Increasingly, the Holy Spirit has revealed to me how far off my thinking is. Many of the things that I thought I knew have turned out to be wrong. In order to have the mind of Christ, many of the things I thought were foundational must be unlearned. I used to think I knew what I was doing. I was raised in the church. I grew up as a “good church kid.” But I am starting to discover how deceptive my thoughts can be. There is nothing good in me. The only things that are good in me are from God. I cannot trust me. I can only trust what God has deposited in me.
When Jesus said, “Get behind me Satan for you do not have the thoughts of God but of man.” Jesus was not trying to offend Peter. No, he was trying to enlighten him to the reality that his thoughts were ungodly. Jesus did not want Peter to trust his natural feelings and disposition. The Scriptures say that there is a way that seems right to a man but it leads to death. We must begin to see our human nature for what it is – fallen, corrupted by sin.
For most of my life, I have been trying to figure out how to tame and transform my sinful nature. I have tried to find the one nugget of knowledge that will help me overcome sin or be the person that I know God wants me to be. I have tried to find the latest self help formula. Sure, I would never call it self help. A more likely title is keys to godly living. But it was self help none the less. Why do we try to go off and live like God without God? Do we really think that we can change on our own?
There is a big lie out there that must be confronted. Many Christians believe that they can change their sinful nature. If they have enough knowledge and go to enough conferences or retreats, they will one day get it. But the truth is that we cannot be good apart from God’s power. Holiness comes at the foot of the cross and by allowing God to refine us. Holiness comes as we gaze upon the beauty of God and are transformed by His appearance. Only God can change me. But only I can submit to Him. I must choose to open the door. As I let more of God in, more of the “old me” dies.
