Npg Radio 1980 #5 - Radio Interview — Norman Grubb

Who We Are in Christ and the Liberated Life

Week A, Program 1. This is David Ord with another Union Life broadcast. We're in the middle of a series of broadcasts which we've entitled, Who Am I? And the man who is helping us out in a real understanding of what it is to be a Christian, just who we are in Christ, is Norman Grubb, who wrote the book, Who Am I?

We've been talking about the confident life that we live in Christ, and how Christ operates through us, that we're his agents in this world. And I'm going to ask Norman if he'll just pick right up where he was last time for us, in this series of broadcasts.

Well, we thought to see together what this liberated life is, when I can regain myself in a self-confidence. Because I've found the secret of a self, that the human self is motivated and expresses the divine self in it.

And the false deity self had us at the fall, spirit of self-centeredness, replaced by Christ through his death and resurrection, by the true spirit of self-giving love. And we've moved into a new union, and union means it's a conscious reality, that I've discovered I myself am only the agency.

I've come clear of that false lie Satan made me as if as something about my own self-reliance, self-activity, which is only really Satan's own character expressed by me. He's a self-reliant one. Well, I've realized that whole thing, the idea I should try to be better until I'm out.

And I found myself basically just a vessel, a container, and into this container now I've discovered the one who is there is Christ, the spirit of self-giving love, the Holy Spirit. And I've entered into this consciousness of union, in which the real one has become he.

And then I've moved further from that and found that the remarkable paradox is I've set myself back, because the whole purpose of God is that I as a person should be a person, and yet that person really is an expression of his person, precisely as Jesus.

What I am, I am, I am. This and this, yet he said, didn't really I, it's the Father expressed by me. Yet he expressed as himself, I am the door, I am so-and-so. And so it's how we've come back, ultimately to accept ourselves back, how can I do that, because now I realize myself is his dwelling place, and his agency, and he created it, it's been delivered from the false spirit operating through it, and now it's a precious self he's using, so I've set my own preciousness back.

And I move into being a self-conscious self, free to be myself, because underneath I have the permanent recognition that it appears to be me, it's not me, but he, yet it's his I. So I live in this paradox, which Paul put so clearly in that statement, that old I, indwelt by Satan, has been crucified with Christ, now my new I lives in Christ's resurrection, with that new I, nevertheless I live, it's Christ living in me.

The Crucified Self and Christ Living in Me

So here's the real self in me. Now Paul, when I said that, then he moved back again and said, now I've lost my old self out, then I've become basically a no-self, my self is a container of his self, I live, no I don't live, Christ is in me, now I come back as my own self, I now live, I live it.

Living it by the faith of the Son of God, means an inner recognition that he makes me know who he is, therefore I've come back as his free self. And so we discuss this remarkable life in which I consciously live as myself, just as myself, I'm free to do so, I think my thoughts and make my choices, and discuss my subjects, and involve myself in my activities, if it's just myself, that's all about, which means maybe for hours I'm just involved in activities, but now I know it never is I, because I'm in a permanent union, the permanent me is not me but he, so in this activity which may take me twelve hours, which I say is thick and nothing but the activity, it's all the time, oftentimes, but he, so I've not got the right to be condemned at the end of it, as if I should have been thinking of him all the time, because my thinking was his thinking, and my acting is his thinking, and my acting, so that's because I'm marvelously and daringly liberated, in a way which to Christians who don't know what it is to have the self which is passed through the processes of death and resurrection and union, seems highly dangerous, because they haven't got the idea of the union, so there's that element of false self-activity and so on, and therefore we're liable to be under considerable criticism from fellow Christians, as if we're living a liberated life, and they'll even call it licence, we say yes, it's just licence, but your licence is under new management, my old licence was to do what flesh pleased, that's under Satan, my new licence is like, I can't help doing what Jesus wants me to do, and what is for other people, in fact the remarkable downness of this life is in the old life, it was easy to do evil, hard to do good, in the new life it's hard to do evil, easy to do good, because your new motivation is Christ, good is expressing Christ, and self-loving self, it's easy to be that, and hard to do the opposite, that doesn't appear to be so, when we don't know in experience what we're talking about.

Now we're saying, if we can begin to settle into this new consciousness, new freedom, this new self-acceptance, and learning not to take the ways of condemnation, oh, you should be abiding in Christ more, and maybe you should pray more, and you should be relying on God more, this has become my permanency, so life isn't consisting of the fact that I'm holding on to him, which isn't true, it's he's held on to me, and he's the keeper, and that frees me to be myself.

Temptation in a World of Self-Gratification

Now we're saying that in the middle of that life, may regard it as the opposite side of it, if we're in a world which is the exact opposite, in our own new spirit dimension in Christ, we're living the Christ-expressed life, which is the other-loving life, self-giving life, we're in a whole world which is geared to self-getting, self-seeking, self-gratifying, the whole world is built by a spirit of self-gratification, self-seeking, and so on, and therefore my privilege is to be a human, in a human world, part of the human race, and humanity means you respond to the environment, your appetites, fantasies, reasons, emotions respond to the environment, the environment I respond to, which pulls me out from being an expression of God in self-giving self, and pulls me to be an expression of self in self-loving self, self-gratifying self, so I face the fact that in the midst of my freedom, in which I'm operating, there is this other environment which is always there, we might say this has permanent temptation, and we explain how this is why the Bible says that the Son came on earth to be like ourselves on our behalf, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the characteristic of him being like himself was he would be tempted at all points, suffer temptations, because to be like us, all points have that pull on him that they do on us, so we're getting this first fact, don't let's deceive ourselves, don't let's kill ourselves, this liberating life is liberating, our nuances isn't suspicion and fear and questioning, it's joy and freedom and involvement, wholehearted involvement in whatever is our calling in life, this is our new quality of living, so the major isn't suspicion and questioning and doubt and fear, no, no, no, it's confidence, because I'm conscious of who I am, because he is through me and myself is his expression, but in the midst of that, always does come also like these impacts of temptation, now what does temptation mean?

The Bible confirms temptation is that which pulls me, now I respond to environment, my appetite responds to environment, my emotions respond to environment, my feelings, my attitudes, what pleases me and so on, my reasons all respond to environment, now temptation is pulling them in a direction which is simply self-gratifying, and the Bible term is that we all have strong desires, that's the way it may be, our love is desire, our desires are geared upwards to Christ, and being expressions of self-loving, of self-giving self to the world, that's our atmosphere, but now our humanity therefore is opened, is being pulled in our directions, so something pulls me to hate somebody, not love them, something pulls me to be about them, now that isn't in me, it's something in them that I don't like, or hurts me, I'm hurt, I'm resentful, that person hurts me, something pulls me to be hurt, or I'm worried, enough tensions in life, or I'm worried, what can I do about this, why am I there, I'm tensioned, I'm worried, I'm concerned, but I'm physical, fear, fear is everywhere, it isn't in me, I've got the, see, fear really, it's a quality of believing, what you're believing, fear is believing evil, so believing good, well my quality is, I can respond to something, I respond to fear, oh I don't like that, I'm afraid of that, well life's full of fears, isn't it, our media, our papers, everything's full of fears, and these negative presentations of life, so life's full of things, it's physically, my physical, my sex component, we're made for sex, we're made to relate to each other, we're made to respond to one to another, and therefore sex, there's always the appeal of sex, and that can pull me to misuse of my sex, as in my pride, I must have pride, if I wasn't proud, I couldn't glory in my Lord Jesus Christ, but oh, you're proud of yourself, and then you feel self-pride, you come into it, jealousy, I must be, it says God is jealous, God is jealous, jealous for us, that we shouldn't be caught up by the devil, not jealous for himself, jealous for us, Paul said he had a godly jealousy of his converse, that he'd be deluded by Satan, so we have jealousy, well jealousy can be either way, I can be just jealous of my own ambitions, jealous of somebody else who seems to be better than I do, or I can be jealous of course, for the preservation of God's work and so on, so I must have all these appetites, faculties, and they all can be drawn, so temptation is, we're drawn away by strong desires, of different kinds, and entice, entice me to want to do it.

And we're going to break in there now, and we're going to continue this series, on the same station, five days a week, at the same time, be sure to tune in with Norman Grubb, for the remainder of this series, on who am I, understanding who we are in Christ.

I want to mention, a little more fully today, some of the literature, which we invite you to write for, the first piece of literature, all of it's free of charge, a number of people have got together, to make this possible, they just want to give it to you, so that you can come to know more fully, who you are in Christ.

Now the first piece of literature, is the booklet, The Key to Everything, it's published by Moody Press, written by Norman Grubb, it's called The Key to Everything, we want you to have that booklet, we'd like you to have a 76 page booklet, which explains the replaced life, that Satan expressed his nature through us before, now Christ is the one, who expresses his life through us, it's called, What is the Mystery of the Gospel, just mentioned the booklet, The Mystery of the Gospel, and also write for that little article, just takes you 15 -20 minutes to read, called, How to Handle Temptation and Failure, this literature together, will give you a fuller background, to what we're giving in this series of programs, that's, The Key to Everything, What is the Mystery of the Gospel, and How to Handle Temptation and Failure, write to the address, that will be announced in just a moment, or call the number, be sure to tune in, to the remainder of this series, we're on the station 5 days a week, don't miss the next programs, until next time, this is David Ord.

The New Covenant Life and the Reality of Union

Program 2, this is David Ord, welcoming you to another Union Life broadcast, in this series of programs, which we've entitled, Who Am I?, and Norman Grubb has been talking to us, on the basis of the book, which he wrote, entitled, Who Am I?, and sharing with us, his experience as a missionary, for something like 50 years, in Africa and other countries, with the Worldwide Evangelization Crusade, and how he came to find, the adequate life of the New Covenant, not the life of failure and discouragement, and condemnation, which so many of us have known as Christians, but the life which means, that we're on top of things, instead of things on top of us, so Norman is going to pick up for us now, in this series, and continue to expound for us, this fulfilled life.

Now we can't go back again, we've gone too far, into the basis of this liberated life, in which we say, we've regained ourselves, because we've discovered, the true self, is a self which is inwardly joined, to the self, which is the self of the Lord Jesus Christ, the self of the Living God, and we're inwardly conscious, the real person living the life in us, is He, and yet, yet He's joined to us, so we are there too, the two make a union, in the union, He's the dominating factor, we're just the minor agent, but we made this union, and we're living free, because, we are free now, to be ourselves, because we're meant to be ourselves, because it's through our humanity, God expresses His deity, so up comes our humanity, our thinking, willing, occupations, operations, are meant to be, but now we accept ourselves, because, He's accepted us, and He lives there, and He's saying, you're, I express myself, you're my property, operate, you're beautiful to me, operate, accept yourself, don't be afraid of your motives, your reasons, your activities, go ahead, so you learn this new liberating life, in which we, under other needs, say, well, whatever it appears like, what we're saying, is really what He's saying, what we're doing, is what He's doing, and then we're saying, but we are here, to shine in a light, as light in the world, which is governed by an opposite drive, the opposite drive, the drive of self-centredness, which is a satanic drive, which governs, governs us, before we're saved, which governs the whole world, which pulls, pulls people, to live for their own self gratification, self-fulfilment, self-seeking, self for self, and we therefore see, although we are, in this new basis of liberation, this is the centre of our lives, our freedom, to be ourselves, yet, we live in the environment of temptation, which will always be there, and does it every kind of different way, suddenly pulling us, to divert us, from just living our life of freedom, from being geared to doing what, the will of God in our lives, and the basis of serving and blessing other people, back onto the pools of self-interest.

So we've always said that, we're always going to get them, pulled to be proud of ourselves, pulled to resent this, pulled to hate that person, pulled to follow our lusts, our greed, our inquisitiveness, all, any kind of which pulls us, to self gratification, self-reaction, self for self.

So we understand that, we don't, we're going to get that, Jesus had it in all forms, Jesus had it, the perfect man, so we have it. So we accept that fact. Now the difference between the old life, is this, while I was in that previous, false condition we talked about, when I was lied by Satan, I ought to become something, as if I had a quality of, self-dependence, self-improvement, emotions alive, spirit of self-dependence, Satan himself, admits to self-dependence, admits to self-doing his own stuff, and that spirit in me, is really his spirit, but while I thought, in my earlier redeemed days, hadn't gotten his spirit, I was like that, therefore I ought not to do so and so, and I ought to fight my temptation, I ought to be afraid of myself, that I give way to madness, that's the fact is, I lived under condemnation, and caution, and I often as it were, like the umbrella of laws, as if, at least, it says you ought not, you ought to do, of course, it didn't stop me, because I hadn't lived a life of, fear about myself, now that's, in that case, when temptation comes, what do I do now?

Look, I'm afraid of that, I shouldn't be afraid, I hate that, I shouldn't hate it, I'm hurt by that, and so and so, and I, I was afraid of these things, grabbing me with my fears, my hate, my lust, grabbing me, and my answer would be, maybe to struggle against them, best I could, maybe to call on God, not very faithfully, to deliver me, often to feel condemned, as I've gone so far, both in, in having the temptations, and responding to them, that's the old life, now the new life, first of all, I've said I will be tempted, I learned a very great lesson, temptation isn't sin, temptation is what Jesus Christ had, it's part of humanity, part of redeemed humanity, reattempted humanity, get that clear, so it's not, it means, I shall have a fear, a fear, I shall have a hate for a person, I shall have a hurt, I shall have a resentment, I shall have lust, physical, or whatever you like, gratifications, I shall have pride, I shall have anger, I shall have these things, that's a very great point, because our church is also, we shouldn't have them, you shouldn't fear, unless you can't help it, you can't help the temptation, because that's, our humanity is in response to it's environment, it's temptation, it's environment, it's things, it's causing me to fear things, it's causing me to resent, it's causing me to have gratifying desires and so on, so it's a very good point here, otherwise you don't start by fighting your temptation, when you are tempted, oh I am, I am afraid of that, I am worried about that, I am hurt by that person, I don't like that person, I have a sex lust there, I have a greed there, ambition for more, something, I have it, don't fight it, say, I am a human, I respond to my environment, the environment pulls me to want more things from myself and do things more, don't fight it, I am just being, the bible says, you are drawn away of your desires, you are enticed, enticed, something draws me to fulfill my desire by getting more christianness or more gratification or more retaliations or whatever it may be, more fear, so it's pulling me something outside me, people, things pulls me that my faculties respond that way, that's not sin, that's in the name of Jesus Christ and it's how I have it.

And understand, intemptation means sometimes I like to do it, don't fight, don't say I shouldn't, I like, I do fear that thing, I would like to retaliate that person doing that thing to me, I just don't like that person, I would like to fulfill my lust, don't say I don't, temptation includes enticement and if Jesus was tempted in all points, then temptation, Paul says, a person is tempted to be drawn away from his own desires and enticed, so Jesus Christ was enticed to want to do what he shouldn't do, he would like to do it, so temptation, it isn't wrong to like to do it, you are going to get in this world, so we got to start very strongly there because we are nearly there so it is wrong, so we start our life, oh I shouldn't have that fear, I shouldn't have that hate, I shouldn't have that lust, then you begin to get trouble, you begin to fight something and the principle, what you fight fights you back, if you fight a thing, it fights you back, so the more I fight the more it says, when you resist a thing you are affirming it, if I resist, if I resist my fear, I say fear is there, if I resist my hate, hate is there, I am affirming it is there, it says yes I am, yes I am, it grabs you, you affirm my fear, you say you do, you do fear, you better fear, you do hate, you better hate, you do have a lust, you better have a lust, so you find yourself, your very resistance confirms to you that this thing which is going to temporarily grab on you, so the more you are that, the more you are in the grip of it, and in the old life I say you take condemnation, you fight it a bit, you call on God, not very effectively and you live feeling, but what's worse of all you feel it's wrong to be tempted, now I have no doubt, lots of men think it's wrong that I ever have sex desire, it's wrong that I look upon a woman and she looks like that, it's wrong that I have a lust, and they feel guilty because they have sex lust, because we men are like that, whatever women are, we men are like that, or maybe gratification for more possessions, or as I say hate, or I shouldn't have them, and you live guilty of the false guilt, as if you shouldn't have that lust, you shouldn't have that reaction, you can't have it, Jesus had, you have it, but the more you feel guilty, the more it's got to grab, there it is, it's got to, what am I, I'm no good, look at the dirty thoughts I have, look at the desires I have, look at these so and so, and I feel, I'm supposed to be a Christian but I'm pretty rotten underneath, I can see most of it, I'm pretty rotten underneath, I'm like this white encephalocampus, with bones inside it, and so we're Christians go dragging our feet, we never should have to drag our feet, because we're accepting condemnation, we shouldn't accept condemnation, now the marvellous difference we have in this new liberated life is, when I know who I am, I've had to know it, I've told you all along, it's an inner know-how, it's an inner knowledge, it's a spiritual consciousness, it's a consciousness in part you, you're not you, you're trying to get it, it's got you, we discussed that before, and it's coming to consciousness, well it is Christ in me, now then the real me is Christ in me, now how do I meet temptation, don't fight it, that'll occupy you, if you're believing in it, and the more you're believing in it, the more you're occupied, that direction, it's pulled you out to forget who you are for a moment, out of the temptation, your human self's there, it's the container, he's the self, he's the capitalised, you're the little I, he's the living water, you're the vessel, he's the vine, you're the bifurcated, you are there, your self is there, now the temptation means to make me forget I'm Christ in me, and I'm hurt, I'm tempted to be hurt, see, I fear, temptation of fear, I hold lust, for a moment it's getting a grab on me, I, forget I'm Christ, now if I'm fighting it, I'm all caught up, if I say, oh wait a minute, that's just my outer self, my outer self consists of my body, my appetite, and my soul, we haven't discussed that in more detail yet, that consists of my emotions, my emotions can be proud or jealous, or hurt, or fear, my reason, oh I can't believe that, I can't believe that, it's all dark, and see the darkness of things, see the evil of things, so my reason can pull me to see darkness and get negative, my emotions have these vast emotions, my body with its appetite can pull me, now that's not me, that's my outer shell, we'll discuss that a little more, a little later, my inner self, my I am, is my spirit, God is spirit, I am, he fathered my spirit, I am, and now those two are joined, I am consists of my knowing, and my loving, and my choosing, now that's Christ in me, now I forget that for a moment, that's the real I, now when I'm tempted, I don't say it's me, it's how outwardly I'm tempted, don't say it's wrong, I get that, wait a minute, that's not I, that's just a pull on me, then because you know who you are, you can recognise, if you've got to find him, if you haven't found him you're in trouble, we talk about union as the basis, union means he's found you, and you're not just as your saviour, he's your indwelling person, oh you're there, oh wait a minute, Christ, you're my courage, I fear that thing, you're my courage, if I could do that, I'd do it in your name, in your name, I'd do a thing and go somewhere I couldn't go because you're my courage, or I hate that person, wait a minute, that's just my outer feeling, but I love everybody, you love everybody, I really love that person, underneath I give myself to that person, I wouldn't, I can't stand them, but I know they're precious, they're redeemed by you as I am, and you know at bottom.

I really want the best for them, you move back, don't fight, by recognising who you are which is Christ in you. This is a tremendously liberating message that you've been hearing by Norman Grubb about how you can really live this victory life, there's so much in our lives as Christians that we've become accustomed to condemning ourselves for, and the problem that we have is discerning soul from spirit, discerning what is really our union with Christ and the person we are in him from the outer poles that come and reach us at the bodily and at the soulish levels.

Discerning Soul from Spirit

Now we've got an article which explains the difference between soul and spirit, you find the need to discern between the two in Hebrews, the fourth chapter, and this article will help you to understand that more thoroughly, it's called Discerning Soul from Spirit.

Now write for the article, it'll just take you 15 -20 minutes to read it, it's free of charge, send your letter to 4606 Lamar Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee 38118 4606 Lamar Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee 38118 or call area code 901 -795 -0121 that's 901 -795 -0121 just request Discerning Soul from Spirit until next time, this is David Ord. Program 3, this is David Ord welcoming you to another Union Life broadcast in which we're learning who we are in Christ.

We're presently considering the fact that our emotions are meant to be, that our temptations are meant to be, that we're meant to be fully human people. Now a great many of us as evangelical Christians have kind of had the feeling that we're not really meant to have these pulls and these feelings and these emotions.

The gentle Jesus, meek and mild idea has really caught onto us so that we almost feel like the Christian life means we're just kind of sweetness and pie and everything's heaven all the time. But we're meant to be real people.

Now Norman Grubb has been talking to us, he wrote the book Who Am I? and he's been sharing with us the fact that our emotions are redeemed in Christ. Norman, would you pick up on that subject for us? Well, take it up again.

We've seen that the basis of this new liberation which is conscious union is that I accept myself because he's the person accepting me, operating by me so I'm myself. So my emphasis of my life, my freedom, my immersion in everything I'm doing, recognizing underneath it is he operating by me but on the outside it's me doing it.

It's I willing and I doing and I speaking, I'm free. But because we're in a world which is geared to self-interest itself in the power of the evil one continually in an environment of temptation which pulls me away from being just an expression of Christ in me and Christ for others to pull me back to be a self for self and to use my faculties to advertise my fears and so on for my own personal gratifications and so on.

So we learn that and we can't go back onto that again. The first important fact temptation is part of being humanity and the perfect proof is Jesus had it. And the Bible says tempted in all points like as we are yet without sin.

And if he suffered being tempted he was able to succor those who were tempted. We can therefore be because he's a human. I can know humanity because he is human. Well if he is human and tempted in every point then I'm tempted in every point shouldn't I be tempted?

That's a very important thing because it's so often taught we shouldn't fear shouldn't hate and shouldn't lust you always get them. And the Bible says we say temptation means we've got all these wonderful appetites and faculties through which he expects himself.

He expects himself through our emotions our reasons, our bodies. They manifest Christ but they can be and they are open in the environment to be pulled the other direction and temptation is pulling me this other direction.

And therefore it's this recognition that life will always consist in these areas in which we're pulled to forget for a moment is Christ in us and to fear something or something of so and so. And our first stage is to begin to accept the fact that temptation is part of a human being and the proof is the man of man was tempted.

So we're tempted and we accept temptation. And then we're saying this fact just last talk about it if you think temptation is wrong then you fight it you're in trouble. You affirm it very firmly it makes it real.

When you resist a thing you say you're here. So if I'm afraid I say I shouldn't be afraid I'm saying fear is there. I say yes I've got you. If I don't like a person I say I shouldn't like him I shouldn't dislike him I'm confirming there is such a thing as my dislike.

I'm confirming my dislike. If I've got a sex lust I shouldn't have a sex lust. Oh I'm confirming I've got a sex lust. Resistance to a thing is affirming it's reality. And there it is there it is what should I do?

And then I'm condemning if I shouldn't think I shouldn't if I've got this wrong idea I shouldn't have a sex lust I shouldn't have a hate shouldn't have a fear shouldn't have resentment then I feel guilty and I'm bound up there and I may call on God to help but he doesn't help very much and so I feel anyhow I'm a pretty miserable kind of Christian.

So I think that's a healthy Christian because Jesus Christ was the healthy person and he was a totally tempted person and the Bible says temptation is you're drawn away of your appetites and fantasies and enticed to want to fulfill them for self ends.

So all these appetites and fantasies which can be used for Christ and in the service of mankind and love of people can be diverted as they did in the old life under Satan to self ends. So I don't deny that or fight that I recognise a temporary temporary impact of these things on me.

Now when I don't fight it that means I'm not going to be preoccupied any longer in believing in that thing as if it's always got what I do with it. I haven't very long got to a terminal stage of oh there you are what about it.

I accept it it kind of pulls its teeth. It's rather along the line of Jesus used the illustration in Matthew in the Sermon on the Mount he says he says agree with your adversary quickly when you're in the way with him lest your adversary take you and put you in prison.

Look upon the adversary as a temptation. If you fight it I'll grab you. We're all there I'll grab you. Agree with it argue with it you've kind of pulled its teeth oh yes of course I'm tempted oh it's kind of pulled its teeth you've kind of numbed him because he said yeah of course I'm tempted of course I have that desire now allow me.

So I so you do see this point temptation is not sin. In a moment we'll show the difference. Temptation is not sin Jesus Jesus had it in all forms that Jesus never sinned. So it says temptation is not sin yet without sin.

So temptation is not sin get that very clear because you think it is sin to fear and to hate and to lust and to hurt then you're in trouble. It isn't sin. Bible says he was tempted in all points yet without sin so temptation isn't sin.

Now when I've got that I'm not condemning it because it's sin and not fighting it. I've kind of pulled its teeth oh yes I'm tempted now I I'm free because now when I know who I am I'm talking about those who found the inner union and knows Christ in me.

Wait a minute that's not really I because the real I is Christ in me that's my outer self which temporarily is being pulled by this direction making me forget I'm part of him so I'm that's not really me that's an aspect of my outer self that's not my real self.

Now I'm free because I'm not fighting it because right now I say wait a minute that's not who I am as Christ. I don't have to find him. I don't have to pray for him. Oh no you affirm you just affirm who you are.

Who are you Christ in your human form. You affirm that fact now that turns your attention back from the hate or the fear to Christ. Well Christ of course Christ is courage. Christ is love. Christ is peace.

Christ is power. Christ is purity. And the very recognition of him in you causes. Oh that's it. You're my courage. I can go and do that thing I couldn't be. I'm afraid of it. You're my I can be alone in my house.

You're my courage. I can go in dangerous spots. You're my courage. Or I don't like that person. You're my love. Alright Christ with your love I love him. And you show me how I can express love to that person who's hurt me.

Or that person I don't like. Or my lust. Oh Christ I can look at that person and lust again. I don't lust. I see it as a beautiful person belongs to you. I see not for my gratification that person belongs to you.

I admire them as they were appreciate them. But how can I sell them not. How can I get them for sin. So now Christ has turned your temptations into assets. Now that is the point. See while I think I should fight with this I could change things that old stuff.

And I shouldn't have it. Your temptation is a liability. Oh and for goodness sake that's for Paul who technically says miserable tempting body. It wasn't a tempting body. It was a miserable body. Through Paul's body we're redeemed.

Because Paul hadn't marched out to the Gentiles he never had the gospel. But because he looked at those things he shouldn't have any temptations. So while on that level you see it's a liability. It's an asset.

Because your very temptation is a new foundation for Christ to manifest Himself. When I attempted to dislike a person now I think that's what Christ likes not the person I can't stand. I don't know how I can do it.

But He does. I say okay my very fear becomes a foundation. Oh I fear Christ. That's where my courage comes to. Where I fear you're my courage. So a temptation becomes assets for fresh manifestations of Christ.

And you welcome your temptations. And you turn around in the elementary prayer. Beautiful prayer. They were just boys. The sons wanted to teach them to pray. Baby stuff. They gave that beautiful Lord's Prayer.

It's great depth. But it says little statements on it. And you look in. They're great. It says lead us out of the temptation deliver us from evil. That's the beginning. Because you're at that time. Oh you might be afraid of the temptation.

We're not afraid of temptation. Temptation is an asset. It gives us a chance of proving Christ. Now you know what James says. James says he started this life is full of temptation. Because temptation is an asset you need to chance it to prove God chance it to trust Him.

It trials your faith. And he says all joy count. It doesn't feel it. When you die of a temptation of trials because it gives you a chance to prove God trials your faith gives you a chance to say Christ.

You're the person. You're the person. So you see enjoy your temptations. Because they give you a new opportunity for Christ. You begin to ask the temptations. Ask to be free from it. Because they give you fresh opportunities of proving Christ.

So temptations become your assets. Now you're seeing the freedom in this new life. When your freedom is your asset and you do what you like. Because it's really Christ expecting His life through you. And you're free.

And be yourself. When your freedom is your asset.

And then your temptation also your assets. It's the poor devil he loses every way even his temptations become assets. So I say thank God for the devil giving me a chance a chance to prove Christ a little more.

So the whole life becomes this reigning in life. Whether it's on the positive I'm just free doing my stuff or whether I'm negatively being diverted which I am all the time. And that takes a little time sometimes remember temptation.

I haven't talked about sin. I'll talk about sin in a moment. But temptation it may take a little time because the thing will grab you and you may not. You get a passion for somebody you get a fear a hate.

You may not lose it in a moment. So it may take time for you to say Christ. You're there. You're there. And you've got that thing. I mean I have a little illustration where I travel about the country by air and stay with my friends talking in house groups here and there.

And they drive me to the airport. Maybe they're busy. They leave me. So I almost lose the plane. I'm so late oh I'm beginning to get tense. Oh I don't get there in time. I shall get to the airport by airplane.

Now tension means I've forgotten how Christ sees me and I'm afraid running this thing I shall lose the plane. Oh you silly fellow I'm running the show. Leave me. I don't make a great fuss. I have a laugh at how silly I am wasting my time in little tension when Christ is my sufficiency.