How's your self-talk? Are you noticing it more? Which of these temptations are you most likely to give in to: gagging God, opposing, outwitting, or equaling God? I'm actually pretty good at all of them! And what is the outcome in my life? The desire for Power, Self-protection, Self-promotion, and Position. My family knows it so well. As do my co-workers.
Our desire for power manifests itself not only in our fetish to control things, but in our anxiety for people to be like us; we judge and condemn and scorn people, yes even our friends, who do things differently than we do, who look and talk differently, who believe and live their beliefs differently than us. Our craving for power is so misdirected, for as we see in Ephesians 3:16-19, God has already given us power for the most important thing:
"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."
As Shelly Beach says in her book on self-talk, this is what should drive our thirst for power, the life-changing power of Jesus available through the Holy Spirit. Isn't it amazing that we have already been given the only power that matters, the power to know and understand God's stunning love for us?
When we read Genesis 3, we see how our first parents attempted, in vain, to protect themselves after they had turned from God's Word to them: blame, shame, covering themselves, hiding from God. And we laugh when we see how Aaron justified his actions in the encounter with the Golden Calf: "So I said to [the Israelites], 'Let any who have gold take it off.' So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf." Really? we say. And then we run off and fashion our own golden calves. We try desperately to defend our characters and protect our "good" names, don't we? I try to look better than I am by telling half-truths about myself, by hiding behind my silences and "good deeds". All in the name, not of my holy and gracious God, but in the name of my own pride. In what ways do you think and act protectively?
Now look at the early church as they were being flogged and persecuted for speaking publicly about Jesus: "Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ." (Acts 5:41-42) Not a fig leaf in the pack. All exposing themselves to the rage of the authorities in order to obey God and glorify the name of His Son. Oh, that we would be so pride-less!
"Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the Lord! (Lamentations 3:40)
Thoughts?
Jean
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