Thank you, Mike,
Your words mean more then you know. It brings me comfort to know that someone is praying for me. Someone who understands whatI am going through, something I can see face to face and talk with, for although I can’t see you, I can definitely hear you.

I just want to know something, Mike, does that mean that much like the disciples before pentacoste, that I am not ‘converted?’ That I simply have Christ with me, but not yet ‘in me?’

I’m a bit confused as to that. I always thought that I was to live by every word, so isn’t ‘Sin have no dominion over me’ true to me also? Or is it just true in the earnest of the spirit, because Christ is not yet on the throne?

I would lose it all, Mike, I don’t care. I want Christ and Christ alone. I know tomorrow I will be once again be fearing because Sin is upon my doorstep, and knocking at the door… I try not to answer, but every time I do, I get curious, and it takes hold of me, and I let sin in. I just hate it, and I want the Lord to break me down now… but I know it’s all in His time. Thank you for reminding me. I hope it doesn’t take me till I’m 50. I just can’t imagine the pain I would cause Christ all those years till I’m 50. It pains me to think about that even now though I have not yet done it. It pains me to think about how I am so weak with no power at all to fight the beast..

I’m scared that I’m going to hurt the ones I love too much before Christ finally takes over, and I just don’t want to do that, yet I can’t do anything to stop it. How did you deal with this, Mike? Did you hate knowing that you were probably going to hurt the ones you loved the most here in this life while you awaited time after time for Christ to finally come and sit upon the throne?

I just don’t know how to deal with it. I take comfort knowing He works all things [ even me] but I’m scared because I hate knowing I will hurt the ones I love so much before ‘it is finished.’

God bless you, Mike, and thank you so much.

You Brother in Christ,

Anonymous

Good morning, Anonymous,

Here is an excerpt from your letter I want to comment on:

I just want to know something, Mike, does that [ the fact that sin still dominates your mind] mean that much like the disciples before pentacoste, that I am not ‘converted?’ That I simply have Christ with me, but not yet ‘in me?’

I’m a bit confused as to that, I always thought that I was to live by every word, so isn’t ‘Sin have no dominion over me’ true of me also? Or is it just true in the earnest of the spirit, because Christ is not yet on the throne?”

I want to encourage you to “endure to the end.” I want you to take heart in the fact that you are concerned enough about your own spiritual state that you have seen fit to confide in me that sin is indeed still your master, and you have not yet been given dominion over sin in your life. The ability to acknowledge this with the deep desire you express to acquire, through Christ, that dominance and that dominion over your flesh, is a very encouraging sign to me that Christ is working in your life to bring you to His cross.
But I cannot be a ‘prophet of smooth things’ and tell you that you are converted and you have Christ living His life in you and you are sitting with Christ in the heavens, while you write to me confessing:

I am ashamed to know Christ, not because He is a burden, but because I AM a burden to HIM. I feel so out of place, I cry sometimes because I’m so hurt because I just can’t stop myself from sinning…

The things we read of in both the Old and the New Testaments, “are examples of us… [ these things] happened unto them and they are written for our admonition.”

1Co 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

God thinks so much of us that he had the whole of mankind to live out their lives up until Christ so that Israel could live out their lives within that world as “ensamples” (the Greek is tupos – types) to show us what we would also experience. We are the Israelites in the wilderness who rebel against God ten times and die in that wilderness. The admonitions…:

1Co 10:7 Neither be ye idolaters,
1Co 10:8 Neither let us commit fornication,
1Co 10:9 Neither let us tempt Christ,
1Co 10:10 Neither murmur ye,

… are all followed by the verse quoted above:

1Co 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

So we are not told about these things because this is what they were doing. We are told these things because these things typify US. These things, these admonitions, are the things of which we are guilty. That is why we are told “Neither be ye… Neither let us… Neither murmur ye.”
What you are now living is this part of our walk. We must all be brought to see sin as exceeding sinful, rebellious, evil, hateful and tenacious. Only then will we truly appreciate the fact that Christ has met all of those deficits which we have incurred.
We do not see the need to actually wallow in our sins. But that is exactly what Peter’s experience teaches us. That is exactly what the parable of the prodigal son teaches us. Until we get so low that we “come to ourselves” while feeding and eating with the swine and pigs in the slop of a pig pen, until we experience the filth and the stench of that filthiness, we will not “come to ourselves.”

Luk 15:12 And the younger of them said to [ his] father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me . And he divided unto them his living.
Luk 15:13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
Luk 15:14 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.
Luk 15:15 And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
Luk 15:16 And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
Luk 15:17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!

“The portion of goods that falleth to me” is the understanding and truths you have been given of your Father. It is the remembrance of these “goods” which you have squandered, which are even now tormenting you. But you will not “come to yourself ” of yourself. The day is coming when you will, while yet in this flesh, despise and be nauseated with the “riotous living” which may even now give you pleasure. But here is how that will come about:

Zec 3:3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.
Zec 3:4 And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.

It will all be of God. It will not happen until you have completely given up on yourself. What we are not explicitly told in the parable of the prodigal son is that it is the Father who brings us to “come to ourselves.” But you also know that it is God who “works all things [ including your sins] together for good…].”

Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [ his] purpose.

God loves you. But that love includes first being brought to see ourselves as that first Adam with all that is in Him. After we have denied our Lord with an oath and after we have lived with and eaten with the pigs, then we can go out and “weep bitterly and go back to our Father with the very attitude you are here in this e- mail expressing:

Luk 15:18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
Luk 15:19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.

Only after we have come to that point, down in the very marrow of our bones, and deep in our very hearts, will we be able to return to our Father:

Luk 15:20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
Luk 15:21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
Luk 15:22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put [ it] on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on [ his] feet:
Luk 15:23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill [ it]; and let us eat, and be merry:
Luk 15:24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

Do you see the “lost sheep” parable intertwined with this parable?
You are yet carnal. But you have a great feast of rejoicing in your future. You will be given a “change of raiment.” Your ‘raiment’ is how you conduct yourself in this “body of sin.” If you are dominated by the flesh, then you are wearing “filthy garments.” But when you are finally given a change of raiment then “sin shall no longer have dominion over you.

Rom 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
Rom 6:2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

Believe me when I tell you that this is a temporary experience which we all endure. We must be humiliated before we can be exalted. We must be humbled. It is all preordained. But the day comes when you will finally realize this truth:

Rom 6:7 … He that is dead is freed from sin.
Rom 6:8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
Rom 6:9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
Rom 6:10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
Rom 6:11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Rom 6:12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
Rom 6:13 Neither yield ye your members [ as] instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members [ as] instruments of righteousness unto God.
Rom 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

When Christ is living in you, you will no longer commit the sins which now are dominating your life. The pulls of the flesh will always be in your flesh. But they will be helpless when He takes over in your life. When that happens, it will be miraculous. What you could not do yesterday in saying ‘no’ to the flesh, you will now do. Sin will not have the dominion of your life. You will be a “new man” while yet living in sinful flesh.
I hope you can receive what I am telling you about where you are and even more concerning where you will be.
My prayers are with you,
Mike