Thoughts
on Michael Wells’ teachings in Sidetracked In The Wilderness - # 43
Michael’s book is
available through:
Abiding Life Ministries
International
Littleton, Colorado
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 (5th printing,
March 1998)
excerpt
from pages 119-122 of SIW (14th 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
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