Handing over the Reins

Over the past few days God has been destroying my pride. A pride that leads me to believe that I can get myself out of a mess if I use enough Bible verses and believe hard enough. But that truth is, I can't. Shocking!

I don't know how many times I have been told, and that I have convinced myself, that it is my job to clean my heart out and to use the Word of God to do it. It leaves me exhausted, frustrated and grumpy with those around me. Not exactly the shining light I want to be, but once again that statement and desire comes from a heart of pride as well (more on that later). You see, when we try to clean ourselves out we are no longer looking to Jesus to be our sanctifier and redeemer, we are looking to ourselves. We are no longer laying ourselves at His feet. Just like the Pharisees.

The Pharisees obeyed that law to a "T" but they were doing it all on their own. The pride that causes this mindset also causes us to judge those around us by thinking, "If I can do that, why can't they? They just need to work harder and read that Bible more or come to church more etc." While reading the Bible and going to church are good things, they can destroy us if we are doing them for the wrong reasons. The Bible shows us the character of Christ and how HE desires to shape us. Our time in the Word of God should be to learn more about the Christ we are following, not a self-help manual to become the perfect Christian.

God uses my weak flesh to show me how powerless I am against it on my own. He allows lustful temptations to enter my head (something I struggle with) in order to grow my dependancy on His power and redeeming grace. I fight and fight the fantasies that I entertain in my head with Bible verses and lots of prayers but all of that is me trying to clean my own heart out. My prayers would be along the line of "God give me the strength to overcome this" and not asking God to overcome them for me. In Psalm 51 David realizes that God only is the One who can clean his heart of the murder and adultery that he committed

"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me" Psalm 51:10 (NASB)

he knew he couldn't do it himself. God alone can take captive the thoughts that defy Him in our heads, we just need to be broken for them.

"[Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One), " (Emphasis added) 2 Corinthians 10:5 (AMP)

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise." Psalm 51:17 (NASB)