Keep the Rats on the Porch

The further I get into the process of becoming Spirit-led, the better things get.

For a long time, I’ve been trying to get better control of my flesh. I had given it all sorts of power over me. The thing that was supposed to be my obedient mule was telling me what to do, and it was a stronghold I could not break without help.

I’ve understood that for years, but progress has not been as fast as I would have liked. I have been very interested in getting God’s help with this problem, but I have not been not all that interested in giving myself to him completely, and I believe this slowed me down. Whether I admitted it to myself or not, I always thought more about fixing my problems than service to God. I worked in church, and I tried to clean up my life, but parts of the equation were missing.

Things are improving, and as usual, they are improving in discrete steps, not just gradually. As God shows me things and helps me to put them to use, I move from plateau to plateau.

You are like a house. In the house, there is only so much room.

Right now, your flesh and spirits that hate God are taking up most of the space. You may not want to hear that, but it’s a fact, unless you’re an extremely rare case. For this reason, God is limited. He gets the little bit of room you haven’t already filled. This cuts off his power, not to mention his motivation. You can’t expect him to keep giving up the dignity and honor he is owed. Going to the cross was a tremendous gift, and it required him to associate with beings that are vile, and to allow them to mistreat him. He has already humbled himself as much as anyone could want.

It’s not enough to go to church or give money or volunteer. I’m not sure giving money is necessary at all; at least not for everyone. Anyway, you have to treat God like God. You have to praise him before jumping in and asking for things. You have to pray in the Spirit to build yourself up. You have to agree to give yourself and everything you have to him.

When you start to see things this way, God is able to act without degrading himself or going against his principles.

God wants to give you control over your thoughts and emotions. In Judaism, it was a sin to commit adultery or fornication, or to violate other laws, but God didn’t give people the power to lose their tormenting desires. In Spirit-led Christianity, God puts the Holy Spirit inside you, and he gives you the potential to change your inner self. This is why Jesus seemed to hold people accountable for their thought life, not just their actions and words. He was foreshadowing the new powers he was going to buy for us with his life.

It’s good not to fornicate. It’s better not to ogle women. It’s even better to be able to stop thinking about them. The same principle applies to any sin. The more you give yourself to God, the more power he will have inside you, and you will be able to alter the way you behave internally.

Sins are generally born as repetitive thoughts we can’t help rolling around inside ourselves. If you can prevent that thought process from happening, it’s as if the sin is a baby, and you’re aborting it. You’re preventing implantation and gestation, so delivery is impossible.

Over the last day or so, I’ve been telling God to take more of me and to help me trust him. Trust is the fundamental issue. If you truly trust God to give you a blessed existence, you won’t hesitate to give him your keys and passwords. We hesitate because we’re afraid of what our lives will become if we let him take over.

Maybe you gossip. Maybe you steal. Maybe you overeat. Maybe you’re cruel. Whoever you are, you have some inner temptation you can’t get away from. Maybe you can avoid giving in, but the battle is inside the house, not at the gate, so you don’t have peace or true control.

Spirits are like salesmen. They put a foot in the door, and then they persuade, and first thing you know, they’re on the couch drinking coffee, giving you the full spiel. If you can keep them outside the door, you will be able to hold onto your peace, and God will be able to expand inside you.

I believe this is what the Psalms refer to when they say, “Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; They shall not be ashamed, But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.” It’s not a good thing when your enemies come to your gate, but if you can keep them there instead of letting them in, you will be fine.

I feel a lot better than I did last week. I have more ability to keep stupid desires and drives outside of me. I hope it continues.

You really have to have a zero-tolerance policy. You have to slam the door fast. You can’t say, “Come in and show me your products in order to entertain me, and then you have to leave.” It has to be black or white. If you think in terms of shades of grey, you’re giving in to black.

If you understand this, it will help you.

The closer I get to God, the more I realize the world is a disaster. It’s not a place which is flawed but basically okay, where God runs things and watches over us. It’s a filthy, doomed slum, from which God has been evicted. He only shows up here and there, to pluck out people who can be saved or, better, repaired. Satan really is the God of this earth. It’s not an exaggeration. Jesus meant what he said.

The world is going to be destroyed, and it will never treat true Christians well. You might as well quit chasing the carrot now. You will definitely pay for it later, even if you don’t go to hell.

I will keep passing on anything that seems good. Let me know if it helps.