Years ago while serving the Lord in Ireland; I came across a truth from God’s Word that literally revolutionized my Spiritual life. As I was making a study of past Christian and Catholic mystics, I soon became aware how much of their teachings flavored modern Fundamental and Evangelical devotional books. I am speaking of the fact that most, if not all, teach that God works through the believer. Of course, like many others, I parroted this doctrine, never bothering to “…Search the scriptures [to see] whether those things were so.”
The word “through” occurs 463 times in your King James Bible. After a search of these, I discovered there was no place that I could find where God ever did anything “through” one of His children. On the contrary, I learned it is the Christian doing things “through” God. Please stop and read: Psl.44:5; 60:12; Ro.8:13, 37; lCor.15:57; Eph.2:18. Can you see now that God doesn’t come by way of us; we’re to go by way of God. This makes us personally responsible so that we can never accuse Him for things not being accomplished in our lives.
A bank doesn’t go through us to give a loan, we go through the bank. Passivity is a curse that rests upon many a Christian’s life today. We’re much too “spiritual” (syrupy); more than most would like to admit. You’d be surprised what can get done if only we would stop waiting for God to do something through us, and do what we see needs to be done through Him. David didn’t wait around for God to take on the giant is his life; it was something that needed to be taken care right then, and he did it. He did it in the name of the Lord. That is, he looked to God to enable him; he did it through God, if you please.
Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” I remember old Dr. Bob Jones Sr. paraphrasing the Apostle’s statement. He would cup his hand around his mouth, and thundering out from the pulpit would cry, “You can do what you ought to do!” And so can we, my friend!
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