I want to introduce you to TWO different men.
The first man is the man that is broken by sin. This man is not who he wants to be. His current state of existence resembles but little the true man that God originally designed him to be. He is in a constant state of unquenched desire, always wanting, yet never satisfied. His life is marked by fear, confusion, anxiety, shame and guilt. He uses physical solutions to try to solve spiritual problems and it doesn’t work. He spends much energy trying to fulfill legitimate needs in illegitimate ways.
This man is caught in a pattern of behaviors that he cannot control. He does things that contradict his true values. While he believes in God, his actions don’t align with how he understands God’s ways and it makes him feel miserable. He lives constantly in a state of being RESTLESS, IRRITABLE and DISCONTENTED. He wants to do the right thing but often is unable or incapable of achieving it. He wears a mask that portrays a stable, successful, orderly life to his friends, family and co-workers that makes it appear as if he has it all together. He spends much energy covering his tracks with lies, deceit and manipulation so he won’t have to suffer the shame of his secret behaviors.
He lives under a cloud of SCARCITY, never having enough and never feeling like he IS enough. He suffers from the THREE “I’s” of INSIGNIFICANCE, INCOMPETENCE and IMPOTENCE; not valuable enough, not smart enough and, mostly, never strong enough to break this cycle of shameful behavior he engages in, no matter what strategy he uses or how hard he tries. He is conflicted; in one sense, he does whatever he wants and chooses to do, while in his heart he knows his is consistently doing things he doesn’t want to do..
February 19, 2018