Spring Cleaning (part III)

‘The first step is humbling myself, and confessing to myself, to others, and most importantly to my Father, 'I can't do it myself.' I am throwing out all the mental clutter that challenges this truth. 'I CAN do it myself.' has been my mantra for longer than I can remember...so this will take time, effort, and God's supernatural power to purge and cleanse it all from my mind.’

Last week I shared that my first step needs to be humbling myself, and confessing that I cannot do it myself. I’ve been learning that I also need to truly believe from my heart that I cannot do it myself in order to completely cast off this weight and hindrance. I’ve known this truth in my head for a very long time, but I keep returning to the lie in my pride and arrogance. I've confessed this form of pride, but I've only half-heartedly repented from it; and half-hearted repentance is not repentance at all.

For the past year my prayer partner and I have been memorizing, meditating on, and praying to live out II Corinthians 10:3-6, “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have DIVINE POWER to DESTROY STRONGHOLDS. We DESTROY arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.”

The KJV uses ‘vain imaginations’ instead of ‘arguments’, which I find cuts straight to my prideful heart.

‘Vain’ meaning proud, arrogant, worthless, useless.

‘Imaginations’ meaning delusions, distorted reality, ideas/philosophies/beliefs.

‘I can do it myself’ has been a stronghold for me.

‘I can do it myself’ has been my vain imagination.

‘I can do it myself’ needs to be destroyed by a weapon with divine power.

Calvin writes in his Institutes of the Christian Religion that “Nearly all wisdom we possess, that is to say, true and sound wisdom, consists of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves.”

The ‘I can do it myself’ mentality is not true and sound wisdom. It is utter foolishness exposing that I don’t really know God, and I don’t really know myself.

How do I grow in the knowledge of God, and grow in the knowledge of myself?

Through the Helper, the Holy Spirit of Truth, renewing my mind and transforming my heart with God’s Word, the Scriptures, the Bible. (John 14:16-17, 26; Romans 12:2; John 17:17)

And what weapon does God provide me, His beloved daughter, that possesses His power to discern the thoughts and intentions of my deceitful and desperately sick heart? And once these sinful thoughts and intentions are exposed, what weapon can destroy them and their effects? (Hebrews 4:12; Jeremiah 17:9-10; Isaiah 55:11)

“The Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God” Ephesians 6:17

Following II Corinthians 10:3-6, the Spirit has identified and shown me that the thought, ‘I can do it myself’ needs to be taken captive. This belief in myself, in my own strength, in my own wisdom now needs to be tested and examined against God’s Word of Truth.

“take every thought captive to obey Christ” – Does this belief obey Jesus, the Living Word, the Word made flesh, the Truth?

- “apart from Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

- “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26

- “do not lean on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5

- “Be not wise in your own eyes” Proverbs 3:7

- “Trust in the LORD with ALL YOUR HEART” Proverbs 3:5

- “I can do all things THROUGH Him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13

- “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” II Corinthians 12:9

- “So Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of His own accord, but only what He sees the Father doing.” John 5:19

- “I can do nothing on My own. …I seek not My own will but the will of Him who sent Me.” John 5:30

Nope. ‘I can do it myself’ is a lie. I have been believing a lie. I have been trying to live a lie.

Again, I know this in my head but not in my heart.

Continuing to follow II Corinthians 10:3-6, it’s time to take up the weapon with divine power to destroy such strongholds in my heart, and not just my mind.

The Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, not only has power to purge and cleanse the heart, but it also has the power to fill the heart so that these ‘demons’ don’t return with seven others, making the last state worse than the first. (Matthew 12:43-45)

Here is where we put into practice Psalm 119:11, “I have stored up Your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against You.”

I need to take at least one of those verses from the list and store it up in my heart, hide it in my heart. Not just memorize it, but meditate upon it, learn it, understand it, receive it, believe it in my heart, not just my mind.

(Memorization has been so distorted that I am reluctant to use that terminology. I was very good at memorizing things in school for the exams, but the moment after the exam I couldn't remember any of it. I had memorized the information, but I had not learned it. Much like how I know things in my head, but not in my heart. God is all about the heart, not just the intellect.)

The two verses in John 5 cut to my heart the deepest because they direct my attention to Jesus Himself. And if Jesus can do nothing on His own, who am I to continue believing I can do anything on my own?!

Here is another aspect of following Jesus, of being transformed into His image, of reflecting His humility and meekness that I can behold, adore, and glorify. Here is another way I can look to His example and follow in His steps of living a life pleasing to the Father. Here is another way I can bear His image more and more rightly to His glory and my delight in Him.

- for God's glory alone (soli Deo gloria)