Living the X-changed life
Being willing to be willing
Having the ability to choose is one of the liberties afforded to man by God. When the Father decided to allow man the ability to choose he essentially provided man with a will. Our will is part of our soul – mind, will and emotions. (dfn: - the capability of conscious choice and decision that has a fixed and persistent intent or purpose.)
The soul is the battlefield between good and evil, righteousness and unrighteousness, light and darkness but it shouldn’t be that way. Initially, our will was in perfect harmony with God, there was no battle. You might say, "We were always “willing to be willing”.
Because of mans unwillingness to believe God, evil hawas allowed to enter into man’s soul and the perceived battle has ensued. I say perceived battle because in truth, the battle ended at the cross when Jesus defeated death. But like certain soldiers left on deserted islands in WW1 some have not believed the report that the war is over and continue to entertain the idea that the enemy of our soul has power in our lives (more about that later).
The question asked by God TODAY is; “Are you willing to be willing…?”
The bible tells the story of God who was willing to respond to people’s willingness to believe.
Luke 5:12-13 – While he was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy. And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, “Lord if you are willing you can make me clean.” And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him saying, “I am willing; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him.”
Notice that in the OT “sin” contaminated “clean” – in the NT “clean” removes “sin”, there has been a shift from law to grace.
For the most part the issue with breakthrough and deliverance is not our willingness (I think everyone is willing to receive breakthrough). The issue is our ‘unwillingness’.
- God has essentially “handcuffed” himself to respond to the willingness of his children.
- As an example; throughout the gospels Jesus “responded” to a persons willingness (faith).
- All of us desire breakthrough but there is an unwillingness to transform the mind – and in turn our behavior.
2 Thes 1:11 reminds us that “every ACT is prompted by faith.”
For breakthrough to occur it is necessary to have the mind of Christ... and that is contrary to the world's mindset.
The Lord’s mind thinks that to receive you must give.
Trials are a joy.
To be set free you must be controlled by the Holy Spirit.
That you must die to live.
For instance: There is mind-set that for breakthrough and deliverance to occur the process must be just as laborious and difficult as it was to become ensnared.
- We are unwilling to believe that Jesus can reach out His hand, touch our lives and make us clean. Yeah, tell that to the leper who lived for years with his infirmity (OT sign of sin) – and “immediately” the leprosy left him.” In another instance two blind men were sitting by the roadside – Jesus touched their eyes and "immediately" they received their sight. And in case the point was not clear, the woman subject to bleeding for 12 years was touched the hem of Jesus' garment and "immediately" she was made well.
· No counseling, no 12 step program… simply a willingness to believe that Jesus could heal.
Why is it difficult to be “willing to be willing”? To have the faith that God is willing to heal and break the bondage from your life right now ("immediately")?
We get tired because of wrong methods, wrong messages.
- We listen to a system (counseling, therapy, self-help) that denies God yet is supposed to offer a solution?
- We labor over the symptoms. we respond to life based on what we "feel" instead of what is true.
- We embark into a theology that places limits on God. We see God work then draw a line around that and determine… “THIS is how God works” and create a theology that comforts our reason. The problem is that by doing so we have just limited God.
· Theology should move us into divine encounter… not keep us from it.
- We compare others results/experiences and determine the course of action based on their “success” or “failure”.
· Treatment centers report that anywhere from 54-78% of their patients relapse. So we enter into an attempt for breakthrough with a backdoor – “Well, you know I guess I’m one of the percentage that did/did not make it.” Think about it, if I willingly give doubt a home it will reside and dominate.
We like being in bondage – 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12
“The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
- Why does God send a strong delusion? Because there is no desire to believe the truth and there is pleasure in unrighteousness.
Finally, we give Satan legal ground or we retreat from intrusion:
Giving "legal ground" to Satan is when we actively participate in sin. "Intrusion" is when satan attempts to force his way into our life.
Some of the most common ways this occurs is through:
Lies and deception – either believing a lie or not speaking the truth
* We would rather suffer the consequences or behavior rather than seek or speak truth.
* We entertain Accusation and condemnation – thoughts of being no good, not begin good at…,
* Doubt and unbelief - this is choosing to not believe the truth of what God says in the bible. For instance, denying God's promises or creating a theology that places limits on God's authority or ability. An example of this would be an unwillingness to believe that if a person is in Christ they are no longer a sinner. Let me ask you – am I still a Minnesotan? I was born there, I resided there, I spent about one third of my existence in the state. the answer is – of course not – I now reside in Texas and am considered a Texan – what changed… my position.
If we are still sinners; Christ died for no reason other than to offer us a place in heaven. There is no overcoming, there is no “new creation”, the power of the cross has limited atonement, and I need to accept “sin” as just part of life. What more does Christ need to do? Hebrews 10:14 tells us - “For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” Yes, you read it right… you have been perfected… you are now recognized as sinless before the Father.
Yet for some who hear this, a spirit of antichrist is mocking with a lying spirit to deceive you into thinking that you are a sinner and you’ll need to learn to live with it. I can offer the truth that Christians are never characterized as ungodly in the NT. There are 28 uses of the word “sinners” and 13 of the word “sinner” in the NT. NONE refer to people who have come to a saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
- Yeah but what about the person who is a Christian but just keeps on sinning? The truth… they are not a Christian.
1 John 3:8 – “Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning… (and again v9) no one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God.
Well… maybe they have fallen away for a season? Impossible.
Hebrews 6:4-6 – For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then (lit. “to be”) fallen away to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.”
Other ways we give legal ground or retreat from intrusion are:
* Disobedience.
* Omission or commission of behavior.
* Inner vows – promises you have made to “never” or “always”.
* Curses – generational iniquity that has never been broken. “You’re just like your father (mother).”
By providing legal ground or retreating from intrusion we give a foothold to evil. There are 14 names for evil spirits mentioned throughout the bible, each of which has a specific assignment.
- Infirmity
- Fear
- Divination
- Whoredoms
- Bondage
- Haughtiness
- Perverseness
- Anit-Christ
- Deaf and Dumbness
- Heaviness
- Lying
- Jealously
- Stupor (Slumber)
- Error
“Are you willing to be willing” – “God is willing… are you?”
“Who is willing to consecrate themselves today to the LORD?”
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