Something God is Trying to Accomplish in My Life

Hi - I was touched by your post.

I would encourage you to read David Wilkerson book, the book The New Covenant revealed.

I would say over the 8 months ago I started attending, a group in seeking holiness. One man who walks in this blessing stat the group by saying you have to get to the place of being nothing.

I would say at the time I pushed back on that thought. But I see the scripture.

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing"

So I stuck with it.

A few months later the call of God came on my life, it was awareness that began me in prayer crying out to God in my inadequacy which only intensified to the point I found that myself crying out "I am nothing"

Then I got a hold of the book I mentioned above, and in it you'll find that David Wilkerson go to the same point. The way God brought David there was different but the result was the same - he saw that he was nothing.

At the end of the day it's is the cross working in our life bringing death to Self. As Sin in us deceives us and causes us to think we can live the Christian life in our own strength.

But thank God he has made promise to us in the New Covenant where he promises to do it - "I will" Ezek 36.

You can see it in Romans 8:13 - For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

The very Spirit of God himself as we look to him in our inadequacy in our nothingness, trusting and believing the promise he will fulfil the promise of the New covenant you will live.

This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. Ezek 37:9

God's Spirit in our nothingness, in the death of the cross we will find life.

Embrace the nothingness, embrace that cross - Bro - search the scripture find the men and see that even Christ himself declared, "I can do nothing on my own"

Believe what God has promised and - "You will Live"

One thing I have come to understand is that while thus absolutely necessary, the means by which self is brought to death are never sweet ones. So let as many as are in this list think it not strange when hell should at times seem to break loose over their circustances. And often if not always, we travel that path alone - no pastor, no brethren, no friend, no sibling and no spouse. Afterall, it is self that needs to die.

With that said, blessed be God who stirs us up after his good pleasures (an emptied/sanctified vessel - set aside for the Master's use)

Philippians 2:13

"For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure."

I was listening to a sermon recently, the were speaking about the fall of man.

Gem 3:5 For God knows that on the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will become like God, knowing good and evil.”

Gen 3:22 When the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil.

While listening to it I got a revelation, God wants to get us back to what we were like in the Garden of Eden. Our issue is that we have become like God’s, independent of him.

What God must do is restore is that dependence on him. When we get born again we are given the Spirit of Christ, which indwells us. However there remains a part of us that remain "independent” of God. In scripture it’s called the flesh.

Luther’s Small Catechism teaches us that our baptism into Christ, which "works forgiveness of sins, rescues from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this.

However he goes on too say

Luther - Nonetheless, the old creature continues to hang on in their nature and all of its inward and outward powers.”

In other words, those who have faith in Christ are justified before God yet continue to have the old sinful nature.

Although born again by God’s Spirit there is a foe of God remaining in us the flesh which no other than the independent self, which is saturated by Sin.

I can’t speak for others but in my life, I was made aware of that Sin that remains, that is why I wrote the above statement, but God in mercy also let me see that he does deal with that Sin. I had to go through the dealings of God, but at the end of it he got a book into my hand, called Holiness the Key to Revival.

The point of my ramblings is this:- the independent self is whenever we do things independent from God, the independent self with it’s Sin must be dealt with, it must be brought to the cross and dealt with.

What is the cross it’s the place where you are utter helplessness, you know if you are doing anything for God you’ll mess it, you are like Moses: "I am not eloquent”, "am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue”. You’ll look inside and see you have no strength, no purity, you have nothing to offer God. I can do nothing and it’s there you cry out "I am nothing”.

Then you find hope ”“ you read the scripture and find Jesus saying "I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me”.

So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.

Then the New Covenant starts to be revealed: you see the promise in the scripture: Ezek 36 I will vindicate the holiness of my great name: when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from fall your uncleannesses, and from all your idols, I will cleanse you. I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. You shall be my people, and I will be your God. And I will deliver you from all your uncleanness. And I will summon the grain and make it abundant and play no famine upon you. I will make the fruit of the tree and the increase of the field abundant, that you may never again suffer the disgrace of famine among the nations.

That has happened to me in the past month: so, I go forward not with what I can do, I am nothing, but waiting on God believing and trusting what he says in scripture.

The last thing I would like to say is this, it goes back to the revelation I mention at the start of this post about God wants to restore us to what we were like in the Garden of Eden and consider the New Covenant Promise.

"You shall be my people, and I will be your God”. A people who are dependent on God.

May God bless you.

George Fox writes about his personal experience in this in his Journal, where he talks about 'coming up through the flaming sword', which we know as the weapon that the guardian angel uses to keep unqualified persons out of paradise.

It is very appropriate to his sufferings during the journey towards 'the garden of Eden' and entry into it ,where we are restored to the position of Adam and Eve to what God created - innocent people, whom He wished them to develop into mature adults by eating of the fruit from the tree of life which of course they failed in the test.

But because of the blood of Christ which cleanseth us from all sin, we can regain entry.

There is a further development for us if we eat of the tree of life this is submitting to God entirely and feeding from Him or taking all of our life from Him and denying ourselves which brings us to perfection.

I should have added that Fox was speaking already as a believer prior to the 'coming up'. He had searched England to find someone who could spiritually advise him but found no-one till Christ spoke to him.

Now was I come up in Spirit through the flaming sword, into the paradise' of God. All things were new ; and all the creation gave another smell unto me than before, beyond what words can utter. I knew nothing but pureness, and innocency, and righteousness, being renewed into the image of God by Christ Jesus, to the state of Adam, which he was in before he fell. The creation was opened to me ; and it was showed me how all things had their names given them, according to their nature and virtue. I was at* a stand in my mind, whether I should practise physic for the good of mankind, seeing the nature and virtues of things were so opened to me by the Lord. But I was immediately taken up in Spirit to see into another or more steadfast state than Adam's innocency, even into a state in Christ Jesus, that should never fall. And the Lord showed me that such as were faithful to him, in the power and light of Christ, should come up into that state in which Adam was before he fell ; in which the admirable works of creation, and the virtues thereof, may be known, through the openings of that diving Word of wisdom.

It makes perfect sense that God should so intend. Do we not hear of the term 'restoration' in Christian preaching - which implies to bring something back to the state it previously was in (fell from)?

Oh that God would stir as many hearts as are foreign thereto to open up after the same. For unto this are we called indeed - even to conforming to the the image of Christ.

It is very much worth noting that the perfection mentioned in sister brendaM's first post should by no means be understood as to imply the 'removal' of the ability to sin. Why? Because this was neither so with Adam(he eventually sinned) nor with Christ (he is honored for managing to live a sinless life - it would be absurd to honor him thus if he was unable to sin). Amen, sister brendaM?

And yes, he who sin is never excused but is still fully to blame for each time he (in foolishness) thus embrace sin (as it was with Adam).

Man is never devoid of the ability to sin but of the necessity.

Christ was incapable of sin because He is God but He and mankind also, if entirely sanctified, was capable of relying on the human part of His nature, that is either instinct or human reasoning, as when He was tempted in the wilderness. This is how Satan tempted Adam and Eve which always leads to sin but it not sin itself.

I know that many believers think that He could sin if He wanted but I don't see how. The scripture only says that He was tempted as we are but they can only mean in the sanctified state in my understanding. How can anyone be tempted if they have been delivered from their passions?

Noted and I would please like to hear other brethren on this. Glad though that we are in agreement that Adam had the ability to sin. The state to which we have implicitly agreed (on the prevous posts) that God seeks to restore us.

P.S: The same state of Adam we esteem is the same he was in before he sinned - and therein still managed to sin. This is why as often as I reflect on this, I get afraid of myself - that I remain capable of turning my back on God as Adam did. And cannot wait to hit the finish line while thus acceptable to God. As then I should finally be immune!?

Quote: Because this was neither so with Adam(he eventually sinned) nor with Christ (he is honored for managing to live a sinless life - it would be absurd to honor him thus if he was unable to sin).

I read your you post and it remined me of something I read just recently, our Father promised to keep Him, Jesus through the keeping power of the Holy Spirit, managed to obey the Father in all things. You can see it the below scriptures.

Isaiah 42:6 the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

Isaiah 49:8 Thus says the Lord: "In a time of favor I have answered you; in a day of salvation I have helped you; I will keep you and give you as a covenant to the people, to establish the land, to apportion the desolate heritages.

This pledge of the Father is now made available to us.

John 17:11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.

Jesus is praying and reminding the Father of the covenant he had with Father, he is asking the Father to ""keep us"" and that we may be one with the Father. It's the same covenant that Christ an the Father had, now belongs to us.

Further confirmation

John 17:15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.

It's mind blowing, well it is for me, why have I been living in defeat all these years? When we have such wonderful promises.

I agreed that it is very refreshing to hear of these promises.

I believe there is great resilience in those in close communion with God - but never immunity from sinning, yes.

Now for Christ, what makes him temptable, I understand, is because, as God as he was, he was given our kind of flesh (one capable of sinning) and lived in our world (one foaming with occassions to sin).

Once one is out of both, it should be finished!

Some soldier smite and spit on him and tempts him to either respond with profanity or to want to slap them back (revenge)? That is our kind of flesh and world. But bless God that a temptation is not a sin by itself!

P.S: If Jesus never sinned because he could not sin, then if we live without sin, we shall clearly have out performed him and should be given better crows than him?

Philippians 2:5-11

Quote: If Jesus never sinned because he could not sin, then if we live without sin, we shall clearly have out performed him and should be given better crows than him?

I don't see it as competition, but rather a benefit that God bestows, because of his obedience. With him our old self was crucified in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.

Our crown will come through faith, believing in Christ and what he has accomplished, and submitting (obedience) ourselves to God as instruments for righteousness.

No brother it was not in a competition sense but more of a logic challenge. I just thought I understand why God did not make us robots programmed to obey (never to disobey). He would get less if at all glory. But to let an intelligent creature behold your goodness, holiness, might, etc and then to voluntarily decide for itself to honor you for whom they preceived you to be is more glorifying to God. And yes brother, it is because he has outperformed all (Adam for one) that he has been given a name above all names...)

Christ could simply have appeared in the fullness of God had he had not needed to come and conquer what the 1st Adam failed to conquer. Right in the same conditions

The 'logic challenge' was particularly meant for sister brendaM's presented position.

In my understanding Jesus was only delivered from his fleshly passions after resurraction (of cause starting from death). And no a temptation is not a sin by itself. So you get tempted to do wrong (lie, lust, etc) but you resist doing the wrong. You have not sinned there.

P.S: James 1
14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. 15 Then when lust hath conceived (only then as we can see), it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.