The Illusion of Self-Control – Part 2

I staunchly adhere to the concept that God, although sovereign, cannot operate fully in our lives unless our beliefs permit Him to do so. It is not the devil that we ought to be weary of, but it is our understanding and persuasion of what the Word says we are in Christ. For me, a key verse of scripture which sets the tone regarding God’s ability to bless a believer is found in Galatians 5:17.

For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.

Galatians 5:17

Surely, Galatians 5:17 answers so many of the burning questions that most believers have? Such as “will God bless you when you sin?” We can see that it is not an issue of behaviour or actions as such; we read in Genesis that Abraham was blessed abundantly by God when he sinned by lying to Pharaoh about his wife; it has more to do with how surrendered we are to God. It is like a set of scales, I believe: the more we are yielded and submitted to God, the more He is able to move in us freely.

I used to liken our fears and selfish ambition to strongholds, just like a castle (see 2 Cor. 10:4). But perhaps it is more like a loving Father playing along with his little boy who is playing a game of war, with little plastic soldiers lined-up in a row, “barring” the way for others to cross the threshold. The all-powerful God sees the boundaries that we establish, forbidding anyone, including Him, to cross. Playing along with our little “game”, God honours the boundaries we establish in our minds and agrees not to cross the threshold.

This way of thinking, I believe, eradicates guilt, as the person sees that it is their belief system, not their actions or behaviour as such, which determines, to a large extent, what happens in their lives. This does not mean that we can simply dictate to God what He ought to do in our lives. This mistaken notion has been adopted by advocates of the Word of Faith movement, which has sought to give believers a sense of self-control and self-empowerment through the use of elaborate testimonies and the use of confessing relevant verses of scripture.

Even the classic “mixture message” that we hear in many charismatic services on a Sunday, asserts that God has a plan for our lives – a wonderful plan that is the best for us. Our ability to live a blessed life is not found in our ability to control our behaviour by a conscious effort of the will, but moreover, it is found in our ability to become assured of the Father’s love for us; that He knows what is best for us; He has good works planned for us to accomplish by His strength; He loves us and wants us to prosper and be in health. Above all, it is being assured that it is by the works of Jesus, by His law-keeping, by His sacrifices, by His holiness, that we are accepted by God. Our works have very little to do with God’s love for us and our right-standing with Him. It is only when we are not persuaded of these truths that the flesh nature (which is the self-preservation instinct) is provoked into action.

It is not up to us to conjure-up “clever” ideas and elaborate noble plans to benefit the lives of others and further the cause of Christ. No, God said that He would build His church. God already has it all figured out, from the start to the end; He is the Alpha and Omega – the beginning and the end. That’s what the book of Revelation is all about: it is like God saying, “I know how this all works out – I know how it is going to end.”

I believe that the mistaken belief that we control our lives with our willpower or conscious mind will be one of the last bastions of the religious church, to fall. This belief is up there with all the other wrong beliefs concerning self-empowerment and self-control: tithing/sowing/reaping and good deeds meriting reward.

Without this wrong mindset of self-control, there would be no challenges, platitudes and pep-talks – there would be just the Gospel, the good news, being preached. We need not fear a sense of powerlessness. The knowledge that we do not control our lives should bring us into a state of rest which allows the Holy Spirit free-access to our lives.

And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

2 Corinthians 12:9