The little cartoon sailor, Popeye, was an unassuming guy who faced the villains, particularly Bluto, that desired his destruction, or at least his girl, Olive Oyl! At the moment that all seemed lost he managed to defeat his foes by consuming a can of spinach which made a miraculous trip to his amazing forearms. But it is one of his signature lines that comes to memory today - "I y'am what I y'am and thats alls I y'am!" Popeye was the same, never changing, comforted by this declaration. It's his way of saying "don't ask me to adapt, to change, or to adjust. I'm just Popeye, the sailor man." Toot, toot! There are many Believers who make the Popeye confession and remain stuck in the same old patterns of life, too.
Are you one of those Believers who has convinced himself that you are who you are, that your personality and habits are unchangeable? Have you come to Christ for forgiveness and then settled into a pattern of challenge, failure, shame, repentance, restoration.... only to do it all over again, and again, and again?
Then, you've believed a lie! Each one of us deals with tendencies to sin and we will until the day of our transformation from a creature of this world to a citizen of Glory. Understanding and accepting the reality of having a sinful nature must not keep us from the sure promise that when we come to Christ a spiritual nature is made alive in us by the Spirit! These two natures are conflict, but if we believe we are the hapless victims of sin and Satan, we have not come to the full Truth of the Good News of Jesus Christ. In Him, we can and we should grow up spiritually and gain increasing victory over sin! Let me illustrate from my own experience. Since childhood I have dealt with a temperament that is prone to anger. I am not proud of that fact, nor does it please me to admit that episodes of ungodly anger appear too often in the record of my life. In my youth, I readily gave vent to that anger, accepting it as 'just who I am.' For years I hid behind Popeye's confession! I excused temperish outburst as an inevitable expression of my personality. The Spirit of God and the Word spoke to me and showed me that what I excused was a sin against others and against God. And He called me to change, a process which is ongoing by His grace and with great effort! Am I still tempted by anger? Yes! Am I still prone to temperish outbursts? No! (I know that by writing this I am inviting a new assault of temptation! Lord, help me!) But, this I know: the Spirit of God working with me and in me. Praise Him!
Peter writes to Believers telling us that change is not only possible, but required.
He says, "May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.... the promises ... enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. " (2 Peter 1:2, 4 NLT) Sounds hopeful, doesn't it? Victory over the temptations around us is possible. Is total perfection possible? Why ask that question? How about just dealing with what needs to be dealt with today?
Peter envisions a process of change, building a life - one choice at a time - as God empowers us, that demonstrates the character of Jesus. He does not ask us to do it all by ourselves, nor does he teach us to expect that God will do it all for us! He says, "Make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins. So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away." (2 Peter 1:4-10, NLT)
Don't make peace with temptation. Don't invite sin to live in your house. It is a terrible guest that moves in, takes over, and brings undesirables by the dozen. Instead, admit to God where there are gaps between who you are and who you know that He wants you to be. Then, begin to change. Learn the Truth about Who He is, what He has promised, and the power He provides. Create strategies for the defeat of evil. Build alliances that strengthen resolve. Change today!
Take this word from the Word and believe it. "You were taught about Jesus Christ. He is the truth, and you heard about him and learned about him. You were told that your foolish desires will destroy you and that you must give up your old way of life with all its bad habits. Let the Spirit change your way of thinking and make you into a new person. You were created to be like God, and so you must please him and be truly holy." (Ephesians 4:20-24, CEV)
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Just as I am, without one plea
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou biddest me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come! I come!
Just as I am, and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come! I come!
Just as I am, though tossed about
With many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come! I come!
Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind,
Sight, riches, healing of the mind,
Yea, all I need, in Thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come! I come!
Just As I Am © Public Domain
William Bradbury
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