Losing Control (fifth in a series)

Posted on February 1, 2011 by Claudia Dickson Greggs

We believe, that the work of regeneration, conversion, sanctification and faith, is not an act of man’s free will and power, but of the mighty, efficacious and irresistible grace of God. (Charles H. Spurgeon)

I continue this week with the topic of will power.  Here is a short summary of the main points I made last week:  The exercise of our will power is always a prideful act.  When we use will power we are relying upon our own initiative and perseverance to achieve a goal.  However, anything done apart from, or indifferent to, God’s will is an act of pride, regardless of our reasons for doing it.  In effect we are saying, “I know best.”  Having good intentions does not make it any less an act of pride, nor does the worthiness of the cause for which we labor.  If the Lord is not directing us to participate in an event or project then either he has someone else in mind or he has not given his blessing to the work in question.

As employers, employees, students, spouses and parents we all must take on work and respond to situations in accordance with our job or role.  I am not suggesting we cannot take any action without Continue reading →

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Losing Control (fourth in a series)

Posted on January 25, 2011 by Claudia Dickson Greggs

Will power does not change men. Time does not change men. Christ does. (Henry Drummond)

Will power is often thought of as a virtue, an asset, and therefore something to be commended and cultivated. It is usually equated with determination, tenacity and self-discipline. A person with will power can be single-minded in their pursuit of a goal, not stopping until it is reached, regardless of the personal cost to him or herself. Our culture applauds this kind of behavior.

I used to be proud of my ability to fasten onto a goal and accomplish it – often beating the deadline for completion, even when it meant finishing all the work myself. I thought such determination was serving me (and God) well until one day, about nine years ago, I woke up to the fact that I had lost a sense of the Lord’s presence in my life. The irony in this is that all my self-discipline and hard work, which Continue reading →

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Losing Control (third in a series)

Posted on January 18, 2011 by Claudia Dickson Greggs

Jesus is Lord, yet mankind insists on calling Him everything else… (C.  S.  Lewis, Mere Christianity)

Two weeks ago I began this series (which I’ve entitled, Losing Control) by writing about the correlation between a pressing need to manage or manipulate the events and details of one’s life and an inability to submit to Jesus as one’s Lord. A fear of feeling powerless is what drives a person to attempt to gain or maintain control over circumstances, choices or other people. However, in giving in to this fear, instead of surrendering it to Christ, he or she is, in effect, stating that they do not trust Jesus with the details of their life. Unbelief is what characterizes such a life; not faith.

The first step in the spiritual process of losing control is to turn to Jesus and accept him as your Savior. This is what I wrote about last week. Each of us is in need of being saved from our innate self-centeredness. No matter how determined we are to curb or conquer it, we will inevitably revert back to what comes naturally to us: prideful self-interest. No one can can cure him or herself of this condition. Only Jesus, God’s sinless Son, can deliver us and transform our sinful nature. It all begins when we admit our all-encompassing need for him and his saving grace in our lives.

Are you looking for a servant instead of a Savior?

But some Christians act as though the role Jesus plays in their life is more like that of a servant than a Savior – someone who follows after them, smoothing out the difficulties and cleaning up Continue reading →

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