Faith-bearing Seed for the Soul
"While the earth remaineth,
Seedtime and harvest
....shall not cease"

Genesis 8:22

Opposing Ourselves

After having a toxic chemical exposure, the resulting scar tissue in my brain not only impaired my memory, but affected my ability to concentrate and reason. I can remember having  to learn all over again how to put sequences of events in order in my mind to be able to act upon them. One time I was following a car with a very unique turn signal light... While engrossed in watching the arrows dashing from the center of the vehicle to the left and thinking how clever of a design it was, all of a sudden I became aware of the fact that I was bumper to bumper with the car and I had to come to an abrupt stop to keep from rear ending them. My brain had not notified my feet to put on the brakes.

Another time I was concentrating on starting the car, getting it in the proper gear and backing out of the garage. I did everything perfectly except I didn't look behind me and I ran right into our pickup truck. A few weeks later, I got the car started, put into gear, and even remembered to look behind me, and I backed out. I felt a thump and the right rear tire raised up... I had done everything else right, but I forgot to check to see if the dog was outside. He was...and I ran right over him.

When I jumped out of the car, my poor doggie was yelping, but he was doing something else very strange. The pain in the hip that I ran over was so excruciating that he was tearing at it trying to chew it off. I prayed over him immediately, and by God's grace, I could hear his bones crack as the Lord fixed his leg. The only remaining injury was the tears in his skin where  he had chewed on it.

The image of this terrifying incident came to mind when I read these verses today:

2 Timothy 2:24-26 (Emphasis mine)

And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that OPPOSE THEMSELVES; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

Because of the "inner" pain, my dog was opposing himself... He would have chewed his leg off in an effort to be relieved of the pain. He did this because he didn't know what else to do. What a symbolic picture of hurting people tearing at themselves, opposing themselves, because of inner hurt and pain that they don't know how to get released from!

The devil's "snare" is to use our own self-will to make us oppose ourselves because of the inner pain. And how do we overcome this? These verses say it is as simply as, "acknowledging the truth and repenting." For example:

Let's say that we are hurt deeply by a loved one or a member of the church. I know a man that was hurt by the church. He quit going to church, then his bitterness and resentment progressed into his disliking every Christian and tearing  Christianity down with every opportunity he has. He is spreading his resentment to anyone that will listen to him. He's probably one of the most miserable people that I know. The snare that the devil set up for him is causing him to oppose himself because the Lord and the church is where he needs to go for help. If he would acknowledge the "truth" of God's Word that we are to forgive seventy times seven in one day, and that to be forgiven of our sins, we must forgive others of their trespasses, he could be restored. But because he has not done that, hatred holds him captive. I know that just as there is the possibility of going to a doctor that is a "quack", we can be subjected to some very devastating church situations and/or Christians. But, if I become ill again after getting poor advice from one physician, I'm not going to allow one bad experience to stop me from seeking the help of other physicians when I need them in the future. To resent all Christians because of the actions of a few is setting ourselves up for a snare.

Here are some other ways that we oppose ourselves, in addition to unforgiveness, resentment and bitterness:

Judging...

Unbelief...

Criticism...

Believing lies of the enemy...

Not casting our cares upon Him...

Not believing that God completely loves us ...

Not reading the Word for ourselves...

Believing every wind of doctrine that comes along without testing it with the Word...

Feeling sorry for ourselves...

Blaming others for our adversities...

Jealousy...

Worry and anxiety...

Self hatred...

Coveting...

Fearing...

Refusing to listen to sound teaching and counsel...

Pride...

All of these ways to oppose ourselves come with a choice... whether we are going to do them or not is decided by our own  wills, and God's Word has much to say about all of these things. When we continue to choose to walk in sin, we are choosing to  continue to OPPOSE OURSELVES, and just as in the example of my dog, Satan can then take us captive at his will and cause us to devour ourselves.

Galatians 5:13-15 NIV

For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." But if you bite and devour one another, BEWARE lest you be consumed by one another!

Lord...

Many of us suffer from deep hurts from others...let us be the first to forgive, so that we may be healed. Let us be the first to make amends, so that we may go on to serve you and others fully in love. Help us, Lord, to cast our cares upon you, knowing that You care for us, I pray in Jesus' name. Amen

Rooted and grounded in the love of Christ Jesus,

Marlene JuHaros,

Texas Seed Sower

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