Living Moment By Moment - Part 1

Thoughts on Michael Wells’ teachings in Sidetracked In The Wilderness - # 46

         

Michael’s book is available through:

Abiding Life Ministries International

Littleton, Colorado

(303) 972-0859       www.abidinglife.com

Notice:  this email is part of a BLOG, called Getting Out of the Wilderness.  Why a blog?  So that many can receive the weekly thoughts I express on Michael’s writings in an easy manner. 

Michael moves us forward in our walk with Christ by giving us a beginning look at the importance of “living moment by moment” and how that can bring us into that very personal relationship with Christ that we want to have.

LIVING MOMENT BY MOMENT – Part 1

excerpt from pages 132-135 of SIW (5^th printing, March 1998)

excerpt from pages 130-134 of SIW (14^th printing, March 2012)

                   (used with permission from ALMI):

This is the beginning  of ch. 8

In the previous chapter we learned that even though your old self was crucified with Christ and is dead and buried, you still have a mind cluttered with his baggage; and whenever the door just above your heart is closed to Christ’s life, the enemy tempts you to dabble again in the garbage resident in your mind, causing you to live a replica of the life you did before becoming a Christian.  We thought, does this sound like abundant life?  What could be God’s purpose in all of this be?  His purpose is actually quite ingenious.  It is to make your life moment by moment full of joy, excitement, and authenticity!  How?

…Relationships ever flow; what makes them wonderful is not so much what happened in the past, but what is happening in the present moment…

…God has the aspiration to be in fellowship with us moment by moment; He has a plan to bring about His wishes.  First of all, He must destroy the old self that dwells within and replace it with the life of His Son.  If this is not done, then no fellowship with Him is even possible.  The next thing that He does is to leave all the baggage and residue from the old man in the mind.  When through unbelief a person closes the door to His life within and consequently cuts off fellowship, of necessity all the baggage, garbage, residue, lying emotions, false feeling, old idols, inaccurate identity, and every manifestation of the flesh arise.  In fact, this one is now more miserable than dwelling in the world.  God will strive to build the believer’s awareness of a desire to be free from those miseries 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, 60 minutes an hour, 60 seconds a minute, yes, moment by moment.  It is then that God can do business!  You see, God structures our lives in such a way as to keep us ever near His side.

…It must be firmly planted in our minds that victory is for one moment at a time, and that in any given moment we are participating in eternal victory or eternal defeat.

We need to keep in mind that one of the biggest problems in helping Christians “get out of the wilderness” is far too many preachers, teachers, writers, professors, etc. IGNORE the biblical truth that the “old, Adam life” has been crucified and is dead & buried.  Gone.  No more.  To keep that “Adam life” around is to excuse behaviors in Christians that Jesus has given us His Life to overcome.  So, it is exciting to enjoy Michael addressing life as a Christian from this important biblical truth.

Now that we can focus on the “old mind” (and will & emotions…the rest of the soul we were born with) that is cluttered with the baggage of the “old self,” we can begin to move toward victory!  It is disheartening to hear Christians say, “the devil made me do it,” “the devil has been working me over today,” etc.  That’s not truth!

Michael gives us a step-by-step picture of God’s “ingenious” plan of the life Jesus spoke of in John 10:10…”life (His Life) more abundantly.”

1. God destroys the old self that dwells within an unbeliever and replaces it with the life of His Son when one becomes a Believer.

2. God leaves all the baggage and residue of the old man in the old mind.

3. God now works in the Believer to build an awareness of a desire to be free from the miseries that arise when the “old baggage” of the flesh arise.

4. It is then God can bring us to the realization that victory is for one moment at a time.

(the rest of the book moves us forward into that victory…)

Now, how much easier for a Christian can it be?  God is in charge.  God is orchestrating all to “keep us ever near His side.”  Trust, rest, release control.   We just need to trust Him to give us truth that will set us free completely.  He has.  We need the revelation.

Note: if you don’t have one of Michael’s Sidetracked In The Wilderness books, please contact ALMI (www.abidinglife.com) and get one today!

To access ALL past weekly blogs, go to Getting Out of the Wilderness by logging onto www.leemcchristianministries.blogspot.com  

Lee McDowell Christian Ministries

leemccm@gmail.com

1737 CR 2051    Nacogdoches, Tx 75965                                      936-559-5696

A Closer Look At The Unique Self

Thoughts on Michael Wells’ teachings in Sidetracked In The Wilderness - # 45

         

Michael’s book is available through:

Abiding Life Ministries International

Littleton, Colorado

(303) 972-0859       www.abidinglife.com

Notice:  this email is part of a BLOG, called Getting Out of the Wilderness.  Why a blog?  So that many can receive the weekly thoughts I express on Michael’s writings in an easy manner. 

All sorts of books have been written over the years that try to give us the secret of dealing with our insecurities.  Again and again the writers give us exercises in determining how we can improve ourselves, build upon our weaknesses, strengthen our strengths…and the lists of how we can be working to be stronger and more independent go on and on.  Amazing how man cannot be happy with how God has made us.

Michael points out that God has made us to be what He wants us to be…and to remain dependent upon Him.  Well, amen!

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE UNIQUE SELF

excerpt from pages 127-131 of SIW (5^th printing, March 1998)

excerpt from pages 125-129 of SIW (14^th printing, March 2012)

                   (used with permission from ALMI):

When I disciple those critical of others, I immediately ask the question, “What is it about yourself that you do not like?”  It will often be that they are not as intelligent as their friends, or as attractive, or as talented.  Therefore, since they do not love what they are, they must tear everyone else down, finding flaws to ease their own inferiority.

We are to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.  If that is true then most neighbors are in for a lot of disappointment when it comes to being loved…

There is a great variety of unique selves in the body of Christ, from those who love following a plan to those who never make a schedule, from those who love working with people to those who’d rather deal with things.  All who are expressing the nature of their unique selves under the control of Christ’s life are a great blessing.

It will be important to discern between the three selves, the one that is crucified, the one to deny, and the one that is to be loved.  The reason that I have spent considerable time explaining the baggage, residue, and old identity is so Self #2 can readily be recognized and denied.  Otherwise, one could try to deny the unique self, the one God made, which is quite uncomfortable and unproductive to do.

Do you love yourself?  You should!  It may take some time to become pleased in what God has made you to be, but once you do, you will stop comparing yourself with others and begin to appreciate the rest of the body of Christ…

…God creates those with great talent, ability, and intellect – no one creates himself – therefore, boasting must not be in the unique self, but rather in God.

You see, talent, ability, and intellect are relative.  Each unique self has its own purpose and usefulness.  We have different gifts, workings, manifestations, bodies, and nationalities, but the same Spirit.  Each of us is a different individual, and yet we are all one; together we experience wholeness.  Paul encouraged those who are not content with the unique self (and, therefore, judge God, their Creator) to love what they are, and at the same time warned those who take pride in what God has made them to be.

You may ask, what is my unique self; how can I discern it?  Knowing your unique self is simple and does not take prolonged inward vision.  Your unique self is determined by those things you do naturally and are most comfortable doing (this is different from the behaviors, such as withdrawal, avoidance, and erroneous fears that may develop through false identity messages).

Just remember, however God has made you, enjoy yourself, love yourself, and refuse to listen to those who would intimidate by boasting of their natural abilities.  Whatever measure He has given you, enjoy it.  If you are not as intellectual as another, that was God’s decision, and if you complain, you make yourself out to be the Creator…

Whoa!  What’s that question, “What is it about yourself that you do not like?”  I was just trying to point out something in someone else that is “clearly evident”… not trying to self-analyze! 

Aha.  Michael got me.  And now I have to be honest with myself…what inferiorities do I have?  And if God has made me to be, what am I doing comparing myself with others?  And then will I acknowledge that it may be something that God hasn’t worked out in me yet…or, may never work out in me?

So, Michael once more gives us the way out of the wilderness:
...I am just one of a great variety of unique selves in the body of Christ.
...If I can learn to express the nature of my unique self under the control of Christ, I
can be a great blessing.

...I must learn to love myself, love what I am.

...I must not boast in my unique self, but in God, who made me my unique self.

...I must find what purpose and usefulness my unique self was made to be.

YEA!  This is an easy LIST to accomplish…knowing my unique self is “simple and does 

not take prolonged inward vision”…it “is determined by those things I do naturally and are most comfortable doing.”  Well, amen!

So, I am going to acknowledge God has made me, enjoy myself, love myself, and refuse to listen to those who would intimidate by boasting of their natural abilities.  I will enjoy the measure He has given me.  I am not the Creator, and I will quit playing that role.

  

Note: if you don’t have one of Michael’s Sidetracked In The Wilderness books, please contact ALMI (www.abidinglife.com) and get one today!

To access ALL past weekly blogs, go to Getting Out of the Wilderness by logging onto www.leemcchristianministries.blogspot.com  

Lee McDowell Christian Ministries

leemccm@gmail.com

1737 CR 2051    Nacogdoches, Tx 75965                                  936-559-5696

The Three Selves

Thoughts on Michael Wells’ teachings in Sidetracked In The Wilderness - # 44

         

Michael’s book is available through:

Abiding Life Ministries International

Littleton, Colorado

(303) 972-0859       www.abidinglife.com

Notice:  this email is part of a BLOG, called Getting Out of the Wilderness.  Why a blog?  So that many can receive the weekly thoughts I express on Michael’s writings in an easy manner.

Michael introduces some of the most powerful insights into understanding one of the most difficult(?) topics…co-crucifixion.  It seems to be most difficult for so many…  But, just keeping with the simple basics introduced in Scripture takes all the difficulty away, as Michael so eloquently shares with us.  IF you don’t have this book, PLEASE get one (contact ALMI at web address above).  You need to read, digest, and meditate on just what happens “inside” when we trust in the Lord Jesus Christ to be our Savior.  I can only share brief excerpts of this detailed discourse covering four pages of the book.

THE THREE SELVES

excerpt from pages 124-127 of SIW (5^th printing, March 1998)

excerpt from pages 122-125 of SIW (14^th printing, March 2012)

                   (used with permission from ALMI):

…The unique self is that part of a person that was made in the womb by God (Psalm 139)…although we all have the same purpose in life, which is to fellowship with Him, we will all, as unique creations, express that fellowship in different ways.  I will, therefore, define the unique self as the creation of God that is distinctive to each person…

…you can think of the unique self as a tool that can do nothing on its own, but derives its value from how it is used and by whom…

Self #1 is the unique self under the control of Adam-life; this self belongs to the unbeliever, or unregenerate man, producing a condition called flesh…God’s command concerning this Self #1 is that it be crucified (Galatians 2:20).  The source of the unique self, what is driving it, must die, but not the actual unique self.  Self #1 has a course set in one direction, and it follows every signpost which leads it that way.  Its destination is hell.

The second of the three selves (Self #2) is the unique self under the control of the baggage and residue of the dead and removed Adam-life and the unholy trinity.  This person is a born-again believer in a carnal condition…This person is assured of going to heaven, but will continue to experience hell on earth!  The command regarding this self is to deny it daily (Luke 9:23) by the power of the cross.

Self #3 is very important, being the unique self under the control of Christ’s life within.  The man in this state enters into the fullness of his being.  All of his God-given talents, abilities, intellect, personality, and temperament function properly as they should, and he manifests a condition called walking in the Spirit.  Whatever work the man does, Christ does through him, and he is a blessing to all…The commandment concerning Self #3 is that we are to love it.  “…You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 19:19).

You can see that it is somewhat confusing when we read that we are to have self crucified, to deny self, and at the same time we are to love ourselves.  The above distinction should help clear up the confusion.  We have spoken much of the death of Self #1, and particularly in the next chapter we will examine the denial of Self #2.  I would like to briefly mention the need for love of the unique self as it submits to the Spirit’s rule, Self #3.

                                        This comes in next week’s writing.

Self, what a unique individual…  Perhaps one of the most unique ironies of life is that we all have to live with others who each have a uniqueness that “can do nothing on its own, but derives its value from how it is used and by whom.”  Wow!  That gives us a lot of comfort and confidence to face these others, doesn’t it!?!

This small section of the book requires an adequate amount of reading time to make sure we recognize and understand the three different ways a unique self can be controlled.  A lack of knowing and understanding the last two by so many Christians leads to a majority of those not getting the help to work through and find deliverance from the grip of the carnal life, and into the life God designed for man to live on this earth. 

It is very important for any Christian living under the bondage of any baggage and residue of the dead and removed Adam-life and unholy trinity to get some help in reckoning and appropriating the truth of the Christ-life indwelling EVERY Believer.  To have His life and not be enjoying it is as sad as it gets.

Note: if you don’t have one of Michael’s Sidetracked In The Wilderness books, please contact ALMI (www.abidinglife.com) and get one today!

To access ALL past weekly blogs, go to Getting Out of the Wilderness by logging onto www.leemcchristianministries.blogspot.com  

Lee McDowell Christian Ministries

leemccm@gmail.com

1737 CR 2051    Nacogdoches, Tx 75965                                    936-559-5696

The Way Out Of A Closed Door

Thoughts on Michael Wells’ teachings in Sidetracked In The Wilderness - # 43

         

Michael’s book is available through:

Abiding Life Ministries International

Littleton, Colorado

(303) 972-0859       www.abidinglife.com

Notice:  this email is part of a BLOG, called Getting Out of the Wilderness.  Why a blog?  So that many can receive the weekly thoughts I express on Michael’s writings in an easy manner.

In the previous writing we saw where there are many ways we can close the door to Christ’s life in us.  In this continuation of the chapter on “The Loss of the Self-Life,” Michael gives us God’s remedy for…

THE WAY OUT OF A CLOSED DOOR

excerpt from pages 122-124 of SIW (5^th printing, March 1998)

excerpt from pages 119-122 of SIW (14^th printing, March 2012)

                   (used with permission from ALMI):

Let’s assume you are living in defeat.  What happens next?...God alone can break through the darkness in which Satan has the carnal Christian living….with the light of the Holy Spirit, the deceptions of the enemy can be seen clearly.  This no man can do; it must be the work of the Holy Spirit…

When any of us realize the error of our own way, the enemy steps up the attack for fear that all of his long efforts and deep deceptions might be for naught.  He begins to whisper in a voice that is calculated to be confused with conscience…It is all said in hopes that we will not return and learn the true character of God.

This book is for the defeated…If there is one thing I pray you would receive out of the book, it is this, so please take it to heart: the true depth of a person’s faith is revealed in his ability to accept forgiveness in the midst of his deepest defeat.  It is easy to believe that your righteousness is based in Christ when you have not done anything wrong; but you many have a confidence that is not based on Christ’s work but your own…However, failure reveals where you have really put your trust…Many in the midst of failure refuse forgiveness, continuing a self-inflicted punishment until they believe they have paid the price.  Some are so unbelieving that they even begin to make up excuses for why God should not forgive them.

The New Testament writers are not surprised by the fact that saints do sin, and their solution is simple: repentance and pressing on…James 4:7-10.

…If you have ever once experienced freedom from your failure, you can experience it once again, for it is moment by moment.  If as a believer you have shut the door, repent, accept His forgiveness in spite of how you feel, and press on…

That statement about the enemy’s attempts and hopes that we will “not return and learn the true character of God” is one of the most powerful TRUTHS that we must learn.  It is knowing God’s TRUTHFUL CHARACTER that gives us the insights to the freedom that is ours IN CHRIST!  His character gives us the foundation for us to trust Him to the uttermost!  His character tells us ALL He will DO for us, if we trust Him to perform what He has said He will do.  All of His tests of our faith are to determine if we trust Him.  Period.

Thank you, Michael, for pointing us once more to the Light…the light of the Holy Spirit, that shines upon the deceptions of the enemy.  Can’t be done by man…must be done by the Holy Spirit as Michael points out.

And then, Michael gives us insight into the “depth of our faith (trust in God)” by whether we can accept God’s forgiveness in the midst of our deepest defeat.  Our righteousness is not based on us, but Him.  Everything in Christianity is Him, not us.  Jesus is the Christ of Christianity, not us…not our righteousness…not our good works…not our “believing”…not our “claiming”…not us in any way.

Thank you, Jesus, that You are Jesus…and we don’t have to be.  We get to partake of ALL of You, and You will come and be.  Well, amen.

Note: if you don’t have one of Michael’s Sidetracked In The Wilderness books, please contact ALMI (www.abidinglife.com) and get one today!

To access ALL past weekly blogs, go to Getting Out of the Wilderness by logging onto www.leemcchristianministries.blogspot.com  

Lee McDowell Christian Ministries

leemccm@gmail.com

1737 CR 2051    Nacogdoches, Tx 75965                                 936-559-5696