More than conquerors (II) When I am weak (III)

Have you ever asked yourself “Is this all there is,” feeling that “there has to be more!” If you have, then you are right. There is more, there is always more! The Biblical verification of this is found in 1 Corinthians 2:9 which reads “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man what God has prepared for those who love Him.” And life in all its fullness (John 10:10b) is not just in the hereafter, it is in the here and now! The “get out of jail free” aspect of salvation is of course a free gift (Ephesians 2:8)! But in order to enter into the promised fullness of life, into the more, we have to war both against the enemy of our souls (Ephesians 6:12), and the “demons” within. And I want to be looking at this, this morning, as it relates to our being more than conquerors through Him who loved us (Romans 8:37).

There is an interesting relationship between this war, and working the steps of Twelve-step programs, which I want to point out are useful for much more than overcoming rampant addictions. And when Christ is our higher Power, we can indeed through Him, conquer and overcome the trials, temptations and difficulties of life. For Paul these included tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril and sword (verse 35). Being able to overcoming these things is wonderful, and amazing, but for me, it is not enough. In particular it is not just about survival, simply getting through. The verse tells us that through Him we are not just conquerors, we are more than conquerors! As I keep saying, it’s not automatic, and we will not be more than conquerors, if we are satisfied with anything less than all that He has for us. Passivity in this war just does not cut it!

There are many things that hinder our entering into the fullness of life. And some of it has to do with our not dealing with the things we would rather not deal with. You know, the things we don’t like to talk about, the things of which we are ashamed, the things that have hurt us deeply in the past, the unforgiveness, the resentments and all the negative emotions that so easily rise to the surface. The fourth and fifth steps of twelve step programs are perhaps the hardest. They are “Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves,” and “Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.” One of the ways I have worked the fourth step, is to make a list of all those who have hurt me, and then ask myself what was my part in it, and/or in what way did I respond wrongly to the wrong done!

Father, if I am to be more than a conqueror, then I need something to overcome. But I am weak, and love, peace and humility are not always my first reaction to the character polishing You want to work in me, in and through the things You allow! But I am realizing more and more that every negative and difficult thing is a crossroads, where I can choose to allow You to make me more like Jesus (or not). But I cannot even start to do this Lord, without knowing at an ever deeper level, that I am truly loved and unconditionally accepted by You. So I ask again this morning Lord, for the wherewithal to be the man of God You call me to be, and I will give You all the honour, glory and praise in Jesus Name Amen