We Have to Deliver Ourselves

So tonight I was talking to my suitemate (who recently broke up with her boyfriend) about what she should do. I admit the past week or so I have been pretty bossy telling her "no don't text him", "don't call him", just a lot of don'ts. I have apologized and told her that I only tell her all of this because I am trying to look out for her. She says she agrees with me, but she still can't stop thinking about different things which makes her decide to go against what I tell her to do. Anyway, I'm only mentioning all of this because this has been what is on my mind and tonight the devotion I read got me to thinking a lot about us taking control over our own lives.

So the devotional I read contained these two lines: "God will not discipline us, we discipline ourselves," and "God delivers us from sin, we have to deliver ourselves from our individuality." We've all heard the phrase "we must die to ourselves" Paul is constantly talking about how we are to stop living by the flesh and live by the Spirit. I have always pictured God as this guy who when I am going through a difficult time comes and just makes life a bit easier. I know that as Chrsitians we still suffer and that we will go through difficult times, but I have always invisioned God's role in those difficult times as a Savior. Granted Jesus is our Savior, but a Savior from death and sin. Jesus doesn't keep us from sinning, He is there to provide a way to God and forgiveness. There is still something we must do.

We have to put forth effort to chang our own thoughts and actions. God can't make us do what we don't want to do. When we tell God we can't do something it is because we won't. Surrendering takes action. We can't ask God to surrender for us. Yes, it is hard. God isn't just going to say, "Sorry it's hard, here let me change things and make it so it is easier." No, He wants us to do those things that are hard. I am not saying that He won't be there holding you up, walking beside you along the way. Sometimes we expect God to change our circumstances. He never promised to change them, He only promised He'd help you and be there to pick you up when you fall. He's there to forgive you when you sin, but He won't make you stop sinning. That is your job. When Jesus came, He didn't change the laws. He didn't make the circumstances easier. He provided a way to God, for forgiveness. Because of Jesus, we can turn to God for help to do the things we need to do. We need to get rid of this idea that we can ask God to do these things for us, to take away the thoughts we don't want, or to make the bad things in our life to go away. What we should be asking God for is the strength and the help that we need to be able to get rid of the thoughts ourselves and make it through these bad times in our lives.

2 Corinthians 10:5 "We demolish argumetns and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." --according to Paul, God doesn't take our thoughts captive and make them obedient to Christ, we do. We need to stop being lazy and expecting God to make the changes in our lives when we are to make the changes ourselves, with His help.