Having Our Eyes Opened and Seeing Inadequacy as a Blessing – Purity 1918
Purity 1918 03/23/2026
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Good morning,
Today’s photo of the tree at the end of “Freedom Road” under a pleasant blue spring sky comes to us from yours truly, as I captured this peaceful scene Saturday morning after choosing to be good on my promise to myself to make my second trek of the year down my favorite country road, even though the conditions weren’t perfect.
The going was muddy, the temperature was a little on the chill side, and a significant cross breeze challenged my resolve, but I took that walk, and I’m glad I did. With Tammy Lyn presumably closing on our house in Glens Falls in the next month, my opportunities to go down Freedom Road will be limited and eventually disappear. As I made my way to the clearing at the end of Freedom Road, I reminded myself repeatedly to soak in the experience because it could be the last time I ever go that way again. On the way out, the Lord seemed to reward my faithfulness in seizing the day, as the sun came out and shone its warming rays upon me, making it actually feel like spring for a moment or two. I thanked God for the sunshine and for the life he has given me, and the times I enjoyed on Freedom Road in the years gone by.
Well, it’s Monday, and as we seek to start a new path through this work week, I was reminded yesterday of just how far we need to go on this path of Christian Discipleship of God’s word.
I led one of the Freedom in Christ Course participants through the Steps to Freedom in Christ, and yesterday afternoon, even though this person had already done a good amount of “soul work” and experienced freedom over their addiction to alcohol before sitting down for prayer ministry, the Lord used our freedom appointment to reveal some blind spots and need for growth.
The Steps to Freedom in Christ is a regimented process of prayerful repentance. The Steps are a 32-page booklet of guided prayers that are designed to help people renounce their sins and to resolve their personal and spiritual conflicts. Going through the Steps helps people to take their issues to God, but in order to be set free from the bondage of our sins, we have to see that there is a problem in our lives in the first place. To be set free from a sin, you have to see it as sin and be convicted in your heart to turn from it. To truly repent, you not only have to acknowledge your willful participation in sinful attitudes or actions, but you have to agree with God’s word that those attitudes and actions are wrong and need to be renounced and turned from.
The hardness of hearts that are present in supposedly “surrendered Christians” might surprise you. While we may not be surprised at nonchalant attitudes toward the seriousness of sin in “liberal” or “nominal” Christian settings, we shouldn’t assume that “Bible-believing” churches don’t harbor the same dismissive or rebellious attitudes toward sin. While “carnal Christians” will have corrupted views of what the grace of God allows them to do, dismissive or rebellious attitudes toward obedience can even live in supposedly mature Christian leaders.
I discovered yesterday that some Christians can be blind to the severity of sin in certain areas and have a prideful or rebellious attitude when it comes to acknowledging that they are living in willful rebellion against the life that Christ would call them to.
Yesterday’s participant had a problem with foul language. Granted, it may be a minor issue in the grand scheme of things, but the fact that they persisted in rationalizing away their habitually poor choice of speech and seemed to fail to understand that certain passages of the Bible instruct us not to speak in such ways indicated an underlying problem with a rebellious and prideful heart. The participant was an upstanding member of his church and in his local community, and had seemingly had a heart that was on fire for God, but when this issue arose, it revealed a lack of maturity and a sense that the participant really believed that this particular sin wasn’t important. Rather than acknowledging their foul language as being wrong according to God’s word, they tried to justify their behavior and seemed almost incapable of repenting of it because it would admit that they were inadequate in some way.
But the truth is that we are all inadequate when it comes to meeting God’s standard; that’s why we need a savior, and rather than being condemned when we admit our inadequacies, we can grow when we finally see our sin for what it is and turn from it. Our inadequacy can become a strength when we ask the Lord to help us overcome it.
Speaking of inadequacies as something we can be glad about, the In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley devotion from yesterday spoke about this topic, and I am sharing it on the blog today to help us to go to God to receive His strength when we are feeling weak.
“Inadequacy as a Blessing
The Holy Spirit empowers believers to accomplish God’s will.
Corinthians 3:1-6
Inadequacy can be a roadblock to doing God’s will, deterring us from stepping out in faith. It’s not sin to feel insufficient, but we can miss the mark by complacently accepting that attitude.
Even Paul felt inadequate, but he didn’t allow his feelings to prevent his sharing the gospel. (See 1 Timothy 1:15-16.) Instead, he allowed his limitations to drive him closer to God.
For believers, the correct reaction is prayer and biblical meditation so that our ability to rely on the Lord is strengthened.
God’s Spirit enables us to achieve whatever He calls us to do.
The disciples followed Jesus for years, but His final instructions left no doubt concerning their need for divine help: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses” (Acts 1:8).
Our inadequacy, like that of the disciples, showcases God’s ability to do great things with so little.
Remember, Moses and David were shepherds, and Gideon was the least among Israel’s men (Judges 6:15), yet the Lord accomplished amazing feats through all three of them.
Our inadequacy can turn out to be a blessing by driving us to greater dependence upon God. Like Paul, we are able to say, “I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me” (2 Corinthians 12:9).” – Charles Stanley
Amen. There will come a time in every disciple’s life when they will feel inadequate. Whether it’s turning from a besetting sin for good, stepping out in faith to serve God in a new way, or responding to hardships in a patient or self-controlled way, each of us will be put to the test when we decide to live the Christian life.
Contemplating the challenge before us, we will become overwhelmed and realize that, in ourselves, we don’t have what it takes to do what we are being asked to do.
These moments cause some people to give up and to quit following the Lord. They see Christianity as a hard or unreasonable way and decide that it’s not true or necessary, and they slowly or quickly walk away from a surrendered life.
However, if we remember that we were never adequate to begin with, we won’t shy away from what God is calling us to do. Instead of running away from the challenge, we will run to God and ask Him for help.
We couldn’t save ourselves in our own strength, so we have to remember that and rely on God to help us to live a life of faith.
Instead of getting overwhelmed and walking away, the tests and challenges we face are supposed to draw us closer to God and to become more trusting of and dependent on God.
So, see your inadequacy as a blessing. It means you aren’t expected to do everything on your own. It means that you are supposed to trust in God, to wait on His wisdom and power, and to receive it with joy when it comes.
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For those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide, I offer apologist Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/.
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Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By John G. Kruis.
(While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick Google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late author’s work. (The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling By John G. Kruis on Amazon )
This morning’s meditation verse comes from the section on the Providence of God.
Zechariah 10:1 (NIV) Ask the LORD for rain in the springtime; it is the LORD who sends the thunderstorms. He gives showers of rain to all people, and plants of the field to everyone.
Today’s verse falls under the twenty-first point of our counseling reference guide resource section on the Providence of God.
21. It is God who gives rain. Pray for rain in time of need.
Today’s Bible verse encourages us to pray to the Lord for the things we need, and that includes the rain, the weather that farmers need to make a living and to give life-sustaining food to others. The word of God tells us that the Lord sends the thunderstorms. The Lord gives the showers of rain to all people and gives the plants of the field.
So even though we may tremble in fear when we contemplate the destructive power of storms at times, we have to recognize that God’s identity is grounded in life rather than death.
God is the Creator. He’s the Maker and Sustainer of Life. So it shouldn’t amaze us that God provides us with what we need to live. God cares for us and wants us to live. He sent His son to save us, and when we have faith Jesus Christ, the living water of the Holy Spirit, gives us life forevermore.
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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.com, where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today, we continue sharing from “Pause for Power” By Warren Wiersbe.
As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage you all to purchase Wiersbe’s books for your own private study and to support the late author’s work. This resource is available online for less than $20 at many sites.
Day 52 – When Hope Becomes Hopeless – Read Ecc 9:5–10
The living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten. – Ecclesiastes 9:5
What Solomon wrote about the dead can be reversed and applied to the living. The dead do not know what is happening on earth, but the living know and can respond to it. The dead cannot add anything to their reward or their reputation, but the living can. Solomon was emphasizing the importance of seizing opportunities while we live, rather than blindly hoping for something better in the future.
“The human body experiences a powerful gravitational pull in the direction of hope,” wrote journalist Norman Cousins, who survived a near-fatal illness and a massive heart attack before his death in 1990. “That is why the patient’s hopes are the physician’s secret weapon. They are the hidden ingredients in any prescription.”
We endure because we hope, but “hope in hope” (like “faith in faith”) is too often only a kind of self-hypnosis that keeps us from facing life honestly. While patients may be better off with an optimistic attitude, it is dangerous for them to follow a false hope that may keep them from preparing for death. That kind of hope is hopeless. When the end comes, the patients’ outlook may be cheerful, but the outcome will be tragic.
Something to Ponder – What is your definition of hope? How does your hope keep your faith strong?[1]
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[1] Warren W. Wiersbe, Pause for Power: A 365-Day Journey through the Scriptures, 2nd Ed., Year in the Word Series (Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 2010).
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