Thoughts
on Michael Wells’ teachings in My Weakness for His Strength - # 241
Michael’s book is
available through:
Abiding Life Ministries
International
Littleton, Colorado
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Michael
started his book out (Day
1) with
saying, “Having spoken through hundreds of interpreters in nearly that many
languages, I consistently find that the hardest word in the Bible to translate (my underlining to emphasize) is abiding.” This day he talks
about how to do it. Interesting
thoughts…
DAY 142
How, Exactly, Do I Abide in Christ?
Then
He said to them all: “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and
take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will
lose it, but whoever loses his
life for Me will save it.”
--Luke 9:23, 24
Abiding in Christ is
something that every believer has experienced, and yet it seems most difficult
to maintain. I have been asked, “What do you struggle with?” Like all teachers
I struggle with the thing I most often teach, abiding! All of my other failures
originate from this one. When
Christ is my focus, nothing really bothers me, and when He is not, the smallest
event can create a spiritual domino effect. So the question, “How,
exactly, do I abide?” is a significant one.
Let me share a few insights.
First, abiding is not
something that we do but the awareness that we trust the Lord completely.
Psalm 139:7, “Or where can I flee from Thy presence?” Second, abiding is not dependent on us but on Christ,
so it is a faith issue. He is the One keeping us in the abiding relationship, the branches in
the Vine. Third, if we
do not know how to set our minds on things above, then we can at least discover
what it is to set our minds on the flesh and refuse to do it! Examine Luke 9:23 to understand
the flesh, and if we say no to every opportunity to set our minds on it,
by default the mind must go to the spirit. Fourth, abiding is the beginning point of an abundant
spiritual life; therefore, all powers meet at this point. When forces
would move you from your position in Him, do not succumb to the voice that
whispers, “It does not work; it is not for you. You are exactly where you were
years ago!” Once I was in a boat that capsized, and I was pulled under the
water. I did not immediately begin to think, Well, I guess I will never have air again! Air sure does not last very
long; it sure is not worth the effort of breathing! No, no, no! All I
thought about was getting back to where there was air. We are not to let failure move us away. Rather, we can
get back, start breathing again, and let our focus rest in Christ.
Yellow – VIP, Very Important Point Green
– IT, Incredible Truth
Red – GP, Greatest Promises
Turquoise – UR, Unfathomable Riches Pink
– PV, Priceless Victory
Michael’s 1st insight, “abiding is not something that we do
but the awareness that we trust the Lord completely,” draws me completely to
the description Jesus made in John 15:5, “I am the vine, ye are the branches.” Every branch knows it is completely dependent
upon the vine for everything. The vine
does, the branch trusts.
Every faith issue is totally about “believing” and “trusting”…our
work. Christ’s faith is a gift to us for
believing and trusting (Romans 12:3).
An abundant spiritual life is Christ’s Life. His Life lived out through us by our abiding
is what Jesus told us in John 10:10 that He came to provide for us. His abundant Life. Any other “life” is flesh.
So, as Michael points out, abiding is a focus in Christ, which
highlights that everything is not dependent on us but on Christ. Abiding is simple, isn’t it? Well, amen.
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NOTICE: another blog on
Michael Wells’ book, Sidetracked In The Wilderness, called Getting Out of the
Wilderness. You can access by logging onto
www.leemcchristianministries.blogspot.com
Lee McDowell Christian Ministries
P.O. Box 633244 Nacogdoches,
TX 75963 936-559-5696
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