If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. —John 8:36

If there is even a trace of individual self-satisfaction left in us, it always says, “I can’t surrender,” or “I can’t be free.” But the spiritual part of our being never says “I can’t”; it simply soaks up everything around it. Our spirit hungers for more and more. It is the way we are built. We are designed with a great capacity for God, but sin, our own individuality, and wrong thinking keep us from getting to Him. God delivers us from sin— we have to deliver ourselves from our individuality. This means offering our natural life to God and sacrificing it to Him, so He may transform it into spiritual life through our obedience.

God pays no attention to our natural individuality in the development of our spiritual life. His plan runs right through our natural life. We must see to it that we aid and assist God, and not stand against Him by saying, “I can’t do that.” God will not discipline us; we must discipline ourselves. God will not bring our “arguments…and every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5)— we have to do it. Don’t say, “Oh, Lord, I suffer from wandering thoughts.” Don’t suffer from wandering thoughts. Stop listening to the tyranny of your individual natural life and win freedom into the spiritual life.

“If the Son makes you free….” Do not substitute Savior for Son in this passage. The Savior has set us free from sin, but this is the freedom that comes from being set free from myself by the Son. It is what Paul meant in Galatians 2:20 when he said, “I have been crucified with Christ….” His individuality had been broken and his spirit had been united with his Lord; not just merged into Him, but made one with Him. “…you shall be free indeed”— free to the very core of your being; free from the inside to the outside. We tend to rely on our own energy, instead of being energized by the power that comes from identification with Jesus.

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November 18 2015

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Lord, this looks at first glance like one more of those “iron sharpening iron” devotionals I am about to study with Oswald Chambers; especially when he says…”we have to deliver ourselves from our individuality.“ But then, just when I get all worked up to debate the issue, he redeems himself with…”This means offering our natural life to God and sacrificing it to Him, so He may transform it into spiritual life “. But then once more Chambers adds these last three words, “through our obedience” and seems to suggest that we must first add our own strength and power to the equation.  I seem to be arguing in my mind and heart with Chambers about how much and what kind of power, strength or discipline we are supposed to add to the equation in order to be surrendered.

In my own experience, I find I am unable to be the man I want to be through my sheer will, discipline and practiced obedience.  And there are sufficient scriptures to tell me I can do nothing apart from You. Like John 15:5 (NIV) 5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” So Lord which is it? Must we gather our strength and deliver ourselves from our individuality?

And God says…”Apart from Me you can do nothing”. In your own strength, you can only be human, frail and full of failure. And when you realize this, you can surrender. Your strength flows directly from the Holy Spirit to and through you as you “give up”.  As the song says, you do not have to be strong enough. God is not your co-pilot. God is your pilot, copilot, and engineer. You are the passenger.  You have surrendered your right to control your life to Me. And from that single act, you are able to do all things through Christ Jesus, because you no longer live, it is Christ Jesus that lives within you.

You and Chambers are not that far apart, and it is perfectly alright to disagree about certain things, especially as language, culture, and semantics try to divert understanding.  But the Holy Spirit will guide you into all truth. Simply surrender yourself, be connected to Jesus, and live out of that. You will find that all things, including disagreement, work together for the good of those that love the Lord and are called according to His purpose.”

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