New Wig on an old Mannequin

Pastor Dan Curtis, The first spiritual mentor of my 20's,  asked me a question 8 or so years ago. I was in his office with that season's "Love of my life." I had just outlined, to both of them, how K's and my lives could be so wonderfully knit together. His question at the end of my imaginative monologue was, "Where is God's in your plan?" Oh, I had an answer, but it wasn't true. The truth was, I was trying to direct my life without God's Guidance. Just because I has SAID that I was looking to God, didn't mean it was true. I had done what we humans so easily do when we see something we really want - I had deceived myself. I had found a formula. I was seeking to grow my own fruit.

I spoke to some people recently about a christian group called "Be In Health." I described them as the most recent incarnation of a theology I had learned in my youth. They essentially put a "New wig on an old mannequin." When I used those words, I didn't quite understand the depth of what I was saying. It it is becoming evident that the mannequin I was referring to is the error of seeking to control God without utterly depending on Christ's sacrifice, and the Holy Spirit's direction and sanctifying work in our lives.

Mind you, It is true that God did give us dominion over the world. And We did abdicate our role with Adam's sin. Satan did, therefore become the ruler(prince) of this world. And it took God becoming Man (as man was the only one who could do it), Living perfectly, dieing sacrificially, and rising on the third day, to make available to us again that original managerial/representative relationship with God which would allow our prayers to release God's power to Do His work in this world. BUT, It is still HIS power, HIS plan, and HIS timing - It is HIS will being Done.

The moment we begin to Diagnose emotions as Sin with the expectation that we can Exercise them from our lives, for the purpose of better health, by the application of a preconceived list of principals (Love on the person, Identify their emotional sin, guide them in a verbal repentance of that sin, exercise preconceived demonic source of the sin, fill that void left by the demon by directing God to fill that void), that is the moment that we have attempted to side step the easy directions of turning our lives over to Jesus and letting him, through the Holy spirit, deal with, direct & heal our lives.

Recently a friend said that people often escape dealing with obvious sin in their lives by saying that God will deal with it in his time. But I think their error is not the statement of trust in God's timing and wisdom and direction, but that they are not actively seeking to know (and thereby fear) God. When He works in the life of one who has submitted themselves to Him, No Misquoting-scripture, formula-following, self-healing-focused, Demon-chasing, Scientology-esk emotion-clearing, heresy - expousing, healing Director will out-perform the sanctification-releasing work that Christ did for us on the Cross and does in us through his Holy Spirit.

No, my own life has not become outwardly successful and healthy according to any man's preconceived timetable. But I am beginning to understand what he has been doing IN my life. And as I put more and more of my hope and trust and faith in HIM, He is able to deal with more and more of the stumble-inducing sin in my life. I will also not dwell on exercising sin and theoretical Demonic sources based on an anecdotal experience and  badly misquoted scripture. I did enough of that as a kid. Yes, the results are spectacular and exciting, but they are not deep enough to last a lifetime.

Fearing God is the beginning of wisdom, the source of hope, the strength of faith, and the perspective that I will pursue.

Note for thought: Health was not listed as a fruit-of-the spirit....