Overcoming Personal Struggles

God is both the answer and the solution to the human dilemma. He has given us the Bible as His book of answers and His wisdom to provide our solutions. The most comprehensive answer ever offered to any human need is that offered by God through Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, man is inclined to limit God by the lack of trust with which he views the Bible plus Who and What he perceives Jesus to be. Almost hidden from many human hearts is the fact that Jesus is our Father's most profound answer to every need we have.

The internal viewpoint a person has largely determines his external conditions. In other words, what goes on inside eventually demonstrates itself by the outer conditions of life. Therefore, one should make taking care of the inner man a high priority since whatever is nurtured on the inside will eventually work its way to the surface.

The inner working of man is very complex. Whole disciplines of study are centered on this subject. Within these disciplines there is significant disagreement on what man should be like, what causes him to be like he is, and what can be done to make him as he should be.

Every mental health system has a model in mind of what man in his healthiest condition should be like. It is the objective of each particular system to mold the person to fit the parameters of their model. Obviously, such a broad disparity of ideals as to what model man should fulfill would result in confusion.

God dispelled the cloud of human disagreement by presenting the one ideal of what man should be. In His incarnate state, Jesus was man as God created man to be, fulfilling every expectation of God and, in His death, resurrection, and exaltation, meeting every human need. He is therefore the ideal and source of all personal wholeness.

It is impossible for man in his fallen state to reflect the personality and wholeness of Jesus except in a very fragmentary fashion. When he is born again, he has both the potential and a “jump start” for emulating the personality of Jesus because he now has the inner presence and enabling power of Jesus.

There are significant hindrances in every believer which hinder his development and pollute his personality. For example, there is the residual accumulation of harmful or conflicting beliefs that make up his belief system; he is also plagued by his memory of past failure and hurt. Although all sin and failure was met at the cross of Jesus, the appropriation of those benefits must be personally employed by the believer if he is to experience total freedom. The early church didn't think it odd that they should address such things as demonic oppression in its new converts and pray for their healing. Their converts were systematically discipled, thus enabled to identify and address issues of the past. By addressing such issues, they were able to be purged of harmful and defiling memories plus building a new system of beliefs which met the Biblical standard and Godly ideals.

It is only as we have the God-given ability to live out the Biblical standard of righteous conduct, to depend on the promises contained in the Word, and to effectively live in active obedience to the Lordship of Jesus, will we be the whole persons God intends for us to be. God has actively described and personally prescribed the solution to every human need – Jesus Christ.

As we cast ourselves in total dependence on Him, trusting His enabling power to help us with daily living, we will emerge as successful human beings.

God help us today to be all that you have recreated us to be.

Jeff