Helplessness
Eternity Online: John Edmiston (Editor)
Eternity-Inspiration for Monday 8th December 1997
Helplessness
(Ecclesiastes 8:7-8 NIV) Since no man knows the future, who can tell
him what is to come? {8} No man has power over the wind to contain it
; so no one has power over the day of his death. As no one is
discharged in time of war, so wickedness will not release those who
practice it.
The closest real-life person I know to Solomon was an Egyptian
university lecturer who was a "sex-addict". He had the same
fatalistic attitude to his sin. "I'm trapped, that's my weakness,
there is no way out now, life is full of such things."
Sin lies to you. Sin tells you that it has you in its power and
while you believe the lie you are trapped. In fact - you are free.
The door to the prison is open and you just have to walk out.
(Isaiah 52:2-3 NIV) Shake off your dust; rise up, sit enthroned, O
Jerusalem. Free yourself from the chains on your neck, O captive
Daughter of Zion. {3} For this is what the LORD says: "You were sold
for nothing, and without money you will be redeemed." Notice that
"the daughter of Zion" has to participate in her redemption. She is
to "shake off your dust, rise up, sit enthroned, free yourself from
your chains.." Lets look at this a bit further.
Shake off your dust - get rid of the old stuff that "clings". This is
perhaps associated with the washing that is baptism. Rise up - this
refers to activity, not just sitting down but "taking a stand". It
may also refer to the ascension ministries (see Eph 2:6,7). "Sit
enthroned" -believers are seated with Christ in the heavenly realms.
(Ephesians 2:6-7 NIV) And God raised us up with Christ and seated us
with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, {7} in order that in
the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace,
expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus." Free yourself -
this is the ongoing struggle of the believer to free themselves from
sin and wrong beliefs and to be renewed into the image of God's Son
Jesus Christ. Romans 6 has been a big help to me here because it
tells me that I am "dead to sin". (Read the whole chapter)
(Romans 6:2 NKJV) Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live
any longer in it?
(Romans 6:7 NKJV) For he who has died has been freed from sin.
(Romans 6:11 NKJV) Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead
indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The expression "dead to sin" is a lot like the expression "dead to
the world". I sleep very soundly and people say that I am "dead to
the world" the world cannot interact with me or I with it - though
the world and I still exist. Being dead to sin means that you move
away from its influence, control and power to the point where it has
no hold over you. Sin will try to tell you that it is still in
charge. Sorry, Christ is in charge if you are a believer.
There is a story about prisoners of war who were kept in jail after
the war was over by the sheer bluff of the Japanese commander. When
the news reached the prisoners of of the Allied victory the senior
prisoner marched into the commandant's office and said "My commander
has defeated your commander, I am now in charge around here." When
sin tries to take you hostage don't be helpless like Solomon say to
it "I am dead to sin. I am alive to Christ. My commander has
defeated your commander, I am now in charge around here."
Prayer:
Life is full of victory Lord because we are in You. While we may not
know the day of our death or be able to control the wind or know the
future we are not helpless prisoners of fate. Fate is, in fact, our
prisoner Lord. In Christ and in prayer and in You we can be more than
conquerors. We can take captivity captive. We can be victors over
sin. Grant us the faith to live this out. We praise You for this O
Lord. Amen.
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John Edmiston ([email protected])
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