I want to spend the next few day exploring some of the aspects of what was accomplished on the cross. I don't think I fully understand ALL of it, but writing helps me get a better handle on things. So... ok. The first thing I want to look at is Colossians 1:13, "Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son." Because I think this is significant. We seem to think the cross transformed us into something God could finally love. Like... before the cross we were evil, but after the cross we were good. But the truth of the matter is: Jesus didn't come to make evil people good. He came to make dead people alive. He came to save us from our sins. To deliver us from the power of darkness that kept us in darkness. To shine the light of the world and show us who God really is. And by showing us who GOD really is He showed us who WE really are. He brought us out of the world, and into the Kingdom. Made us kings and priests equipped and empowered to rule and reign on the earth. And He did all of this by taking us through the second death--the first death was when Adam ate of the tree of death and died--so that we could have a new birth. So that we could rise again as new creatures. As one New Man. Jesus. And here's the difference between Adam and Jesus: Jesus possessed the Holy Spirit. He knew who He was. He knew His Daddy loved Him. Look at Genesis 2:7, "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." God gave man life. But Jesus came so that we might have life and have it MORE ABUNDANTLY. Jesus, AFTER THE CROSS, "...breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost" (John 20:22). See that? The breath of life before the cross which made man a living SOUL. And then the breath of the Holy Spirit after the cross filling us up with the ability to receive (and release) God's love. That's what the Holy Spirit is, after all. He's our love receptor. The problem was never, "You're evil and God doesn't love you." That's how we felt before the cross. And that's how a lot of people still feel even to this day. The problem was, "God's love seemed too good to be true so we tried to earn it instead of just believing it." We were God's enemies in our minds because of our wicked deeds. We THOUGHT God was mad AT us when really He's always been mad ABOUT us! So, in order to show us His love, He gave us His only begotten Son. So that we might be transformed into that same Son! So that we might enter into that same Father/Son relationship. So that we might stop trying to earn what is freely given. The old man, and his old way of thinking--good vs evil, do good and be rewarded do evil and be punished--was crossed out on the cross. The old, obsolete Law of Moses (that, once again, was never given to us Gentiles in the first place) was nailed to the cross. It was fulfilled. Put away. And a New Covenant came forth. That New Covenant's name is Jesus. That's New Covenant's name is love. God in the flesh. Love in a body. God in OUR flesh. Love in OUR body. The old man died and the New Man came forth to walk in newness of life. An abundant life of love!

I really think we make things too hard sometimes. Most times. We make mountains out of molehills and create problems just so we'll have something to complain about. All the while refusing to ask for (or even receive) help because we think needing help makes us weak, and we don't realize that His strength is made perfect in weakness. When we can't--and when we stop trying--that's when God has room to operate. Room to do what He does in, and through, and as us. Let me try to say what I think I'm trying to say: We are constantly fighting this battle of the head vs the heart. What we think vs what we feel. And we don't even realize that this fight has already been fought, and won! On the cross Jesus gave us His heart and His mind. Because they are really one and the same. So when I say wisdom is where the head meets the heart, I don't mean we need to somehow get two opposing forces to line up. I mean we need to understand that they are really the same thing! We saw in the book of Proverbs that as a man THINKS with his heart, so is he. But we're convinced we think with our mind and feel with our hearts. We think if we feel something it can't be logical. And, I suppose sometimes this is true. It's easy to let your emotions run wild. That's why I always say, "Feel what you feel but don't let your emotions control you." And that's why I've always thought love was much more than just a strong feeling. Love is a decision. A promise. Love doesn't shift and change with the winds of feeling. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Wisdom is when you follow your heart AND use your head. When you let love guide you, but you love in a way that is beneficial to others. Because, as I said before, loving someone the way you wish they loved you probably isn't going to work. The things that fire me up don't fire up everybody else. Remember, being humble isn't thinking less of yourself. It's thinking of yourself less. Thinking of others. What needs THEY have. And then filling those needs as best you can. Doing what you can, with what you've got, where you're at. Not running around like a chicken with it's head cut off trying to put our fires that aren't even burning. Not trying to force a square peg into a round hole. Not banging your head against the wall. If you say there is no God (or if you say no TO God), then Biblically you're a fool. If you think you can finish in the flesh what was started in the Spirit... foolish. But if you let go and let it flow, if you stop trying to be someone you're not and just let Jesus be Himself in, and through, and as you... if you fill yourself to overflowing with the love of God and let it overflow out of you naturally... that's called getting wisdom. That's called being wise. That's called loving others with the love that you are loved with. Giving others what they need, because you have an unlimited supply. Because you are connected to the source. You don't produce the fruit of the Spirit (which is love). That's what the vine does. But as a branch connected to the vine you BEAR the fruit and give it to those who are hungry!

With all your getting, get wisdom. It's that important. Understanding what we know is that important. Not just head knowledge--knowing ABOUT God--but heart knowledge--KNOWING God. Wisdom is where the head MEETS the heart. Where things line up. You can't keep fighting between head and heart. Between flesh and Spirit. Because a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. There's no flow to a life like that. Second guessing every decision. Running around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to fit a round peg into a square hole. Trying to finish a work that is already finished. Trying to perfect ourselves when we're already perfect. We ARE complete in Him. That's a done deal. Because He is complete in us. How could you get more perfect than having the perfect One live inside you? It's not about BECOMING perfect. It's about MARKING the perfect man. Because the end of THAT man is peace. Peace from the war that we've created between the head and the heart. Peace from trying to make things make sense. Spirit doesn't make sense to flesh. "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be" (Romans 8:7). Guys... we're talking about knowledge that passes knowledge. The knowledge of God's love. Because it doesn't come from without. It comes from within. Deep inside where wisdom is hidden in the heart. According to Proverbs  23:7 man THINKS with his heart. And as he thinks with his heart... so is he. Our true identity is the inner man. The hidden man of the heart. Jesus. God in the flesh. Love in a body. God in OUR flesh. Love in OUR body. We KNOW this. But we don't always understand everything we know. That's why the Holy Spirit leads and guides us into all truth. That's why this journey--into the heart of the matter, which is the heart--is a never-ending journey. It's a life-long journey, and we have been given eternal, everlasting life! So it would be foolish to just take what the world throws at us and try to do the best we can with it, wouldn't it? A fool says in his heart, "there is no God." Or he says no TO God. Either way He rejects the Truth and swallows the lie. The lie that says you have to DO in order to BE. The lie that says you have to EARN your heavenly Father's love. God loves you. He always has and He always will. That's not just what He does. That's who He IS. GOD IS LOVE. Wisdom is simply receiving and releasing that love. Letting God love you by knowing and believing He loves you. And here's the best part: In order to have faith in God, He first had to show Himself faithful. Faith comes from hearing, and hearing from the Word of God. He proved His love for us when He gave us His only begotten Son. When Jesus gave His life for us and gave His life to us. There is no greater expression of love that a man can have. As you are loved... love others. Love them the way THEY need to be loved, not the way YOU wish you were loved. Because the way you receive love might be different than the way they do. Love wisely. Meet people where they are at. And instead of trying to drag them away from where they're at, just love them right there. Right at that level. Show them something different. Something better. A more excellent way. Don't love in order to get something--because love is giving. It is never about getting at all--love because you HAVE something. Something that is too good to keep to yourself. Something that is so good you just have to share it. There's nothing wiser than that!

I can't stress how important wisdom is. Getting your head and your heart lined up is vital to living the abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life. Why? Because "A double minded man is unstable in all his ways" (James 1:8). If you're constantly battling internally you'll never be able to rest. You'll never be able to flow. You'll never be able to live, because to live is to love and to love is to live. If you're fighting between what your head says and what your heart knows you'll just keep banging your head against the wall trying to make a square peg fit into a round hole. It won't fit. And all you'll end up with is a headache. So instead of trying to make things be the way WE think we're supposed to be... what we really need to do is see things as they really are. Look at Proverbs 4:7, "Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding." Wisdom and understanding. I think this is SO important. Because, according to 1 John 2:20, "...ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things." So the trick isn't WHAT we know. We know the ultimate truth of the universe--The Father loveth the Son and hath given all things into His hand. The trick is UNDERSTANDING what we know. Getting past head knowledge--knowing ABOUT God--and into heart knowledge--KNOWING God. Getting the head and the heart to stop fighting and line up. Letting the Holy Spirit lead and guide us INTO all truth. Again, we know all things. It's not about getting anything. Jesus did it all so we could get it all. Now we have it all. It's about understanding what we have. Receiving the gift so we can unwrap it and enjoy it. So we can share it with those around us. Filling ourselves with the fulness of God by letting Him love us so big and so hard that it overflows naturally. That's who we live His life--by letting HIM live it in us, and through us, and as us. Presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice and basically saying, "Daddy, I trust you. Do what you wanna do. Do it IN me, and do it THROUGH me, and do it AS me." And watch this: If wisdom is understanding the truth that we already know... the opposite of that is denying what we know. Believing the lie even though the truth is so much more excellent. Psalm 14:1 says it like this, "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God..." And if you take the italics out it reads, "The fool hath said in his heart, no God." Either way it's a denial of the truth. And either way it's as foolish as could be. Now add this to that: "Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?" (Galatians 3:3). There's "the battle" again. Spirit and flesh. An angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other. The heart and the head. But it can't be a battle. It shouldn't be, and it doesn't need to be. Becasue the Word was made flesh. And the Word dwells in flesh. People always say God works in mysterious ways, but I'm convinced that God works through people. When His Word comes to life in our flesh that's when love becomes charity. That's when an idea becomes an action. That's when we share what we've got. Not loving people in a way that would help us but doesn't help them. Not expecting people to receive or return our love. But loving (worshipping) in Spirit and in Truth. Loving people how THEY need to be loved. Not banging our head against the wall, but simply meeting people where they're at and loving them right there. Loving people FROM the heart, WITH the head. Letting God do what He wants to do. Not being a fool, but being wise!

More and more I'm coming to understand that there really are two "realms." The world-- the appearance realm, the surface realm, the visible realm-- and the Kingdom-- the Spirit realm, the deep realm, the invisible, eternal realm. And look at where wisdom falls: "Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom" (Psalm 51:6). Everything connects on the Spirit to Spirit, holy to holy level. The deep calls out to the depe. Jesus said, "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24). Another way to say what I'm trying to say is that a seed can only produce after it's own kind. Apple seeds can only produce apples. Love can only come from the God who IS love. Wisdom can only come from the wise One. In the hidden part HE shall make me to know wisdom. And just for the record, let's see what the hidden part is. "But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price" (1 Peter 3:4). The inner man. The hidden man of the heart. The meek and quiet spirit that can be still and know that GOD is God. Know that God is LOVE. And don't mistake meekness for weakness either. Meekness is simply strength that's under control. Knowing that you CAN do anything, but also knowing that you don't HAVE TO. That's wisdom. It's where the head meets the heart. Where what our head is telling us and where our heart is leading us matches up. That's the safest place you can be; standing on the Rock and not being shaken. Using your head, but following your heart. Loving people the way THEY need to be loved, instead of trying to force-feed them YOUR particular brand. I really think we can get into some sticky situations when we misinterpret "the golden rule." Treating someone the way you want to be treated doesn't mean treating someone as if they were you. I like Mt. Dew. But if I think that's a good way to love everybody... I'm wrong. Because some people don't like Mt. Dew. So I can't assume that what would make ME happy would make YOU happy. I have to be sensitive to YOUR needs, and wants, and desires. I have to be wise. Because while love IS the answer to every problem, love comes in MANY shapes and forms. It's like the Tree of Life in Revelation 22:2 that bears twelve manners of fruit, one for each month. I don't believe more than one TYPE of fruit can come from the same tree. The Tree of Life bears the fruit of the Spirit--which is love--period. But there is love for every month. Love for every season. Twelve MANNERS of fruit. Twelve MANIFESTATIONS of love. What's that book? The Five Languages of Love? People give and receive love differently. But it's all love. And it all comes from deep within. From the hidden part--the heart. That's where love lives because that's where Jesus--God in the flesh, love in a body--lives. And when you're AWARE of that love living within you, when you know it and believe it, that's when it comes out naturally. That's when you start to be humble. Not thinking less of yourself, but simply thinking of yourself less. Thinking of others more. Thinking about what would make THEM happy. That's the head meeting the heart. That's sacrificial love. That's laying your life down for your friends. That's being wise, and understanding the truth in the inward parts. Letting what's inward come out!

I read this the other day, and I really want to explore it. "Wisdom is where the head and the heart meet." I think this is important. Because we always seem to have this idea of the head and the heart being at war with one another. Like... the heart wants one thing, and the head wants something else. And a lot of times this is how it feels. Expecially when it comes to people. Relationships. Romantic love. Because it seems like a lot of times we "fall" for people that are no good for us. But I think that right there is the problem. Love isn't about falling. Love is about rising. They say love is blind, but really that's lust. When you want something (or somebody) so badly that you ignore all of the warning signs. Love isn't blind. Love... sees clearly. I think we get into a lot of trouble when we THINK we're "following our hearts" but really we're following something else. Trying to get something instead of simply sharing what we've got. And I'm not talking about ignoring our hearts either. I'm not talking about hardening our hearts and keeping what we've got in and keeping everything else out. That's no way to live. That's not living at all. I'm saying there has to be a balance. There has to be that place where things line up. Where the war between head and heart ends. And, again, that's wisdom. Where we can love without expectations, but also avoid putting ourselves in a bad situation. (Which, I think, is what expectations are. I think expectations are nothing more than a setup for frustration and failure. Because what you expect is very rarely what you get. ESPECIALLY when you're dealing with people.) And, look, I'm not saying you shouldn't be vulnerable. In order to truly love you HAVE to be vulnerable. Because love is giving. Giving... yourself. Laying your life down for your friends. When love "seems" to fail is when we expect others to do the same for us. Instead of treating others how we want to be treated, it's almost like we expect others to treat us how we treat them. And here's the news: unless you're filled to overflowing with the love of God--and you know and believe it--it's impossible to truly love anybody. You can't give what you don't have. Or rather, what you don't KNOW that you have. That's why so many times it feels like loving people "isn't worth it." Because they don't receive it and return it in the way we want them to. In fact, in my experience, when you love someone they look at you suspiciously and try to figure out what your agenda is. Even though love doesn't have an agenda. Love IS the agenda. So what am I saying? It's not wise to love people? Absolutely not! I'm saying it's not wise to expect anything from anybody. I'm saying, if wisdom is where the head and the heart meet then we can love BETTER. We can love SMARTER. We can protect ourselves from getting hurt by not expecting others to respond in a certain way. "Use your head," right? But at the same time, "follow your heart." People don't receive love in the same way. What "works" with someone might not "work" with someone else. So we have to be sensitive. We have to be flexible. And above all, we have to be wise.

There's such a gigantic difference between head knowledge and heart knowledge. Ephesians 3:19 puts it like this, "And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all  the fulness of God." Not just knowing ABOUT the love of Christ, but KNOWING the love of Christ. Heart knowledge passeth head knowledge. That's why they say a man with an experience is never at the mercy of a man with an argument. You can THINK whatever you want but when I've been there, done that, and got the t-shirt... then I KNOW. And that's why the Holy Spirit is so important. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth. Our love receptor. He leads and guides us into all truth--that the Father loveth the Son and hath given all things into His hands--so that we might UNDERSTAND what we know. So that it gets past the head and into the heart! And once it's in the heart (remember, God promised to write His law, the perfect law of liberty, on our hearts) that's when it comes out in our actions. Charity is love in action. Not the idea, but the act. The Word became flesh and blood and dwelt among us. It wasn't just a Word. It was a person. A person loving other people. That's our "example." And that's the New Commandment--love one another as Jesus loves you. Guys... it's so important that we identity ourselves as God's beloved Son in whom He is well pleased. So important that we let ourselves BE LOVED by our heavenly Father. He fills us to overflowing. And we are filled with the fulness when we know it and believe it. And then we have something to give. Because you can't give what you don't have, right? How could you? But when you know what you've got, and when you believe that you're filled to overflowing with it, that's when it comes out naturally. That's when that thing you went through no longer holds you down but allows you--equips and empowers you--to life others up! You went through it already. You survived. You endured. Your test is now your testimony. And that means you know the way through. You can help others through. It's really hard to condemn somebody when you've literally been where they are. It's hard to say, "I can't believe what a mess you've made," when you've been just as dirty as they are. But now that you're on the other side, not only can you believe it, but you can help them clean it up. You can bear one another's burdens. You can lighten the load. It's not good that man should be alone. When we try to do it (whatever it is) by ourselves, we generally end up making things worse. Human beings are really good at breaking things. But, with a little experience, with a little change of attitude (and altitude) human beings are really good at building things too. Restoration is a word that I don't think we get to use too often. Because we're usually too busy bemoaning the things we've lost. But I'm here to tell you... nothing is lost in Him. Look at Matthew 19:29 (NLT), "And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life." Nothing sacrificed in the name of love is lost. Nothing you go through is meant for you harm. And even if someone else DOES mean it for harm, God means it for good (see Genesis 50:20)! We go through things for two reasons: 1. To learn and grow. 2. To help others through those same things. ALL things work together for the good. So don't get discouraged. Be encouraged. And encourage others!

Let me quote my Scripture for today before we get into it. Romans 5:3-5, "And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." There's a lot there, so let's unravel it. First things first--we don't whine and cry in tribulations. We glory in them. Remember Paul wrote that he boasts of his weakness, because God's strength is made perfect in weakness. We don't moan and wail because we go through things. We take things in stride. Because we know that all things work together for good. We know that there's a plan at work. A grand scheme. We know that tribulation worketh patience. We don't have to freak out every time something "bad" happens. And in fact we can stop judging things as "good" and "bad" (or good and evil) altogether. We can stop eating of the tree of death (the tree of knowledge of good and evil) and we can eat the fruit of the Spirit (which is love) that comes from the Tree of Life! Eat it, and share it. Because patience worketh experience. That "been there, done that, got the t-shirt" kind of heart knowledge. When you no longer just know ABOUT something (in this case, something being the love of God... the love that IS God) and you begin to KNOW it (Him). And that experience worketh hope. "I got through that, I can get through this." And that hope is contagious. "I got through that, YOU can get through it too. In fact, I'll HELP you through it. Because I know the way. Jesus carried me through, I can carry you through!" Why? Because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts. And watch this: "shed abroad" is number 1632 in Strong's Greek Concordance. It means, "to pour forth; figuratively to bestow: - gush (pour) out, run greedily (out), shed (abroad, forth), spill." Basically, the love of God fills us to overflowing. He poured Himself out into us and held nothing back. He bestowed the fulness of His love upon us. How? Through the Holy Spirit which IS given to us. Not which needs to be given to us. I firmly believe that God poured out His Spirit on ALL flesh. Jesus made the required sacrifice one for all, for all of you all. It is finished. Nothing needs to happen for us to "get" anything from God. He already gave it to us when He gave Himself to us. Now we are positioned to receive this gloroius gift of eternal life. Receive it and release it. Share it. Be a witness. And what does a witness do? He tells other people what he has seen. What he has firsthand EXPERIENCE of. I like the idea of "Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so." But in reality it's so much deeper than that. So much better. It's not just knowing ABOUT God's love for us. It's about KNOWING His love for us. It's about testing the height, and length, and depth, and breadth of His love for us by USING that love. By loving others as hard as we can. By letting what's inside of us come out. And we do that by knowing and believing it's in there. We do that by glorying in tribulations. By letting the things we go through mature us. Learning and growing from them and then sharing what we've learned. Sharing the love. Helping others as they go through the same kind of stuff we've been through. That's why it's not good that man should be alone--because we're all in this together. Different members of the same body of Christ!

When you've been there, done that, and got the t-shirt... you know the way. You know what to do, and perhaps even more importantly, you know what NOT to do. You've made some mistakes along the way, sure, but as long as you've learned from them--as long as you don't keep repeating them--then you're fine. You're learning and growing. And with the experiential knowledge you are uniquely qualified to help others. Because the truth of the matter is, we all go through the same stuff. The names have been changed to protect the innocent... there are different degrees of what we go through... but the human experience is the human experience. What I think I'm trying to say is, "The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure" (1 Corinthains 10:13 NLT). We all go through the same kinds of stuff. The King James Version says, "...such as is common to man..." And look at the promise here: God is faithful. He won't let you get crushed by temptations. Remember Jesus said that in this world we WILL face tribulations. But He also told us to be of good cheer because HE has overcome the world. And in HIS overcoming... WE have overcome. He has shown us the way to endure whatever we go through. The more excellent way. Love. I'm telling you, if we can stop looking at situations as "good" or "bad" and start seeing every situation as an opportunity to love... we can get off the roller coaster of emotional highs and lows. We can see that He brough the mountain low and the valley high. He made the crooked straight. Straight and narrow. The way that leads to LIFE. Abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life! He is the door and He stands at the door and knocks. The door is the heart. That's the way out. Love is the way! "How'd you get through that?" "I let the love inside me come out!" Love is the solution and the answer. You know the old saying, "I'm not afraid of drowning because my lifeguard walks on water." Sometimes it feels like stuff is piling up. Sometimes it feels like we can't do it alone. And, truthfully, we can't. But, thankfully, we AREN'T alone. Another promise God made was to never leave us nor forsake us. He moved into the neighborhood and He's never moving out. A preacher once said it like this, "When God moved into the neighborhood property value went way up!" Guys... we have everything we need. Everything we need to LIVE. To LOVE. Everything we need to face whatever it is we come across. And not only to face it, and be more than a conqueror (because JESUS already conquered), but to help OTHERS face it. We're not supposed to see through others. We're supposed to see others through. Bear one another's burdens. Help one another along. Don't look down on people unless you're bending down to help them back up! "I've been where you are. I know what to do. I can help." THAT'S the message!

Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. That's experiential knowledge. Heart knowledge. Not just knowing ABOUT something, but KNOWING it. And that's how our relationship with God can be, now, on this side of the cross. The Holy Spirit is our love receptor. He has equipped and empowered us to receive and release His love. And that's where it gets real. Because the same relationship we have with God is the relationship we can (and should) have with each other. That's the releasing part of receiving and releasing. Jesus knows everything we're going through because He's been through it. So He is uniquely situated to help us through it. In fact to CARRY us through it. The reason His burden is easy and yoke is light is because HE is carrying it. And carrying us. So when we then apply that one to another--"Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2)--we begin to understand why we go through things. We begin to see a bigger picture. We begin to look beyond just ourselves. "I've been exactly where you're at. I can tell you, from experience, that you're going to be ok." That kind of assurance means a lot more than, "Good luck with that." AND that kind of assurance takes any form of judgment or condemnation right out of the equation. Instead of, "I can't believe you screwed up so bad" or, "I can't believe you're in THAT situation," it's, "I understand. I really and truly understand." And that, my friends, is priceless. Because even though we know that this human experience is very universal--we all go through the same kinds of things--when we're going through them we feel like nobody has ever had to deal with what we're dealing with. We feel isolated and alone. We feel like asking for help is a sign of weakness. But asking for help is NOT a sign of weakness. Asking for help is a sign of wisdom. And when we get to THAT place... THAT'S when His strength is made perfect. That's when God has some room to operate. I'm convinced that if you want to try to do it yourself, God will let you. All throughout the Old Testament the people wanted to go their own way. And God would always warn them not to, but He never physically stopped them. (I mean, He did cause a giant fish to swallow Jonah, but still...) When the people wanted a human king, God gave them one. When they wanted external laws to govern them, He gave them the Law of Moses. Even though it wasn't what HE wanted. So if you want to bang your head against the wall trying to make things be how YOU want them to be... I think God will let you. But I can tell you (from experience) that the most you'll get is a headache. You can't do it all yourself. And that's the point. Jesus fulfilled that Law of Moses because the people couldn't. So it's not from works and labor. Works don't work. It's from rest. It's from trusting Jesus. Trusting that He HAS overcome the world. And that makes me MORE than a conqueror. I don't have to conquer. Jesus already did. I don't have to overcome, because in Him I already overcame. And that knowledge--HEART knowledge--let's me then turn around and help you. I don't have to bear my own burdens, so I can bear yours. Or at the very least I can HELP you bear yours. I can take some of the weight. Let you know that we're in this together. I've been where you are and you WILL make it through!