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In Touch - Nov. 15, 2010

November 15

God's Pathway of Brokenness

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

To the human mind, the word "brokenness" can mean something needs to be fixed, is not as good as it was, or is no longer usable. In God's kingdom, the word refers to a key element of the sanctification process—one that is beneficial for us.

At salvation, we received a new nature that desires to please God, but we still have our old selfish ways. These ingrained habits, attitudes, and values are based on a common theme—an inward desire to act independently of the Lord.

To become effective servants for God, we must let go of our self-righteousness that says, "I know what is right," our self-will that claims, "I know what is best for me," and our self-centeredness that declares, "What I want is most important." Brokenness is one of the Lord's tools for replacing self-serving attitudes with Christlike ones. During this difficult but vitally important process, the Holy Spirit works to remove every obstacle that prevents our complete surrender to Christ's lordship and obedience to Him.

Why do we resist letting go of our own plan and embracing God's? Sometimes we're wrapped up in worldly entanglements and don't want to release them. At other times we may fear what will happen if we follow God's way.

When we resist the Holy Spirit's leading, our relationship with the heavenly Father will suffer, and our influence and service will be negatively affected. But if we cooperate with the transformation process, we'll discover that God's power to change lives will be visible in our brokenness. 

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Used with permission from In Touch Ministries, Inc. © 2009 All Rights Reserved.



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