A Test of the Wills

Scripture

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. -Proverbs 9:10

Those of us who are parents know what it's like when our child enters the toddler stage. There is a lot of exploring and adventure for the toddler, while for the parents, there is  a lot of redirection and correction. "No, don't touch that! No, come out of there! No, you can't have that!" becomes a mantra. The toddler is testing his or her will against the parents' will. They are attempting to assert their own independence and explore their own boundaries. Some believers attempt to assert their independence, while God, the parent, corrects and redirects them. Notice how I didn't say, "Christians young in the faith try to assert their independence." This folly belongs to young and mature Christians in the faith. Much of what ails people spiritually boils down to their will versus His will. It's the struggle with completely yielding our will to His. 

The complexity of it is that our minds will convince us that our actions are correct and are even aligned with the Word of God when we're really exercising our own will. Why? Because there is a way that seems right to a man, but the end leads to destruction. (Proverbs 16:25) . Our desire to determine what is right and wrong for ourselves can become our Achilles Heel. There's a deception in self-reliance. The Spirit of God explained to me that the reason the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom is that our approach to Him in reverence and holy awe shifts our focus from building ourselves up in our own eyes to recognizing our need for Him. It's the foundation of righteous living. Simply put, righteousness means right alignment. Paul said, "Do not conform to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:2). Paul was telling believers to turn away from ideas that conflict with the mind of God. 

Beloved, Jesus lived in a place of awareness of the will and mind of God. There has to be a shift in perspective and recognition of the lost condition we were in before we met Christ. There has to be a change in our perspective of reality; we were dead, now we're alive in Christ. Which means, it's no longer about our will and ideas about what's right and wrong. It's about God's will and His wisdom concerning what's right and what's wrong according to His word. This recognition is the beginning of a transformed mind that is pliable and bendable to the will of the Father. Not my will, but your will, God.

Prayer

Father, we submit our will to you today. Let it not be in speech, but we allow the Holy Spirit to shift our perspective from our own ideas of right and wrong to the reality of YOUR perspective. We surrender to you today. In Jesus' name.