April 16, 2021: Our Nature of Who We Are Can Keep Us from A Fulfilling Relationship with Our God.

Do you find your relationship with God like a rollercoaster at times? One day you feel at peace with everything around you and your prayers with God are fulfilling and then the next day you feel out-of-step with God? Many Christians go through this similar rollercoaster ride with God. But the question is: What causes this to happen?

The simple answer is: Our sinful nature within ourselves. As long as we are alive in this sinful body of ours, we will continually struggle with this "up and down" relationship with our God. But there is a way to help us have a more fulfilling, nurturing, and restful relationship with God. But first let me share with you the story of someone else who walked with our Lord, Jesus, who struggled with a similar problem. You guessed it...It was the Apostle Peter.

In the Book of Mark, chapter 14, Jesus had finished His last supper with His disciples in the upper room and retreated to the Mount of Olives. (Mark 14: 25-26 NKJV) He then went on to tell His disciples how this very night that He will be betrayed, and they would all scatter.

Mark 14: 27-31

27 Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, And the sheep will be scattered.’

28 “But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.” 29 Peter said to Him, “Even if all are made to stumble, yet I will not be.” 30 Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that today, even this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.”

31 But he spoke more vehemently, “If I have to die with You, I will not deny You!”

Peter made a strong statement to Jesus, “But he spoke more vehemently, ‘If I have to die with You, I will not deny You!’” (Mark 14: 31). Peter made this statement with a strong self-confidence that he would not deny his Lord. What did Jesus see in Peter that Peter could not see in himself? What is it in us that keeps us from serving Jesus as we desire to? Peter meant it honestly, and Peter really intended to do it; but Peter did not know himself. He did not believe he was as bad as Jesus said he was.

Jesus knows us better that we know ourselves. You see, there are sins that we have chosen to do that can affect things in our lives and we must confess those sins to God. But I have come to learn that there are sins that have been placed upon us by other people that can affect us far more than we can admit to ourselves and have devastating consequences far beyond our control.

I am speaking of the sins of sexual abuse, molestation, parental abuse, words that tear down the very being of who we are...all these things can change us far beyond that we can imagine. It is these sins that we must bring to God and "fully surrender" them to Him so that He can begin the healing process in us. We cannot change the damages that have become so deeply rooted in our souls. Our true healing only comes from God's hand of healing deep within.

PERSONNAL COMMENT:

What are we to do with this "self-life", "unclean", very nature we constantly struggle with? What are we to do with that flesh that is entirely under the power of sin in us? We need "deliverance" from that very sin. We need to recognize that we are sinful people by nature, yes, we are forgiven by the "Blood of Jesus", but still very sinful. We need to come to "absolute surrender" of ourselves to God, confess our sinful nature, and "die-to-self daily". As we begin to do this, we will begin to find the continued peace and rest with our God we constantly seek.