By T. Austin Sparks

My yoke is easy, and My burden is light. (Matthew 11:30)

Dear friends, if any truth has the effect of turning you in upon yourself, making you introspective, self-occupied in a spiritual way, that truth has been wrongly apprehended. You may assume the position of the most spiritual, but you are all wrong in your apprehension. This great work which Christ did in His Cross was never intended to make anybody miserable. Of course, that goes without saying; yet there are multitudes who are miserable after trusting the Lord, miserable over the sin question in their lives; and the number, I am afraid, is increasing. Always keep a very distinct and broad line between fuller revelation, deeper truth (whatever you may term it – all that going-on-to-full-growth realm of things) and this whole matter of introspection.

Some people seem to think that to become more spiritual we must become more intense and tied-up and occupied with this whole matter of the spiritual life, and really they are the most unbearable people, the joy has gone out of them. I am certain of this, that nothing will ever come to you, however deep, however mighty, however tremendous, by revelation of the Holy Spirit, that will make you miserable. The revelation of Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit – and there is no other revelation – will never make a soul miserable. There is something wrong if a Christian is miserable on spiritual matters, and it is either failure to apprehend the one great, absolute reality that the victory was God’s and that He won it in Christ, fully and finally, and we are not called to share at all in that battle; or the truth which has come subsequently has been misapprehended and has become something that is a burden grievous to be borne. The Lord Jesus said, “My yoke is easy, and My burden is light” (Matt. 11:30).

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Mike

Absolutely Mike.

The misery comes from a couple of things, and sometimes it is necessary so we can learn to completely distrust our flesh and surrender to the Spirit of God!

I feel miserable when "I" have failed or stumbled or sinned and expected better of "myself" That feeling is good if we allow it to bring us to repentance and humility before God and to full surrender and yieldedness to the Holy Spirit.

It has not fulfilled its purpose if we remain in a state of condemnation and guilt and have no confidence before our Father to ask and receive forgiveness and to commit ourselves to Him in a new way.

Blessings,

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William

I agree with you William. There is all the difference in the world between the conviction of the Holy Spirit and the condemnation of the devil. Conviction makes us feel miserable in our sin because we have grieved the Spirit of God. Once we repent the peace of God is restored because we are back in fellowship with God. The condemnation of the devil on the other hand will cause us to turn in on ourselves, instead of looking to Jesus and His shed blood, we will be conscious of our every fault and failure and believe the lie that God is against us and that we can never be pleasing to Him until we clean ourselves up. Even when we are going through severe trials as a Christian, we can still live in the presence of God and have His peace in our hearts.

We need to ask the Lord to search our hearts, keeping our eyes on Jesus! God does not have any confidence in our flesh, so we shouldn’t either. Our flesh is utterly corrupt, and should be crucified. Only Christ living His life in us is pleasing to God.

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Mike

"The condemnation of the devil on the other hand will cause us to turn in on ourselves, instead of looking to Jesus and His shed blood, we will be conscious of our every fault and failure and believe the lie that God is against us and that we can never be pleasing to Him until we clean ourselves up."

So very true. I thank God every day He set me free from this.

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Nigel Holland