“When consolation fades and we feel stuck in the Christian life, the temptation is to pump up our will, excite passion, and fuel our faithfulness through flesh. But over time we feel the effects of trying to live off an overly caffeinated will. . . . The assumption is that we simply need to tweak our actions to get the right result.”- Kyle Strobel and John Coe
“These [regulations] have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.”- Colossians 2:23 (ESV)
In Chapter 8 (“Avoiding God by Fixing Ourselves”) of When God Seems Distant, Kyle Strobel and John Coe detail what happens when we begin to feel the effects of living off our overly caffeinated will. Rather than infuse passion into our will, we might also:
- focus on getting the right technique.
- affirm the right doctrinal statement.
- tweak our actions to get the right result.
- find it tempting to create a path where we use God as an instrument for our own achievement.
Most significantly, Kyle and John note, when desolation hits, we tend to discover a deep, abiding anger. An anger we never knew existed in our hearts.
In conclusion, the authors counsel:
“The temptation of the flesh, like Satan’s temptation in the garden, promises much but delivers nothing that lasts. Like Satan’s lies, the flesh promises a path to being like God through our own efforts and actions, but it proves fruitless. . . . This way appears wise . . . but fails because it seeks to make Jesus and his way into a bulleted list of ways to grow. Jesus himself is our salvation and hope, our righteousness, and our sanctification.”
Today’s question: What Bible verses help calm an overly caffeinated will? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Tether God to what we can see”