His Way over Our Way by His Power

By: Adam McClendon

Adam is the Lead Pastor at Springhill Baptist Church and Director of NLM.

For the sermon connected with this blog, click here.

I love opportunities to talk to others about their spiritual lives.  Often in the course of the conversation, comments such as these are made:

* I want to be a godly spouse, but…

* I want to be a good worker, but…

* I want to stop being lazy, but…

* I want to stop being so selfish, but…

Immediately after that “but,” people go on to explain why they feel helpless and powerless to change and live differently. 

Fortunately, the Bible presents a different picture of the Christian life.  Believers do not have to live in a perpetual behavior rut.  God has empowered his children to live in accordance with his will, but a choice has to be made.

Galatians 5:16 reads, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”

God has empowered his children with his Spirit so that they can now live victoriously in this life; however, a choice has to be made, a choice to submit to the will of the Spirit and chose to live his way over our way by his power.

That’s the key.  We have to choose to live:

His Way      X      His Power

Our Way

Some of us are walking around trying to simply survive feeling inevitably trapped in our cycle of sin when God has provided victory.  Some are ignorant of the power that is theirs.  Some think the spiritual life is some great mystery when a lot of it comes down to a choice of submitting the will to the Spirit’s leading.

Let’s be honest.  We generally know what God wants us to do in particular situations, but choose not to.

* I knew I shouldn’t, but…

* I knew I shouldn’t cheat on that exam, but…

* I knew I shouldn’t get that pay per view when I was traveling, but…

* I knew I shouldn’t talk about them behind their back, but…

* I knew I shouldn’t have lost my temper in traffic, but…

But…nothing!  The reality is that when we live the way described above, we are communicating that we value these things over God, that we know best, that we desire the outcome more than living connected to him and for his glory.

Truth is:

* Don’t cheat on the exam.  Don’t make up the cheat sheet.  Move to another desk where you can’t see someone’s paper.  Ask the teacher for accountability.

* Rip the cable out of the hotel wall, ask the clerk to remove the tv, block all the channels with a random code you can’t remember.

* Don’t talk about people and hang out with others that will entice you to sin.

* Don’t procrastinate.  Get up early so that you are not caught in heavy traffic and tempted to get angry.  Find another route to work.

Christians do not have to live according to their old patterns any longer.  We can live victorious.  By the presence of his Spirit, we can now live:

His Way over Our Way by His Power!