Thoughts
on Michael Wells’ teachings in Sidetracked In The Wilderness - # 62
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.
Just
the word “surrender” seems to mean “losing” to many…but there are different
uses of that word, and Michael shows us the “best” meaning of “surrender” in
this unmasking of another of the devil’s lies.
Get the victory with surrendering self as Michael points out!
Lie #5 – TOTAL SURRENDER
WILL BRING PAIN AND LOSS
excerpt
from pages 180-183 of SIW (5th printing,
March 1998)
excerpt
from pages 182-185 of SIW (14th printing,
March 2012)
(used with permission from
ALMI):
Will
total surrender bring pain and loss? Actually, the opposite is true: The lack
of total surrender will bring pain and loss!
The enemy invests great energy in this lie. It is whispered continually to the growing
believer who has given up all but one thing to serve the Lord, that one thing
which is coveted, which has brought pleasure, which allows independence, and
that allows the enemy to maintain a foothold in the believer’s life. What is this one thing? It differs among Christians but will
generally have to do with some right which we believe we should have: a right
to be in control, not to forgive, to keep that one idol, or to have some kind
of worldly possession or pleasure.
…So
it is with this one small thing; it never quite allows us to enjoy all that God
has given because of its nagging presence…
…When
it comes to taking up the cross and denying self-life residue, the lies will
take this form: “You must wait for others to die to self-life and abide before
you do.” “If you deny yourself you will
not be happy.”…Since you have heard the message of abiding, you are to be the first
to deny self and, therefore, the first to experience the blessing.
…The
kind of forgiveness, love, submission, and respect toward others which the Lord
requires of us will never come if based on their actions. The Lord makes such demands on the basis of
how He has treated us, not how others have acted. We are commanded to love because of the
intensity with which He has loved us…Giving up all brought Him great joy…
As
we give up all, we, too, will find great joy, not pain and loss. Do not allow the enemy to have this foothold;
right now with your mouth give up that one thing which is allowing him to steal
joy that is rightfully yours…
Isn’t
it just like the devil to take and twist a meaning of a word to make it a
negative instead of a positive! And of
course he uses words like “rights” to further confuse and confound life. All the while to keep us from participating
in and being free in Christ.
When
will we Christians learn to believe and trust Scripture?!? It is God’s words to our pathway to the
abundant life of Christ.
And
must we be reminded that the Lord’s way is 99 times out of 100 the complete
opposite of the world’s way…let us not be led by the world’s thoughts and ways.
Just
the word “loss” brings shivers to too many…we could lose everything except
Christ (and we can never lose Him once we are one of God’s kids!) and still be
the Victor!
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
NOTICE: another blog…on Michael Wells’ book, My
Weakness For His Strength, called Living Life With a Capital “C”. You can
access by logging onto www.leemccm.blogspot.com
Lee McDowell Christian Ministries
1737 CR
2051 Nacogdoches, Tx 75965 936-559-5696
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