Biggest Problem

So often the biggest problem with me is me.

Just me.

I am my own biggest problem.

Not the circumstance I find myself in. Not the choices of others.

But the stuff within me. That seeks to control me.

Fear that stymies courage.

Pain that hinders growth.

Pride that conquers all.

I've seen the enemy. And he is me.

My own evil desires. My sin nature within me. My compulsions toward control, posture, pleasure, image, recognition, unforgiveness, bitterness, anger, laziness. These and so many more lurk within. And they lurch for control.

And, bless my heart, I'm stuck with me. You think you've gotta it bad putting up with me sometimes? Well, you don't have to live inside this head. I gotta put up with myself all the time.

Or do I?

Can I somehow replace all that desires evil and ill with something that is better than I can imagine or achieve on my own?

Can I surrender self?

Can I hand-off my biggest problem?

Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life. Those who trust God's action in them find that God's Spirit is in them—living and breathing God! Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life. Focusing on the self is the opposite of focusing on God. Anyone completely absorbed in self ignores God, ends up thinking more about self than God. That person ignores who God is and what he is doing. And God isn't pleased at being ignored. Romans 8:5-8 MSG

Having made that life changing handoff, let me resist wresting control back again. Or again. Or again and again.

What's your biggest problem?

How do you handle it?

Please share your comments or this post. And, as always, you are most welcome to subscribe.

I'm Good

Our church has a prayer chapel. An external, single room building that sits at the edge of our parking lot near some trees. 

This afternoon as I was returning from lunch, a car was parked in the shade next to the chapel. The driver had his window down.

I greeted him and asked, "Can I help you with anything?"

"Just taking my lunch," came his reply.

So I stated, "Didn't know if you wanted to use the prayer chapel. I can open it for you."

He responded, "No thanks. I'm good."

Really?

You sure?

I hope you are good.

I pray you are good.

He very well may not have wanted to inconvenience me. Or maybe my odd request caught him off guard. So he answered without thinking. But the irony—seemingly not wanting to pray—was not lost. 

How many times in my life can I be prayerful? Always.

How many times do I give God the "I'm good" when I'm far from it?

How many times have I left the throne of grace unattended because I was too busy bowing at some throne of sinful humanity? Even my own deceived, fallen humanity.

Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time. Hebrews 4:16 HCSB

I Know

A Daddy directs his son, "Be careful on your bike ride."

The son responds, "I know."

Or a Daddy tells his son, "Put your backpack away."

And the son answers, "Yes, Sir."

Is the difference just manners?

More than manners, it is pride versus humility.

I know. Prideful. Aloof to snotty. Insolent to supercilious. And all the ugliness in between.

I know. Not good.

Yes, Sir. Humble. Courteous to submissive. Polite to self-effacing. And all the kindness in between.

Yes, Sir. Good.

I'll remind myself this difference the next time the Lord Jesus speaks to me & I say, "I know."

"I know, Jesus. You are God's son. You are the Creator. You are Savior. But, me, I go this. No need for any help from you. And, although your ideas are nice, I prefer to do this my way. I got it figured out. Really."

I'll remind myself to say, "Yes, Lord."

So much better.

Stop Hiding

"One of the problems with pride is that we can see it so easily in others, but not in ourselves," writes Jerry Bridges.

Gregory Frizzell adds, "Pride is a subtle sin so easily overlooked... True revival always begins with deep humility and brokenness over sin."

How should I overcome my hidden pride to find humility and revival?

• Assess myself honestly. Psalm 139:23-24 begs, "Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." God knows all our faults. We can't hide from him. Why don't we stop hiding from ourselves?

• Seek true humility. Psalm 51:17 confesses, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." God gives grace to the humble.  Don't we need all the grace as we can get?

• Identify with humanity. Ezra 9:6 laments, "O my God, I am too ashamed and disgraced to lift up my face to you, my God, because our sins are higher than our heads and our guilt has reached to the heavens." We are part of a fallen race. Will you joining in confession together?

• Confess wholeheartedly. 1 John 1:9 promises, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." Naming it alone does not suffice. Turning from pride and sin, can't we give ourselves fully to God?

As we are broken and humble, we are moved to repentance and turning from sin, God offers gracious forgivenness, we expererience new freedom in Christ, that infuses us with greater love for God and others, resulting in more powerful worship of God, and bringing us to new depths of humility in His awesome presence. This is the cycle of revival.  A spiritual flywheel that gains momentum by the Holy Spirit as we continually lean in.

Hidden pride is powerful.

Sin has power in secret.

Sin exposed becomes powerless.

Stop hiding from yourself.

You are the only one you are fooling.

Tweeting Patience

Driving to work one recent morning. Thinking through things in my life. My Scripture reading. The sermons I'd listened to while running. A few relationships that were challenging me. Some situations that were trying me.

Thinking it all through. Prayerfully.

And then an original aphorism came to mind.

Ever forget patience is a virtue? Only to be reminded why.

Oh, that's good. Concise. True. Noteworthy.

Tweetworthy!

Almost to work. Can't write while driving. Won't tweet while driving. But I don't want to forget. So I role it around my brain a few more times until I'm parked safely.

Grab my iPhone.

Slide the screen.

Tap Twitter.

Get nothing.

Dead.

Stalled.

What?! You're Twitter. Not Facebook! You're supposed to be fast.

Why so slow?! Stupid thing! I wanna tweet this great, original quote about patience & you choose NOW to be slower than molasses in January?!

AGH! Let. Me. Write. My. Quote. About. PATIENCE!!!!!

Ohhhhhh.

Impatient... me. About... patience.

Forgetting: Patience is a virtue.

And reminding myself why.

The end of the matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride. Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools. Ecclesiastes 7:8-9

Note: I used the cute, blue bird above due to his peronality. He is Ollie, the Twitterific bird. Twitterrific is a really great app for Apple devices that makes Twitter extra terriffic.