Drawing Closer in Battle

9/21/1995

Could you give a practical example of the difference between like holding up a shield and going outside of the camp, like you’re moving outside your safe haven? You were using impatience at that point as an example. What does it look like? That means you purposefully go out and put yourself in a situation that normally you might avoid? What would be a practical way that you go out? And, does that make sense?

Wouldn’t part of it be the things that we’ve talked about tonight just as far as choosing to pursue, choosing to take the Word of God very seriously and to not settle for it not being in our lives, to not settle for not knowing how to practically apply those things. To not settle for “Well, this is how I’ve been, and how it’ll be.” Ya know, maybe we successfully kept from sinning, maybe we successfully come out of every one of the situations without falling or whatever. But God wants us to pursue that thing and not give Him any rest and not give ourselves any rest.

I know that’s what it’s been for me, is saying, “Wait a minute. God said THIS about this particular thing. This is who Jesus is and I’m supposed to be like Jesus, so what have I been doing settling for this?” A lot of it has just been in my thinking, just believing God that He wants to change the thing instead of just living with this perpetual way of living day after day after day when there’s got to be some how that I am taking action against the thing. I guess for me, part of it has been seriously praying to God with faith in my heart, another thing might be fasting about it, specifically showing God you’re serious – asking Him in that way. Another thing might be…I know another thing is walking in the light with one another and asking people to pray for us with the intent to change and obey. Those are the things at least that I’ve known of to try to do something practically about those specific situations.

But I can’t think of a situation where I’m purposely putting myself in a situation. I mean, He said, “Lead us not into temptation...” So I’m not looking for ways to fall in a certain area necessarily, but I am trying to position myself in places...I’ll give an example is this thing of being a “big-hearted” person. Like that’s been something for me of being “big hearted,” of not being stingy with who I am. Not being stingy about my energy for somebody when they walk in the door, but loving them and caring for them, giving myself to them with an intent, with a purposefulness in my heart, not just being so busy about my own life that I’m just kinda blocking people out, or I’m only giving them about 25% of my attention in my heart. Nothing you’d notice outwardly, but I know on the inside there’s a difference between being big-hearted and giving myself to someone verses withholding part of who I am because of my needs and my distractions. I mean that’s just an example.

I don’t know exactly how to go after that other than asking God specifically that He would highlight those areas, that He would shine very bright lights on those opportunities when they come up so that I would be able to see my way through them and change in those areas. Walking in the light with other people and letting them know, confessing it quickly if it does come up, apologizing to Jesus specifically as a person, keeping a very short record with the Holy Spirit about those areas when you may fail in those things. And then, “I’m going to stay close to Jesus no matter what happens.” So that way, if I fail, or if I succeed, I’m staying close to Jesus. It’s not, “I’m committed to make sure I never fail and make sure this enemy never hurts me again.” It’s “I’m committed to staying very close to Jesus no matter what happens.”

If I fail in it, obviously it’s not my intent to. I really want to be able to overcome this thing. But it would be naïve of me to think, well now I’m just going to be able to do it forever. If I’ve sown a bunch of bad seeds in an area, it’s kind of, I doubt – I guess it could happen that God would just miraculously take the whole thing away, but He is more after our characters and wanting to change us and learn to draw close to Him, so He’s going to use this whole process as we’re going after our enemies, He’s using that whole process in itself, kind of what I was saying earlier about it being a journey. He’s using this whole process of going after our enemies to draw us closer to Himself. To know Him more, to become more useful, to be His person, to understand, to walk with Him. That’s what it’s all about is learning to hear His voice and walking with Him as our friend and our brother and our King and our…worshippers of Him and lovers of Him and being with Him in His presence all the time, being His person. All of this is unto more of that; that’s what the result will be.

So, does that answer your question at all? I mean, I know the practicals of obviously talking to Him about it, walking with others in the light very clearly about the issues. If there’s things that really encourage you, share those things too, the things that God is teaching you and showing you about those particular areas and asking others to pray for you. And keeping a short record with the Holy Spirit, not letting things build up or not quitting, not being fearful, not shrinking back, not going back into your safe haven, “Oh, I guess it won’t work.” Ya know? “I’m going to really go after this thing, I’m going to find a way.” As Bryan was saying earlier, “Ok, I’ve heard God’s Word, I’m going to do something with it, I’m going to apprehend it and go for it. This is not my inheritance.”

So, another thing is even looking in the scriptures or finding out from someone in someway, somehow, what is it that God thinks of this? Who am I now and who will I be? That’s been a clear thing for me, too, to define, to see clearly who I am now from God’s vantage point and to see clearly where it is that He wants to take me. To sow seeds into my life of who Jesus is, because that’s where I’m going with all this, is who He is in those particular areas.