I have this figurine sitting in my office and I often look at it and think, “You know, living this Christian life for over fifty years is at times like trying to move the rock in the picture on the previous page. I feel I have made little progress.
But then I reflect. My perception of little progress in the Lord may be seen by the Lord as just the right amount of progress He calls for in my walk with Him. I have to be careful in judging myself as well as judging others.
If this rock in the picture above could talk, it would problem say, “Look you fool, you are not going to move me in the power of your own strength. There is no victory here as long as you try all by yourself.”
Perhaps that is why the man dressed as an angel (notice his wings) is standing behind thinking, “If only he would ask me to help him he might have victory in moving the rock out of the way. But he seems to think he can handle it.” Isn’t that the way it is for a lot of us Christians?
O’ don’t get me wrong for I do have victories. But I suffer setbacks or defeats like we all do from time to time. The more I try to navigate this Christian life on my own and by doing my own works for the Lord, the harder and more difficult it becomes – like the man trying to move the rock in the picture above.
But note I said, “I try” and that is where the problem arises and stops the flow of the Holy Spirit.
Like the angel standing behind the one trying to move the rock, the Holy Spirit is with me and behind me, but I prevent Him from helping me because I think I can deal with all the “rocks” in my life.
The Holy Spirit would say to me:
“Well, I will just wait until he comes to an end of His self-strength,
self-knowing, and self-independence from Me
and
he begins to cry out,
“Help me for I cannot deal with these “rocks” anymore!”
Then this thought came to me and allow me to be transparent and honest with you. There are times in my walk with the Lord that I try to move the “rocks” out of my life such as (1) dealing with self; (2) lack of loving the brothers and sisters; (3) allowing pride to sneak in; (4) thinking more highly of myself than I should; (5) judging others and being critical of them; (6) conforming to the things of the world; (7) feeling rejected; (8) dealing with disappointment; (9) possessing a lack of faith; (10) thinking I can do this or that all by myself; (10) or any number of things which can tend interfere or remove me from faith in His Cross and what he accomplished on Cross as well as possessing an intimacy with Jesus. Does this sound similar to some of the things you face in walking out the Christian life?
I am sure you also have from time to time had to deal with some of these “rocks” in your own walk with the Lord. But I have found that the more “I try” to deal with these things in my own strength, effort, ability, intellect, education, and self-power, I experience frustration, disappointment, sadness, misunderstandings, and failure.
Trying to push these “rocks” out of my life is like trying to move a boulder. The more “I try” I lose. If I move these “rocks” an inch, they roll back on me. It seems I get nowhere when “I try” all alone. I am reminded of what Solomon said.
…..And he who rolls a stone,
it will come back
on him.”
Proverbs 26:27 (NASB95)
I have found that it is easy to slip out of depending on the Lord and walking in the Spirit to relying on my own flesh or soul power to deal with these “rocks” I can face at different times in my life. I am sure that many of the Biblical characters faced the same or similar situations in knowing the Lord and laboring with Him.
I have also discovered that when I try to move these “rocks” in my own strength, things can start to go wrong or happen to me which can be discouraging, disconcerting, misunderstood, painful, and very troubling. Then I ask myself, “Why is God allowing these things to take place in my life?
Then I hear the Lord say to me,
“Rich, you are traveling down the wrong road. You should wake up and turn around, come back to me, and allow Me to take control instead of you trying to control your own life and thinking you can manage your own difficulties without Me.”
But I say to the Lord, “I am still reading the Bible and trying to apply what it says as well as doing the best I can to live out this Christian life.” I go to church. I go to Sunday School class. Notice the “I” ‘s. I become self-centered rather than Christ-centered. Then He responds:
“Rich that is your problem, you have taken the driver’s seat and made Me sit in the backseat and you are hitting a lot of the bumps in the road.”
Let me remove the “I try” or the “I” in your life. I need to continually remind you again and again to put your trust back in Me. Then, many of the things you are trying to deal with and experiencing I will take care of and deliver you from them.
It is only then when you yield everything to Me will I come and refresh and restore you and bring you to a higher level of intimacy with Me. But you must give up, give in, and abandon the self-life which seems to tell you that you alone can move the “rocks” you are finding in your life.
Then I recall the many times I have read in the Amplified Bible:
Cast your burden on the Lord
[releasing the weight of it]
and
He will sustain you;
He will never allow the
[consistently]
righteous to be moved
(made to slip, fall, or fail).
Psalm 55:22 (AMP)
Allow me to substitute “Cast all your “rocks” on the Lord and they will not overtake, roll back on you, nor weight you down.”
I know that I must come to the point of repenting and confessing my foolishness of self-dependence which can be the greatest hindrance to living out the Christian life.
The self-dependence of the self-life acts as a barrier and prevents the Lord from continually refreshing and restoring me to once again to walk with Him by the leading and guiding of the Holy Spirit.
On the other hand, I know the Lord can use these “rocks” of my own making no matter how difficult, how painful they are - to discipline me, to get my attention, and to awaken me that I have drifted away from Him.
I can arrive at a point of deceiving myself by allowing the “I” (the self, the flesh) in my life to become dominate over the continuous leading and cleansing of His Holy Spirit. I can slowly move out of the Spirit and into the soul part of my life which does not please the Lord. I soon come to the point of realizing that I have more faith in me than faith in Christ.
It is easy to allow the flesh to take over once I begin to drift even a little off course from walking completely and wholly with Christ. One degree off course with the Lord can lead to several degrees pointing south – downward if I am not careful to cast these “rocks” upon Him.
Jesus continues to say,
“You need not be burdened with the
“rocks of the flesh”
for I will take care of them when you decide
to let them go and allow me to bury
them where they will no longer
pull you down and away from My Holy Spirit.
His hands are always stretching out to me like His reaching for sinking Peter in my carrying these “rocks” whatever they may be.
He calls to cast them on Him if only I can come to the point of knowing it is fruitless to try and remove them without His help.
God loves me. But His love includes allowing very hard things to come into my life from time to time to teach (discipline) me to get back on course from going south to once again pointing me in the right direction.
I have to come to the place of repentance and confession of my waywardness of “rock bearing” by allowing Him to remove the “I” in my life so He can be the centrality of my life. Only then will His refreshing and restoration can take place and keep me on the straight and narrow.
I keep telling myself that I need to stop trying to deal with the “rocks” which I face from time to time by using my own power and intellect. God does not intend for me to deal with these “rocks” on my own. He wants me to release these “rocks” to Him in order for Him to continue to infuse me with His power, peace, provision.
Lastly, it seems the more I desire to walk in the Spirit the more these “rocks of self” battle within me. But thank God Christ went to the Cross and shed His blood for me to walk in His victory to overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil.
Therefore, I daily have to cling to and embrace His Cross, know that I am cleansed and sanctified by the Blood of Jesus, and have overcome the self-life and Satan who are the twin enemies of my soul.
Again, take note who is standing behind the man attempting to push the rock uphill. It is angel with wings dressed as a worker with a shovel and pick. The Psalmist proclaims:
For He will give
His angels
[especial]
charge over you to accompany.
and
defend and preserve you
in all your ways
[of obedience and service].
Psalm 91:11 (AMP)
This speaks to me as the Lord adds to what He has said above:
Rich I have got this!
I have been watching you trying to move your “rocks” which have been wearing you down and stealing your joy in Me.
Now is the time to allow me to take over for these “rocks” in your life for as you turn to and trust in Me, I will move them out of the way so you can once again experience the bigger victories and responsibilities I have promised you.
So be it Lord Jesus.
Rich Arnold
Servant of the Lord
311 Adelaide Ave SW
Hartville, Ohio 44632
330-704-9306
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