by Segun Olumide
Cause 7: STRIVING FOR PERFECTIONISM THROUGH LEGALISM
“You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace … what shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, ‘Do not covet.’ But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every king of covetous desire. For apart from the law, sin is dead. Once I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death” (Gal. 5:4, NIV; Rom. 7:7 – 10, NIV).
It continues, “There is now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit.
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh” (Rom. 8:1 – 3).
I want to define two key words here: perfectionism and legalism.Perfectionism is the practice of setting a standard for ourselves higher than God’s standard in an attempt to be perfect, flawless or mistake-free.Similarly, legalism is the practice of using human rules and regulations, enforced from outside and imposed on the flesh, thereby, externalizing holiness as a change from outside in (that is, from outside to inside).
The first scripture above shows that if you are living under the law or bound by legalism, then you cannot grow in grace. It says you are fallen from grace (I believe) into disgrace [Gal. 5:4].The law of the Spirit of life in Christ is inscribed by God on every believer’s heart (spirit) while the law of sin and death is imposed on the body (flesh) of some people by promoters or propagators of legalism [see Rom. 8:1 – 3 above, Heb. 8:7 – 11, Heb. 10:16, Col. 2:20 - 23].More importantly, any believer who has been discipled in a legalistic church or denomination may have problem with sin consciousness. And in fact, he may live under condemnation whenever he breaks any of those human rules and regulations.
You see, God has called us to liberty, not to legalism. He has called us to perfection (completeness, Christian maturity), not to perfectionism [see Gal. 5:1, Col. 1:28, 1 John 1:7 – 9, 1 John 2:1].From my own personal experience, my mind became confused when I began to ignore the law of God in my heart and struggled to follow legalistic rules and regulations imposed on my flesh by myself or some legalistic teachers.Strange to relate, legalism presented to me as a sin what was not a sin. For instance, I remember if I went to the toilet in those days and I refused to keep my self-imposed toilet rules and regulations, I would feel strongly condemned.
Imagine a brother that anytime he prays with his eyes open feels condemned or a sister that anytime she does not kneel down on the ground to greet people feels condemned and sad or a fellow who thinks he has sinned by forgetting to turn off water tap or a pastor who feels guilty for looking at a beautiful lady in the congregation without lust in his heart for her or a sister who feels she is guilty of covetousness for simply admiring an attractive dress brought by her friend. Doesn’t that sound like those legalistic Pharisees and teachers of the law who condemned Jesus’ disciples for eating without a ceremonial washing of their hands according to a human regulation (Mark 7:1 – 23)? So while striving for perfectionism, I embraced legalism from outside and neglected liberty on my inside.
I then discovered that my life was controlled from outside, not from inside my spirit. I was walking by sight, not by faith; governed and led by the flesh, not by my spirit through the Holy Spirit. I was helpless, a nervous wreck suffering from mental collapse and emotional turmoil. At this time, I had taken a leave of absence from the university, thinking I might never go back to complete my course of study because of the hopelessness of the situation I was in. I even thought of suicide on one or more occasions. I once brought out a knife but God intervened.
Life on earth had little or no meaning to me. I must have wished to sleep one night, never to wake up on earth but in heaven. That would have ended all my mental anguish of suffering! I wasn’t a sinner or a baby Christian but a fast-growing believer preparing for five-fold ministry. But suddenly, I had a mental and emotional accident that shook me to my foundation. As a matter of fact, I gave up the hope of ever fulfilling my ministry. I thought God would use somebody else in my place. My major desire was to make heaven.
God’s Remedy for Perfectionism
1. Reckon that your soul and body cannot be infallible (perfect, flawless, mistake-free), but your spirit can as long as you are in this earthly realm (1 John 1:8,10; 1 John 3:6-9; John 3:6).
2. Don't set human rules and regulations for yourself (Col 2:8, 16-23).
3. Don't follow laid-down elder's traditions, humanistic philosophies or demonic doctrines (1 Tim 4:1-7, Mat 15:1-9, Mat 23).
Cause 8: OVER-LABOURING THE MIND OR THE BODY
“And he (Jesus) said unto them (the disciples), come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: fro there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat” (Mk 6:31).In this verse above, the Lord Jesus told his disciples to take a break from their work and rest for some time.
Your body needs sufficient rest from time to time just as your mind does. We need to understand that our mind can carry out light or heavy tasks just as our body can.Some folks are suffering from mental breakdown today because they fail to realize that over-laboring the mind without sufficient rest can damage one’s mental and emotional health in the same way that over-working the body with inadequate rest can.The latter part of that scripture above says many people flooded the disciples to the extent that they had time for neither leisure nor food.Jesus, in His wisdom, knew that different human beings have different stress-bearing capacity. Of course, Jesus encouraged hard work but he cautions against excessive stress which can lead to strain.
He said, “I must work the work of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work” (John 9:4).
‘But he said “I must preach the good news of the Kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea’ (Luke 4:43 – 44, NIV).
David Yonggi Cho shared an experience in his early days of ministry. He started a church and tried to grow it by over-stressing himself.
Funnily enough, he was the janitor as well as the preacher. He would probably lead prayers and read the announcement as well. He was doing this week in week out until one day. While he was at the pulpit, he collapsed and was rushed to the hospital. He admitted that while he collapsed, he also experienced loss of memory, perhaps partially. Strange to relate, he said he could not even remember the names of his children. He was like a pyramid turned upside down. Can you imagine a 7-year-old carrying a 50 kg bag of cement on his head?
You see, over-laboring your body can damage your mind, emotions, memory and even your same body! But thank God that while on the hospital bed, he learnt how to use his body without abusing it. After a while, he recovered and carried on with pastoral work. He pastors the largest congregation in the world today. Friend, do you know that studying books or even the Bible for too long a time at a stretch without taking a break can damage your mental and physical health if it is done on a regular basis?
Eccl 12:12b (NIV) says, “Of making many books there is no end, AND MUCH STUDY WEARIES THE BODY.”
O yes, much study wearies the body. I also believe that a wearied body can produce a wearied mind. Festus wrongly believed that much learning had driven Paul mad. But Paul was not mad (see Acts 26:24 – 25). He thought Paul was mentally deranged through much learning or study because he probably had come across some people whom became genuinely mad through much study or learning without resting at the right time and in the right measure.
I can never forget the pathetic story of one of God’s generals in history. His name was Evan Roberts. According to Roberts Liardon, he probably had revelations that could revolutionize the world but he did not find the right keys to emotional strength. His neglect of rest led to confusion of mind, and eventually emotional collapse. On a certain day, he confessed: "Tired? Not once. God has made me strong and manly. I can face thousands. My body is full of electricity day and night and I have no sleep before I am back in meetings again." Our bodies need rest just as our minds and emotions need it because our bodies work just as our minds and emotions do!
If you strain your mind in any way, it becomes weak, depressed and open to demonic attacks or torment. To strain means ‘to injure or weaken by excessive stretching or by over-exertion.' Unfortunately, some folks have consciously or unconsciously strained their mind, that is, they have injured or weakened their own mind by excessively stretching it or by over-exerting internal force or pressure on it knowingly or unknowingly.
God's Remedy for Over-Labouring the Mind or the Body
The remedy here includes:
Rest regularly.
If God the Creator as powerful as He is rested on the 7th day and was refreshed (Genesis 2:2-3, Exodus 31:17), then you as his creature need to rest and be refreshed more! He instructed the Israelites and their animals to rest and be refreshed (Exodus 23:12). Even he commanded that the land or ground was to rest for awhile and be refreshed (Lev 25). In fact, the cloud of Glory leading the Israelites rested (Numbers 10:12)!
Delegate responsibilities (Exo 18).
Take periodic vacations (Mark 6:32).
Learn To Maintain a Quiet Mind
Isaiah 30:15 (AMP) says,” … IN QUIETNESS and in [trusting] confidence shall be your strength …” Quietness here is a state of being quiet. And the word ‘quiet’ means ‘free from disturbance or vigorous activity; peaceful.’ In other words, a quiet mind is a mind free from inner disturbances (such as worries and anxieties) or vigorous activities (such as over-studying, over-working and over-exertion of straining pressure on the mind).
Let Your Mind Lean On God In Absolute Trust
God says, “ … In quietness and TRUST is your STRENGTH …” (Isaiah 30:15, NIV). Another scripture says, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose MIND IS STAYED ON THEE [whose mind leans, relies or depends on you], because he TRUSTETH IN THEE. TRUST ye in the Lord forever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is EVERLASTING STRENGTH” (Isaiah 26:3 – 4).
Exercise (1Tim 4:8a).
Take time to laugh and recreate (Eccl 3:1, 4).
Laughter, which is God's nature and human nature, is medicine (Ps 2:4).
Someone has likened laughter to inner jogging. So your mind and emotions need to do some jogging exercise!
Cause 9: DRUG ABUSE OR MISUSE
“Abstain from all appearance of evil” (1Thes 5:22).
“If you find honey, eat just enough --- too much of it, and you will vomit….
It is not good to eat too much honey, (Prov.25:16,27a NIV).
“Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses" (1Tim.5: 23, NIV).
We have legal and illegal drugs. Legal drugs are clinical or ordinary drugs while illegal drugs are soft and hard drugs. The drugs we buy from the pharmacy or chemist's are mainly clinical or ordinary drugs. You can also call them medicine. Their wrong use is called drug misuse. Some soft or hard drugs, on the other hand, may be used medically during operations, and so on. It's wrong and illegal to use soft and hard drugs for recreational purposes or to enhance performance in sports, crime, and so on. This is called drug abuse.
You see, medicine or ordinary drug is God’s permissive will for man. He allows them to help man until man can develop his faith to trust God’s Word for his healing and health. But do you know that God has a perfect drug or medicine that can heal all sicknesses and diseases known and yet to be known on earth?
Proverbs 4: 20, 22(NIV) says, “My son, pay attention to WHAT I SAY; Listen closely to my WORDS…. For they are life to those who find them and HEALTH to a man’s whole body.”
The Hebrew word translated ‘health’ in verse 22 above means “medicine or cure”. So God’s perfect provision for the healing and health of His people (who are born-again) is His medicine --- His Word, which must be accessed by faith.Healing is good but health is better . Healing is an activity but health is a state. A healthy person needs no healing. Healing is mainly for babes (see Matthew 15:25-28). A believer shall live by his own faith. This faith is being sure, in your spirit, of what you hope for to manifest in the natural and being certain, in your spirit, of what you do not see yet in the physical (see Hab. 2:4, Heb11;1).
Friend, my immediate concern here is the challenge of drug or substance abuse and drug misuse. First, an overdose of caffeine (found in some tea and coffee), sleeping pills, tranquilizers (for making an anxious mind calm), and so on can cause mental disturbances or emotional disorder. I have an aunty who took an overdose of Nescafé (a coffee containing the stimulant – caffeine).
Some students take Nescafé to enable them stay awake, especially at night in order to read. We must be careful of what we take and how we take it. I’m not condemning it. Neither am I encouraging it. Let God lead you in all things for as many as are led by God’s Spirit are the sons of God (Rom. 8:14). So she took an overdose and became mentally deranged.
I read an article which showed that some researchers experimented with a particular clinical drug which was tried on 34,000 patients.
They found out that though it lowers cholesterol level in the blood, and hence prevents heart attack as well as stroke, and is being used by over 7 million people in Britain saving about 10,000 lives yearly, nevertheless, it has caused temporary memory loss, depression and mood swings in some patients. It has been abused by doctors through routine prescription or by patients themselves through self – medication. Second, hard or illegal drugs such as cocaine, methadone, crack, Indian hemp, and so on have sent some people, especially youths to psychiatric hospitals.
God’s Remedy for Drug Abuse
1. Avoid abuse of illegal drugs, that is, hard and soft drugs.
2. Avoid misuse of medicine or lega
Segun Olumide is an apostolic leader at the Glorious Family Church International and the New Apostolic Movement both in Lagos, Nigeria.
He has a mandate to align the church with God's purpose.
All scripture quotations are mostly from the King James Version unless otherwise stated.
Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS
No comments:
Post a Comment