The battle of self
Image of man carving himself out of a rock - The self-made man
“I” am a self-made man is a common phrase to describe one’s achievements in life. Self-made in any context is the biggest lie of the devil and the greatest deception of an unregenerate mind. Without the Spirit of regeneration, a person may think of oneself as perfect when they are the least of all.
Tit 3:4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Tit 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Regeneration means new birth. Not only does one have to become born again in the context of faith, but one has to allow the Holy Ghost to regenerate our thinking which is strongly influenced by the world and our past. Unless we allow that to happen, we will remain spiritual babes who walk with unregenerate minds. Too many Christians are touting to be spiritual giants when in actual fact they are babes in giant nappies. This is why so many Christians are falling like flies after having reached man’s understanding of the pinnacle of success. These are pretenders and workers of a smart secular ways of thinking that appeal to the natural senses rather than a Godly way of thinking. Mega church pursuits and false teaching are just a few examples of unregenerate success concepts. To man, success in any form is quantity not quality. No one can make themselves. Christ is in Himself self existent and so makes us into whatever He wishes us to be. He is the Potter and we are the clay. Mat 4:19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
It is evident that we live in a world that thinks it can achieve an end in itself and has devised methods of humanism to define itself through intellectualism. Unfortunately, mankind in general does not understand that we are created by God in His image and therefore not self made nor can be, in spite of increased technology. The day of reckoning will prove this when they shall see God and know Him for who He is, the Creator of all things. Col 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
The discipline of reasoning by a created person who is born again differs considerably to that of the discipline of an un-regenerated person who seeks to make himself. The making of oneself is built into thoughts of pride and actions of pride just like the Tower of Babel.
When one thinks and acts in proud ways it is deemed as idolatry. This is what Lucifer did and was cast out of heaven forever. God hates idolatry and above all else, self-righteousness which is pride manifested in speech and actions. The Pharisees were self righteous and so God allowed the destruction of the temple and their customs to show them who God really is and where He dwells.
The revelations of God and His blessings are for the benefit of the humble. He gives grace to the humble and resists the proud. It is in self seeking that one finds that they are walking in death whilst working it into their daily lives. Mic 6:8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
The three perils of daily life are in: The pride of life -The lust of the flesh - The lust of the eyes. These three aspects of the flesh cover the whole gambit of where our weaknesses lie. The daily battle with these three elements forces us to be overcoming them by the word, Spirit of God, and the blood of Jesus. There can be no other way we achieve this.
The reason we fail is, we work with the concepts this world has taught us and so find it hard to isolate ourselves from this worldly thinking. This results in us competing in this world to “make it”. Once we have reached the pinnacle of human success, we find out that it is empty or that we have become its victims. The never-ending cycle of seeking secular achievement reeks of the smell of self creation. It is the truth that many cannot accept that they have been created by God.
The one who realises that they have been created seek advancement in life by the hand of God alone and allows God to make the decisions of life. This can be difficult because it involves faith. When one believes God, any form of success or striving to succeed in the world does not matter because of righteousness. As soon as righteousness comes into play, one has already achieved what God wants and that equates to success.
When we realise that our lives and times are in the hands of the Lord, we realise we are not self made but made by God and being changed into what He wants us to be. This takes years of teaching and changing of one’s thinking by the word of God. Not everyone learns and follows the word as another does. Hence, growing spiritually is imperative. One must press in daily, even moment by moment for God to be the centre of life. It is in this attitude toward God and pursuit of Him that we see our greatest miracles.
Having said all these things about the self-made man, I am constrained to say that the battle of the self is for the mind. The mind and the heart are two areas of extreme pressure on the flesh. That is why Jesus said, I give you the peace that passes all understanding that the world cannot give. It is in this peace that we alienate anxiety about our standing with God and anything that the world can throw at us. However, to employ this peace we need the constant Rhema of God’s word through the teaching and encouragement of the Holy Spirit to trust God in HIS WAYS. This is the area that is the most difficult to understand but within our reach because of Jesus. When we see Jesus and how he lived on earth fulfilling the Father’s will, we see the Father’s ways. Jesus said, “I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE”. It is my conviction that in the WAY that Jesus is, there are no stumbling blocks or debris. It is a pure river of life that flows out of Him into us and we can walk and see our steps by the power of the Holy Spirit in us.
This power is what we need to know and understand the WAY. Joh 14:5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. Joh 14:7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
God will judge all mankind continually on earth in many different ways and the final judgement will be after man dies. Whether we are self made or made by God is what will count at the end. If we deviate to becoming self made by making decisions in life without the WORD, we will surely fall and even die.
Let us TRUST God and believe in Him and His way even in the midst of great difficulties. This is the message to all the people of the earth wherever they are and in whatever situation they are in.
God is making us and shaping us. We must allow Him and walk in the Spirit.
Lots of love Pastor Noble 30/08/2020