“Desolation is a cure for a self-fueled spirituality. The Lord is taking away our deep belief that we know the right formula to make the Christian life work. . . . Desolation takes us from merely affirming Christ is the only answer for our sin and brokenness to actually living this out in our deepest needs and desires.”- Kyle Strobel and John Coe
“But [the Lord] said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”- 2 Corinthians 12:9 (ESV)
Kyle Strobel and John Coe conclude Chapter 7 of When God Seems Distant as they underscore this truth. We are not called to change our experiences. Instead, our calling centers on presenting ourselves to the Lord (Romans 6:13). And as we do so, we must accept the truth about our path.
Furthermore, it’s on this path that the Lord unravels the false structures we’ve been using as crutches. In addition, the Lord erodes the ways we fuel our Christian lives with the flesh.
Above all, the Lord shows us not only that our initial salvation is by grace. The Lord also shows us that the entirety of the Christian life is by grace.
In conclusion, Kyle and John tie this together with Jesus’ death and resurrection. They explain:
“Spiritual formation is never simply tacking on upgrades to an already decent person, it is first and foremost about death and resurrection. . . . We can seclude death and resurrection to our conversion and fail to see that Scripture depicts the whole of our life with God as a continual death and resurrection. . . . Through desolation, we can now say with more depth of knowledge, Lord, I believe; help me in all of this unbelief (see Mark 9:24).”
Today’s question: What most helps you cure self-fueled spirituality? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “An overly caffeinated will”