There are two wills in life: “I will” and “God’s Will.“
When we become more important than God, “I” dominates our thinking. When God is more important than self, God dominates our thinking and our lives.
“Self is god of our life or God is God of our life.” C. S. Craig
C. S. Lewis said it well, differently: “There are only two kinds of people in the end; those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, ‘Thy will be done.’ “
We all go our way, but we all have a future appointed encounter with Jesus Christ.
We all think within ourselves. We dialogue with ourselves and with God in prayer and meditation. We have soul freedom, if you will, to do so. Man has the capacity to reason within himself, with others, and with God.
This rational faculty is unique to man and is indicated in the term or metaphor “in the image of God,” which literally means that God caused man to come into existence as the image of God. This means that mankind has real and invisible essence of the soul. There is actually a double analogy in the phrase: “he is the image of God” — both physical and spiritual. So, God in the Bible affirmed that He made man “after his own image and in His likeness.”
In an effort to understand who we are and our relationship to God and to creation, we need to understand our thinking selves and therefore our active selves. We think before we act — our actions are the result of our thinking. Who are we? Who am I? I am myself! What is the self? Self is the ego, it is the “pride of life” from the sin nature.
Please open the Word of Truth to Proverbs 16 and read the entire chapter, keeping in mind your own thinking as you read. In these verses God is sharing His Wisdom by revealing our nature as it manifests itself in the reality of life — our thinking and actions.
Simply stated, we are contrary to God and God never intended that we be that way. In Adam, at the point of the fall, we all intended that way. Every believer needs to study the book of Romans. Romans is the greatest thesis ever written on the nature of man. The more you understand yourself (your condition, your problem), the more you discover your need for Christ. Man is truly lost and without hope, except for Jesus Christ.
If you want to have eternal hope go to the only eternal God. You will find Him at the Cross. “Believe on the lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved (Acts 16:31).
Now please turn to 1 John 2:16 where John gives us a description of ourselves. Pride is the conceit, the “self-love,” self-indulgence and the haughtiness of our human nature.
When “Wisdom Calls,” the Holy Spirit is calling, (turn to Proverbs 8: 1-17), but God gives us His opinion on pride in verse 13. Now, turn to Luke 18:11, which gives us a perfect example of the Pride and arrogance of not only religious people, but of man. This Pharisee is no different than the rest of us … we are our own worst enemy. We are so full of self.
Please turn to Romans Chapter 7: 15-25. Paul is writing to the churches in Rome, but the Holy Spirit was writing to every Christian who would ever live so that, we would recognize that we are not the exception, but the rule as we and the Apostle Paul war against the evil in us.
Where did our “self ” thinking come from? Where did this evil come from?
To answer this question, please turn to the first book in the Bible, to (Genesis 3: 5-7). Here is where sin entered the human race — the pride of knowing Good and Evil — the nature to sin. (See also: the Doctrine of “Imputation“).
Next, turn in the Word of Truth to Ezekiel 28, and read verses 11-19 where the scripture is actually speaking of Satan (not the King of Tyre) and is describing the actual fall of Lucifer, who, from that time on became Satan adversary of our Lord.
Isaiah 14:12-15; Genesis 3:14-15 and Matthew 16:23, are three other instances where the context is actually addressing Satan.
By the way when you read Isaiah 14: 13-14 this was (is) a declaration of the first sin ever committed in the universe. Lucifer for the first time thought independent of God … from God’s Will to my will. The result was the fall of Lucifer who became Satan and evil entered creation. Notice the five “I wills” … sound like anybody you know?
Every believer small and great struggles with the flesh — the self. Let us look at just a few great believers in scripture who also struggled as we do:
In Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 Solomon’s thinking went from God first to Solomon first. Notice that the personal pronoun “I” appears 36 times in this chapter. How many times do you say “I” everyday?
In Romans chapter 7 (please turn to it) the great Apostle Paul expresses that he too struggles with the self “his flesh.” The personal pronoun “I” appears 30 times in this chapter. Now for comparison please look at chapter 8. Notice “I” rarely occurs. One more comparison: Notice how many times the Godhead is mentioned in chapter 8 compared to the “I” in chapter 7.
When we become more important than God, “I” dominates our thinking.
When God is more important than self, God dominates our thinking and our lives. Self is God of our life or God is God of our life.
“I” is our greatest enemy. “I” is the “flesh.” The flesh wars against the spirit. We are engaged in spiritual warfare between the flesh and the spirit. This battle is constant and it is a soul battle (See the study: “Flesh vs. Spirit.”).
And, if that wasn’t enough, we still must contend with other people, the world, and the devil. The unbeliever fights the same battles with the flesh as believers — because we all have the same sin nature. Both believer and unbeliever live life under the influence of the self, other people (the world) and the devil. However, the believer has the option of living under (submission) the control of the Holy Spirit by exercising 1 John 1:9. The unbeliever does not have this option because he/she is not indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
Because our thinking is so easily diverted to worldly pressures it is imperative that our thinking be dominated by the Word of God because that is the power by which the Holy Spirit directs our life.
As Christians, when we sin, we sin against God because we made a choice against God. When we choose to do wrong we are under the control of self and the Holy Spirit is “quenched” (1 Thessalonians. 5:19). To put God back in control we need to name (acknowledge) our known sins to God (1 John 1:9). Soon as we have confessed our transgression, God, the Holy Spirit, restores us to fellowship and God is back in control.
When God is continually given control of our lives we cannot fail in life and we cannot fail God. As we keep on keeping on, learning Bible Doctrine, we become stronger and stronger, because the Holy Spirit is transforming our thinking to be like Christ’s. The Bible is the Mind of Christ (1 Corinthians. 2:16).
Christ always performed the Father’s Will
The humanity of Christ was sustained by the Holy Spirit during Christ’s incarnation and the Holy Spirit can and does sustain us whenever we allow Him. Jesus was confronted with the suffering and torturing death of the Cross; even knowing in advance the agony of the nails (Luke 22:42). Here in the garden of Gethsemane our Savior is on bended knee. He remains submissive to the Father; He remained loyal to His calling. Christ’s loyalty to the Father’s plan brought about our so great salvation. Jesus Christ remained loyal; He remained faithful; He remained on the Cross until our salvation was complete.
When tempted we must immediately pray in the privacy of our soul (mind) so that we do not succumb (Luke 22:40; Mk. 14:38). The flesh is always weak, but the spirit is always willing to let God. So, think in the spirit. As you think so you are and will be.
The key to pleasing God is HUMILITY! Humility is submission. Humility is yielding control by staying in fellowship (1 John 1:9). Submission means choosing for, rather than against God. Choice means free will — choose you this day who you will serve … “as for me and my house we will serve the Lord” (Josh.24:15).
The key to a successful marriage is humility, between two people. Stop and think: do you use the “I” word more than the “we” word? “I will” is the problem in most marriages. Learning to live together is learning to compromise and “give-in” the relationship, rather than “get-from” the relationship. Seems simple enough, huh?
NON-MERITORIOUS STEPS TO LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
1). The power of the Holy Spirit is the Bible – the God breathed (inhale/exhale) from God’s own nostrils (Josh. 1:8, 9; 1 Corinthians. 10:42: 2 Tim. 2:15; 3: 14-17). We must consistently learn Biblical Principles – The Matchless Wisdom of God (Romans 11:33-36).
2). Pray without ceasing (mindset of thinking); pray for God’s Will not your own. Listen (meditate). Make your requests Luke 11:1;18:1; 1 Cor.14:15; Ephesians 6:18; Phil. 4:6; Col. 4:2; 1 Thessalonians. 5:17; 1 Tim. 2:1-3.
3). Humble yourself and pray more often – just realize that God hears your thoughts. God is a mind reader. Step out often in faith. Wait for God to answer. Please read Romans chapters 8 & 10; 1 Corinthians. 2:6-16; 2 Timothy 4:7, 8; Hebrews 11: 1-39; 12:1,2.
4). Obey God’s Will, God’s Way and be steadfast in obedience and in your witness for Christ. Remember, your rewards are in heaven. (Rom. 12:1,2; 1 Corinthians 4:8-13; 15:58; Phil. 4:18; Heb. Chapter 12)
God planned salvation; Christ executed the plan; the Holy Spirit reveals the plan. God planned your Christian life; Christ made it possible; the Holy Spirit makes it a reality.
We must learn to be submissive to God more often than we are submissive to self. If you really want your life to count for something give it to God. If you really want to be in good hands — take God’s hand and dance through fields of Grace.
God’s Grace is totally sufficient! Each of us has a choice … God’s Will or I will.
“The more virtuous a man becomes the more he appreciates God’s veracity.”
Thank You Father for your Son, your Holy Spirit, your Plan of grace. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Happy Studying!