Yesterday morning, I was out for a run. I had an insight come to me that seemed to hit a nerve at the men’s group last night. We were discussing the epic battle between the sinful nature and the Spirit as recorded in Galatians 5:11 and following. I had three “R’s” of our starting disposition. Two of which can set us up for consistent failure instead of consistent victory. The first one is rebellion. Often this comes from feeling like your life has not been fair. Maybe something happened to you or maybe the deck seems stacked against you. There is an underneath boiling waiting to blow. That demeanor is going to sabotage you. The second is resignation. This is a slight improvement over rebellion but is still destructive. Resignation is when you are not boiling with anger anymore but there is still a low-grade simmer underneath. Your attitude may be, “It is what it is.” This could be your job, marriage, kids or anything else didn’t turn out the way you expected. At the same time, you see no way out of your current situation; you feel stuck. You have no hope your circumstance will change in the forseeable future. This demeanor may fuel a desire to escape to numb the pain of where you find yourself. Without realizing it the escapist behaviors sabotage you as well and pretty much guarantee your situation isn’t going to improve. The third outlook is the resolution. I resolve that no matter what has brought me to this place in life, God is on the throne and promises to use everything to help me be more like Him. So, I surrender. I come to a place of acceptance. I stop feeling entitled to more.

The solution is simple but difficult. “Abide in Me,” Jesus said. Come to me all who are weary, I will give you rest. It is all about daily surrender and staying in close communication with the Lord.

Lord help us!

blessings,

Scott