O’ Wretched Man That I Am

Have you ever been broken to the very depths of our soul when, through some innocuous situation, you are faced with the reality that you just aren’t as cool and collected and in control as you would like to believe? You realize too late that in our flesh nothing good exists. (Ro 7:18) You know this shouldn’t be news for both scripture and experience have taught you, but it is nonetheless a bitter pill to swallow. In our flesh, our Adamic nature, we are weak. Sin we assumed to have defeated and left behind us has only taken a temporary hiatus; it’s not dead!

This may be likened to an inexperienced ocean swimmer who successfully negotiates a wave or two; his confidence growing with each successful encounter with the waves. He looks at the in-coming swells and perceives them to be the same as the last; he says to himself; "I’ll take these on the same way as the others." What he fails to see is the riptide that lurks just below the surface in the deeper waters; something an experienced swimmer would know.

He foolishly proclaims victory over the sea based on a few successes and plunges headlong and unsuspectingly deeper. As the next wave passes and he sets his feet to stand, the bottom vanishes and he is swept away in a riptide of pride; arrogance swirls and twists him seaward and overconfidence pounds him against the ocean floor. “What was I thinking?” “Will I escape?” “Will anyone help me?” Thrashing to keep his head above water, praying for a gulp of air, he toils hopelessly drug further and further away.

This is the picture of a man who thinks he has sin under his control, who has confidence in himself and his past victories. Confidence in our aptitude and fitness to take sin on has drowned many a powerful man. No wonder the Apostle Paul avowed; “Have no confidence in the flesh . . . “. (Phil 3:3)

This is my predicament and yours; we are never free of the desires of the flesh because sin indwells us (Ro 7:14, 23). Oh yes, there are many times, perhaps even prolonged times, that we take pleasure in victory and lay our fears aside assuming that we have sin under control, but there exists a constant riptide ready to pull us under and sweep us away. Jesus cautioned Peter about this type of sincerity and positive mental attitude; ”And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you; that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren." (Luke 22:31-32 NKJV) I wonder if Peter grasped the part about; "when you have returned. . ."

Peter had been feeling pretty good about himself; he and the other disciples were arguing about which one on them was the greatest? This of course preceded Jesus’ washing of their feet and outing His betrayer. (The perfect time for losers to argue about greatness-just before discovering what real greatness is: more on this in another post.) Imagine the conversations that must have taken place in what they assumed was just out of Jesus’ earshot (Remember, He knows what we think and the words that we are about to speak even before we say them-Ps 139:2-4; Jer 17:10; Amos 4:13; Matt 9:4; Mk 2:8; Jn 21:17; Heb 4:13; Rev 2:23). Each disciple probably rehearsed all the wonderful things they believed they had accomplished for the kingdom of GOD since they began to follow Jesus. Peter may have come out on top (at least in his own estimation-I would have, if I had been in his sandals) even if only for the moment; after all, he was the only one who properly identified Jesus as the Christ (Matt 16:13-20; Luke 9:18-20), and he was part of the inner circle; Peter, James, and John.

Ever been sifted like wheat? Ever think like Peter? Ever believe you had it all together only to realize that you were living on past victories? If you are like me, the chances are you got toasted and left the scene like the seven son’s of Sceva.

“Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, ‘We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.’ Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, ‘Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?’ Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.” (Acts 19:13-17 NKJV) Emphasis mine.

We must always be on the lookout; attacks will come-there is a demonic riptide just under the surface of the waves. In his first Epistle, Peter shares some of his acquired wisdom; nothing like the molding of experience to fashion us into prepared warriors.

“All of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’ Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. Be sober (serious); be vigilant (cautious, observant); because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 5:5-11 NKJV) Emphases mine.

When the opportunity to sin presents itself in our lives, if we can see it coming, and if we choose, we can take it head on. (There are a lot of ‘ifs’ in that statement. Know that sin thrives on our stipulations, conditions, and proviso’s; I call it the ‘but’ factor-no pun intended.) Since it is up to each of us to deal with sin, and since GOD has provided every means by which we may defeat it through Him, what remains is for us is to do something about it. “It is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” (Phil 2:13 NKJV) So it goes with the sins that meet us head-on.

Sin, however, doesn’t usually play fair and attacks where and when we are lax, complacent, or overconfident. Like the riptide, it lies just below the surface ready to sweep away the unsuspecting. Remember what Jesus told Peter; “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." (Mark 14:38 NKJV) When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, a big part of the prayer was "lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" (or the evil one) Matt. 6:13 Remember too, the ocean, waves you can see but a powerful undertow that can’t be seen except by the experienced eye.

A case in point: I had the great pleasure of hearing Pastor Tonye Holydae from Calvary Chapel Shoreline in Morro Bay California teach on sexual purity; his topic “Accountability”, his text, from the Book of 2nd Samuel chapter 10 was dynamite. (Pastor Tonye’s teaching can be accessed through www.visionccp.org Purity Conference 2008.)

In the book of II Samuel chapter 10, the author describes a battle that was to take place between the forces of Israel and the ‘children of Ammon’ and their hired mercenaries the Syrians. (2 Sam 10:6-16) In the encounter, the Israeli soldiers were outnumbered and faced with a fight on two fronts; before and behind. (Things haven’t changed for the Israeli’s!) Joab, King David’s general, mustered his strongest forces against the Syrians who were in the fields behind him, and the balance of his army, under the command of his brother Abishai, facing the city of the Ammonites. Joab knew that the fiercest battle would come from the forces that lay behind him. (Like the undertow, what we don't see is often more dangerous than what we do see.) The Ammonites hoped to draw Israel into an all consuming combat in the front and then route them with the Syrians from behind.

Listen to Joab’s words to Abishai: “If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the people of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will come and help you.” (2 Sam 10:11 NKJV) Abishai was watching Joab’s and Israel’s back. They had covenanted together with the Lord their GOD to come to the aide of the other should either have need; they were both fighting against the same enemy. Wherever the one was weak and in need of support they would immediately turn from what they were about to help the other; their purpose, while assisting each other, was to serve the GOD of Israel and David their king.

What a beautiful picture of love and responsibility. Joab knew that he could trust his brother to come to his aide because he knew Abishai was reliable and trustworthy; that he would keep his word to him and to their GOD. Abishai knew that he could trust his brother Joab to do his duty and uphold his covenant with him and the Lord. Both knew GOD and both knew their accountability to one another. Neither was afraid of what might happen if they were called upon to rescue the other.

We all need someone that is an accountability warrior; someone who will watch our back; swim with us in troubled waters or warn us when we are in over our heads. We all need someone who is willing to ask tough questions; someone who isn’t afraid of us and cares more about our life in Christ than about making us happy. If you don’t have someone like this, pray and ask the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ to provide such a one for you. If you are married, your spouse is the best accountability partner that you can possibly have, and YES! You can tell them everything. (Author and Pastor Stew Weber does a powerful job in this area in his book Tender Warrior.)

By the way, never swim in the ocean alone; always have a faithful friend, an accountability partner watching out for you. Swim with someone who is smarter than you and an experienced swimmer; someone who is willing to save you if you are in trouble and you them. Find someone who is strong enough and willing to carry you when you are wounded. Swim with someone that will tell you when you are getting too deep and too far from the shore and the protection of the Lifeguard.

Jesus is our Lifeguard. He is on the beach and in His tower ready to come to your aide. He has His binoculars on you all the time. When you cry out to Him He will rescue you in your time of need. He is trained for this: He has all the equipment necessary to save your life from drowning and He hears your cry from under the deepest waves.

Pray with me:
"Lord Jesus, You are the lifeguard of my life that I need at all times. I need you and I want you to be the center of my life. Help me to know when I have wandered too far from shore before it's too late and I'm taken away in a riptide of unfaithfulness and ungodliness. Open my eyes to the riptide of sin that lurks just below the surface."
Amen