I’m trying to get back into the swing of regular updates. I’ve got a few irons in the fire as of late, including the work I’m doing on the GotSpirit Network. If you haven’t been following my Twitter feed the you should click the link and see what I’ve been up to. Short version, for those not interested in clicking, is that I’m building a network of websites to cover cheerleading in Georgia. What can I say, it’s my niche and I do it well.
I’ve also got a few other projects, some in my head, some in progress. So I’ve been away from the blogging here primarily because I’m writing so much content elsewhere. I’m hoping any writing is good writing. Ideally I’ll improve with each character I type.
For the last few days I’ve been knocking around something I heard on the Internet Monk podcast. He discussed the following quote from Martin Luther:
Whenever the devil harasses you, seek the company of men or drink more,
or joke and talk nonsense, or do some other merry thing. Sometimes we
must drink more, sport, recreate ourselves, and even sin a little to
spite the devil, so that we leave him no place for troubling our
consciences with trifles. We are conquered if we try too
conscientiously not to sin at all. So when the devil says to you: do
not drink, answer him: I will drink, and right freely, just because you
tell me not to. -Martin Luther in a letter to Jerome Weller, 1530
I’ve been rolling that around in the ol’noggin and trying to wrap my mind about what Luther is getting at with regards to temptation. I was getting the idea that Satan works in temptation and God works in only support and praise. One lifts you up and the other tears you down. Michael Spencer laid it out such that Satan will twist the good to put so much pressure on you that you create standards of which you’ll never achieve. Essentially, Luther was saying that our attempts to be perfect can lead to sin just as much as our unholy actions. Satan is aware that we’re going to falter so he’ll use that to his advantage. Which all seems to make perfect sense. However, I was still struggling to really understand or apply that to my life. Then I came across this today from Ransomed Heart:
The flesh will try to use your “freedom” to get you to do things you shouldn’t do. And now that the Enemy knows you are trying to walk with God and tune in to your heart, he’ll play the ventriloquist and try to deceive you there. Any “word” or suggestion that brings discouragement, condemnation, accusation—that is not from God. Neither is confusion, nor any counsel that would lead you to disobey what you do know. Reject it all, and carry on in your journey. Yes, of course, God needs to convict us of sin, warn us of wrong movements in the soul—but the voice of God is never condemning (Rom. 8:1
), never harsh or accusing. His conviction brings a desire for repentance; Satan’s accusation kills our hearts (2 Cor. 7:10
I went and looked up both verses. Here is 2 Corinthians 7:10:
Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.
In light of that passage I think I’m beginning to understand a little deeper what Luther was trying to get across. God doesn’t want us to eschew our humanity. He wants us to EMBRACE our humanity. We are wonderous creatures. Afterall, we were created in His image. However, all too often, we try to put artificial limits on ourselves in an attempt to be more “Godly.” What if we dropped the chains of legalism and removed our self-imposed barriers, what could we accomplish the gifts we’ve been given?? Why would you shackle a wonderous steed in leg irons only to lament that it can’t run?? I think this is what we do with ourselves. We chain ourselves to the earth. We worry about the flesh which, in turn, makes us slaves to the flesh.
How wonderful would it be if we just let our gifts flower and flourish? How great if we didn’t allow the Enemy to turn our greatest strengths into our greatness weakness’?? I wonder if buying into fewer lies would mean that we have fewer regrets??
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