something else I experienced in my life: defeat! Just when I was getting comfortable with my new life, I started experiencing the life of a born-again defeated christian. I wasn't defeated by doubting my salvation. I knew I was saved and trusted in God's grace through the sacrifice of Jesus (This is a story in itself that I would like to share later). The first problem I had was that I could not help from comparing myself with others. I tried so hard not to do the very thing I was doing. I would see someone who was living apart from God and inwardly I would become angry at them. I knew that I was a child of God yet I was sinning by what I felt inside me. I kept telling myself to love the sinner and hate the sin and that Jesus had died for all sinners as I was a sinner also. Yet inside I was being defeated. Even among christians, how easy it was for me to think that they were not living the perfect christian life. Yet I knew that everything I was thinking was completely wrong. Yet the impulse to think these thoughts remained. Another defeat I was experiencing was that of an unfulfilling spiritual life. My spiritual "highs" seemed to come and go like a rollercoaster. A period of great spiritual joy would be followed by a period of emptiness. I would long for the joy I had felt when I first came to Jesus. I continually looked back to those times and turned to the things that had inspired me: special songs, certain bible verses, a particular atmosphere. I kept remembering how much I had looked forward to going to church and how much peace was present inside of me. Yet these things did not touch me the same way as they had once done. Finally I didn't seem to be doing a very good job in God's work. I tried to show the love of Jesus to others but this didn't always work. I wanted to be a light through which Jesus would shine. Yet when my opportunities came I didn't feel quite inspired enough. Sometimes when I knew in advance I would be in a situation in which I could show what a loving child of God I was, I would try to inspire myself by praying extra hard to God and just trying to get in the right mood. It wasn't coming naturally however. I would give up because I didn't want to seem phony. The charity work that I once felt in my heart as a joy, became something I did just because it was the right thing to do. I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong. I was always praying to Jesus to help me overcome my problems of comparing myself to others, of being spiritually unquenched, of not being effective in God's work. Yet I was not seeing results. I knew what the problems were and it was my will that I not do these things which were damaging to my relationship with God. Here is a sample of a daily prayer: "Lord Jesus, thank you for giving me the will to live for you daily. Lord, I ask that you help me to live a life of love. I ask that you fill me with your love so that I may be a light to others. Help me to overcome my shortcommings." It seemed that this prayer came up over and over again. Then I saw the light. The Spirit lead me to the answer. The answer was shocking: Give Up! Yes, Give Up. In other words, stop trying and start trusting. Notice my prayers: "Lord *help me* to overcome...". That was the problem, I was trying to help Jesus do what he promised to do himself. I thought I had faith in him yet I did not trust him enough to let *him* to the work instead of me. Yes, Jesus had already won the victory in me. I, however, was getting in the way trying to do what only his divine power could do in me. Sure I had enough faith to know I was saved, yet I didn't have enough to let him work the victory in me. If you would have asked me then, I would have told you, "Sure I have enough faith in Jesus." But I didn't. The victory started happening when I realized the answer: Jesus. It is that simple: Jesus. He is my life. It is Jesus that I live through and by concentrating on his presence within me and his power, the victory comes naturally. God's word states it as a fact and if we don't belive in his power, we call him a liar. Jesus has not only set me free from the penalty of sin, but also from the power of sin and the power of doubt. Jesus clearly said, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:34-36). He stated that he set us free, and all we have to do is trust. Things have started to change. No longer do I pray, "Jesus, help me to overcome" but "Jesus, thank you for overcoming and I trust you will continue to do so." Instead of prayers of grief, they have become prayers of praise. No longer do I try to get inspired so that I may experience God's love, but I turn to Jesus and trust that he will give me God's love. And it works, it's great! Now I continually turn to Jesus as the sole source of victory: "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith..." (Hebrews 12:2). I know now that if I have to try for the victory, it is not real. That is one story of what God has done for me. He is now leading me on to bigger and better things. My faith is expanding to fellowship with others. Although I'm not sure at the moment where he is leading me, I can see some exciting times ahead and I trust him completely. faithfully in Christ, John Emery fluke!emery