"I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." John 10:10.
"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." Acts 1:8
Many Christians try to live the Christ life themselves. We trust God to secure eternal life in Heaven for us but ignorantly take it upon ourselves to support the abundant (Christ) life on earth. So many times, we find ourselves trying, with all our might to keep the standards of God' word by praying, being a witness, going to church and reading the Bible. Although we give all of our might and power to do the right things, we do not find much real joy, peace and happiness but end up in the bondage of duty and defeat. There may be a form of godliness, but no real power in Christian witness. There are many activities and programmes but no reality of God's presence and power in Christian living and service. When we know something is clearly wrong but know not how to put it into words nor even dare to voice it out, we need to get desperate. It can't be God's fault can it? So the problem must lie with us. Here are 3 keys to help you when Christian experiences don't match up with God's Word.
First, remember that God's plan for all His children is good and for His glory. Know that His love for you is unchanging and that no matter where you are in the Christian life, He still wants to restore and revive you for His own Glory if you are willing to seek Him humbly (Jer 29:11-13). No matter how you feel about it, these are the facts that are eternally dependable. So don't let human feelings and experiences knock you off, remember God's overarching plan for you is good and for His glory. Start humbling yourself honestly before God and He will surely revive you. (James 4)
Secondly, recognize that Christ's work on the Cross is finished. In the Greek, the word "finished" in John 19:30 implies that Christ's work on the Cross is a completed action, with continuing results. That means that even up to this very moment, Christ's finished work on the Cross still has a positive effect on the Christian's life. It's not only for heaven but for the Christ life on earth. If we can trust Christ to save us from the penalty of sin, why not the power of sin too? Many of us put our trust wholly on Christ for Heaven but do not realize that we are to put our complete trust in living the Christ life on earth as well. It is sad and humbling because everytime we stop believing in Christ after we got saved and start depending on ourselves to live Christian life, we undermine the finished work of Christ and frustrate it. Apart from knowing these facts in our mind, we need to agree that these glorious facts apply directly to us for this very moment and let it sink into our hearts (Col 2:6).
Lastly, realize that the Spirit's guidance is the key to the successful Christian life. It is tragic that many come to understand the love of God and the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ but fail to grasp the direct ministry of the Holy Spirit to Christians. The Holy Spirit is not another attribute of God or a force from God, He is the third person of the Trinity who is to teach, guide and enable us to lead the successful Christian life. One has put it this way: God plans, Christ executes, and the Spirit applies. Thus ignorance to and independence from the work of the Spirit is fatal to the Christian life. When Christ ascended, He gave us another comforter to live in us. That word "another" means another of the same kind, showing that Christ was emphasising on the Spirit's importance in the Christian life. Why do we find it hard, grievous and laborious to walk victoriously in the Christian life? Why is it our Christian experiences always fall short of the expectations we find in God's word? It's because we do not know the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We are not depending on the Spirit to teach and comfort guide us; we are not interacting with Him to guide, warn, and empower us. If we know more of the Spirit-filled life, don't you think it will make sense that we will look more like Jesus? Until we acknowledge, agree, and appropriate (by faith) God's plan through Christ's work for His Spirit ultimately to enable us to lead the victorious Christian life, we will never make it! May we not go around telling (by our speech and lifestyle) other people how the real Christian life is impossible, impractical and impersonal when we have not realized the Spirit's enablement for life and ministry. Only when you depend on the Spirit daily then you will realize His presence and power in your life.
Maybe you have tried to live the Christ life but have failed miserably. Church is getting burdensome, sermons are getting dry, praying meetings are getting boring and daily devotions are getting dreadful. Are those activities bad? No! Satan and all of his angels would love for Christians to carry on living the Christ life themselves because he knows it's of not much worth in the Kingdom of God at all.There is a saying that goes like this, "If a Christian's life is not supernatural, it is probably superficial." What about yours? How much of our lives can be explained by self instead of God's enabling Spirit? The victorious Christ life on earth is not possible without the Spirit of Christ. If we can't say truthfully that we are depending on the Spirit of God right now, we are depending on self and living independently from the Spirit of the living God. May God help us to depend on Him totally and continually. By God's enabling Spirit, may we win the battle over our addiction of self-dependence. Don't cave it with your Christian experiences don't match up with God's word, make moment by moment choices to depend wholly on the Spirit today. As you yield to the Spirit, expect guidance from His word and trust to obey the light which He reveals to you without delay.
Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts." Zechariah 4:6
Further study: John 14-16, Gal 2:20, Gal 3-6. Hymn: "Is you all on the altar?"
