2 Corinthians 12:9 But He said to me, My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness. Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ (the Messiah) may rest (yes, may pitch a tent over and dwell) upon me! AMPC
I will never forget one time I decided to do something against what God was telling me to do. I didn’t do it yet —but I had decided I was going to go against what I knew I should do to be right with God. As soon as I made my decision I heard God tell me His presence would leave me if I kept to that decision. I started to feel His presence leave as He said it. It was a terrible, terrible feeling and I immediately repented and said I would do what He wanted me to do. Instantly I felt His presence return.
I couldn’t imagine living without God, His power in my life. For that brief few seconds when I did feel Him leaving me it was awful and I never want to experience it again.
In that moment my present situation that I was trying to get out of didn’t seem that bad compared to God leaveing me. Also, suddenly I knew that if I did what He wanted me to do I would have His grace— His power to do it. I knew in the moment or two that thus far in my life, the reason I was okay was Him —His presence in my life.
Samson felt it, he gave into the constant nagging of Delilah and told her his secret to his strength. She turned on him and he lost God’s presence in his life. That Power that protected him and gave him strength gone!
When you live in the presence and power of God you may sometimes take it for granted until you feel Him leaving you.
Satan is the root of the nagging in our lives and then when we give in we give into the absence of God in our lives. We can’t live two lives —either we will love one and hate the other or hate one and love the other.
Christians do it all the time though. I can’t understand why the choice wouldn’t be obvious to them who were enlightened. I mean you have to have been enlightened to originally have received Jesus. But it happens —as it happened to Samson, the pressure gets to us and we are tempted to betray our commitment to God.
The pressure, though is only pressure —it is pressure you can overcome because you have God’s power, His Spirit living on the inside of you. His is there to empower you to overcome that pressure. Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.
Yes a lot to deal with on your own without God, but you when you receive God, you have God’s Spirit living on the inside of you to help you do all things. He will strengthen you do His will when you make that decision to do so.
That day I did what God wanted me to do —not what I wanted to do. I trusted Him and He gave me the strength to do His will. What I didn’t want to do —I was graced to do.
The reason I didn’t want to do the will of God was because it was hard on my flesh and the enemy was nagging me to take care of it myself. There actually have been a lot of things I didn’t want to do, or have done, and didn’t want to do them. But I had to make a choice and I chose to do His will and not my own.
I did His will because I am smart enough to know I can’t make it without Him. I know I can’t function without God and I know also that He is a whole lot smarter than I am.
He keeps me from falling, and from failing. He keeps me from making mistakes, and decisions that would ruin my life. He keeps me on the path to the good life.
I like being able to depend upon Him and know that my path leads to righteousness and my eternity with Him.
He is jealous for me and looking out for me all the time and so that means I can relax. When I decide to do His will I am in agreement with Him and that means I can supersede in this life to the place of living blessed, happy and satisfied. Contentment is priceless. Having God conduct my affairs is the most wonderful thing I could ever have, ask for, or desire.
That decision that day would have had a devastating effect on my life and those I love. The enemy was harassing me to live my life for me and because of God I was able to resist that pressure and love anyway. Love to the degree I am called to love. I can only love past me —because of Him in me.
Now because I make His decisions and not my own I love my life! I can do all I need to do because of Him — because of His grace. His unmerited favor is enough for me.