Blind, Deaf, And Dumb

            We need to examine everything about ourselves, especially the way we speak, and how we listen.   

            Listen to the Word of the Lord:  Isaiah 42:19-20 - "Who is blind except my servant, or deaf like my messenger I am sending? Who is blind like the one committed to me, or blind like the LORD's servant?   You've seen many things, but you pay no attention. His ears are open, but he doesn't listen." 

            Now at first this may sound like a bad thing.  Is it really true that Jesus is blind and deaf to many of the things we say and do?  Yes indeed, and it is a good thing too.  Suppose every time we said something to God, He got upset because of the way we said it.  Or maybe we had ignored something He said so all He would talk about was how hurt He was.  How much time did Jesus spend complaining to the disciples about  the attacks that were directed at Him?  Not according to the above scripture.

            We need to really be dead to self.  If we have been "crucified with Christ", then we are dead to self, dead to the slanders and slights of other people.  Dead people don't care if someone walks on them.  If you are in a grave yard, you try not to walk directly on the graves out of respect.  But if you do step on one, does the dead person yell at you?  Do they take offense?  Of course not, because they are dead! 

            So if I am dead, and my life is hid with Christ, then if someone says hurtful things to me, I won't hear.  I am living God's life.  If they do things, we won't see.  We will just let God's love flow, and resist every thought of self that comes into mind.

            Look at Galatians 5:24:  "They that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts."   The real question I need to ask myself is whether or not I have really given myself to Jesus, do I really belong to Him.  We may have committed to Christ once, but we forget it is a daily task.  Self will spring back to life on any day I do not start out killing it and then with prayer and watching keep it in the grave.  Again God's Word says:  "I die daily"  (1 Corinthians 15:31)  The apostle Paul wrote this because  "his will and his desires every day conflicted with duty and the will of God. Instead of following inclination, he did God's will, however crucifying to his own nature."  {8T 313} 

            Self is always looking out for hurts and insults.  Many are the times I have listened to someone speaking to another person, and then listened to the one spoken to complain or get angry at what they supposed were "put downs" or "insults" while  I am thinking to myself:  "I didn't hear it that way".  My "self" was not involved, just an objective observer.  But when "self" is involved, it is another matter.  Self is sinful and evil, always looking out for hurts either real or imagined.  And so self must be put to death every day. 

            "The warfare against self is the greatest battle that was ever fought. The yielding of self, surrendering all to the will of God, requires a struggle; but the soul must submit to God before it can be renewed in holiness."  {SC 43}   "The field of conflict is the domain of the heart. The battle which we have to fight--the greatest battle that was ever fought by man--is the surrender of self to the will of God, the yielding of the heart to the sovereignty of love. The old nature, born of blood and of the will of the flesh, cannot inherit the kingdom of God. The hereditary tendencies, the former habits, must be given up. 

            He who determines to enter the spiritual kingdom will find that all the powers and passions of an unregenerate nature, backed by the forces of the kingdom of darkness, are arrayed against him. Selfishness and pride will make a stand against anything that would show them to be sinful. We cannot, of ourselves, conquer the evil desires and habits that strive for the mastery. We cannot overcome the mighty foe who holds us in his thrall. God alone can give us the victory."  {MB 141}

            By the power of God's grace, I can also be blind, deaf, and dumb to what others may do or say.  Someone did something mean to me?  Ask God to show you how you can do good in return.  Ridicule or insults spoken to me?  In the power of God act as if you cannot hear.  Pray  "Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips."  (Psalm 141:3)  and speak only love in return.  Jesus has left us His example to follow:  "when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not;  (1 Peter 2:23)

      "I have set the LORD always before me: because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved."  (Psalm 16:8)

Self Examination

            I have been thinking about our interaction with people and our great need to be more like Jesus in our daily life.  Often we claim to be followers of the meek and lowly Jesus, yet we seldom stop and examine our way of doing things. 

            God tells us in 2 Corinthians 13:5 - "Test yourselves to discover whether you are true believers: put your own selves under examination." (WNT)   The Word of God continues:  "You know, don't you, that Jesus Christ lives in you? Could it be that you are failing the test?" (ISV)  Do people who know you remark about how different you are?  Are you truly a different person?  Is  2 Corinthians 5:17 - " if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" really true for you?  We are to see if we have been true witnesses to the power of Jesus to give us victory over our old self.  In fact, we are to invite God to inspect our actions and our motives.  It is written again in Psalm 26:2 -  "Examine me, O LORD, and prove me"   

            Here is how it works in practice.  At the end of the day, go over that day's actions to see if you properly represented the One you claim to be following.  Remember the Word of God, the Bible, is the standard we are to use.  Don't compare yourself to other people.  That is absolute foolishness, according to 2 Corinthians 10:12.  Do not make excuses or defend yourself.  Let the Holy Spirit do His job and convict you of your sins.  HOWEVER, and this is key, examine yourself with Jesus by your side!  If you do it alone, you will just get depressed.  You will be pressed down with discouragement and feel like giving up.  The devil will be right there to destroy any hope you might have. 

            In the book  Steps to Christ  is this beautiful statement:  "We shall often have to bow down and weep at the feet of Jesus because of our shortcomings and mistakes, but we are not to be discouraged. Even if we are overcome by the enemy, we are not cast off, not forsaken and rejected of God. No; Christ is at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Said the beloved John, "These things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." 1 John 2:1. {SC64} 

            There is a wonderful representation given us in Zechariah 3:1-5.  Here the prophet sees the high priest, representing the children of God, standing in front of the Lord.  In your mind see yourself standing before the Lord.   Satan is there to accuse us, and we know we are guilty.  But don't listen to the devil, listen to what God says!  God says:  "The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD... rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?"   This is why we can safely examine ourselves only if Jesus is with us.  As we see our sins in the light of God's word, they will appear in their true hideousness.  But here is the Promise.   "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  (1 John 1:9) 

            No excuses!  Just confess your sin.  Tell God how much you want to be free from that habit, that evil mouth, those wicked thoughts, that failure to represent Him correctly.  Then believe that He forgives you.  Believe that He gives you power to overcome.  Believe it is so because God says it is so.  Then plan how to do right the next time.  In the power God gives we can be victorious.