Keeping On Track–By John Woodward

A friend wrote to me: “Re the Exchanged Life, have you thought about how easy it might be to sort of slip over the line into performance again? I’m struggling there again. I know Christ does the living through me as I yield to Him, but the times that it is flesh and not Christ is because I have taken over again, so I have goofed up. . . that has slipped into me evaluating the Exchanged Life again in terms of performance. Do you understand where I’m coming from?” (used by permission).

I have found from my own experience and testimonies like this one, that there is a tendency to revert to a self-orientation after experiencing the “paradigm shift” of the Exchanged Life: Dr. Charles Solomon writes, “Identification with the Lord Jesus Christ, or the abundant life, is not sinless perfection. The self-life has not been dealt with permanently as has the old man [the “old man” is understood as the unregenerate human spirit, Rom 6:6; Eph 2:1]. When we fail to reckon upon our resources in Christ and instead begin again to control our lives, the flesh and the symptoms connected with it are to be contended with. The symptoms may be in the form of depression, anxiety, frustration, defeat, old obsessions, pride, and various forms of mental or emotional symptoms such as neuroses and psychoses. Or, to relate the symptoms to spiritual terminology, the works of the flesh . . .(The Ins and Outs of Rejection, p.197.)

We should watch out for stumbling blocks which could distract us from our vital focus upon Christ as our life (Rom 5:10).Beware of peer pressure . Even Christian fellowship can trigger unhealthy comparisons and competition. For example, the apostle Peter withdrew from eating with his Gentile fellow believers when members of the Jerusalem church arrived (Gal 2:11,13). If peer pressure can cause us to view others according to the flesh, it can cause us to view ourselves apart from our identity in Christ also.Beware of legalistic teaching . If Bible teachers have a works orientation to Christian living, we are liable to shift our focus off of the dynamic of Christ living through us. Remember why Paul needed to correct the Galatian believers. (Gal 3:1-3). We also need to resist worldy values . We can revert to evaluating our lives by the world’s temporal value system, instead of focusing on our glorious position in God’s kingdom (Rom 12:1,2; Col 1:13).

The episode of Peter walking on the water to Jesus is so instructive (Matt 14:22-33). As long as we keep looking unto Jesus as our Savior, Lord, Sanctifier and Life-Giver, we can walk supernaturally. If we allow self to gain control, or permit our faith’s focus to be distracted from Christ, then like Peter, we begin to sink. Praise God that He is there to lift us up again when we reaffirm our trust in His all-sufficient strength and grace! Let’s keep on track by looking unto Jesus co ntinually. (Heb 12:1,2).

Our Father we are so prone to let our focus stray from Your total provision for us in Christ. Guard us from unhealthy peer pressure, legalistic teaching, and temporal values. We rejoice that our life is hid with Christ in You. Amen.

JBW

Sept. 28, ’98