"Good Luck- Bad Luck"

 

 

Good luck and bad luck are terms used by the world who have no other answers for things that happen, whether good or bad, during their temporal carnal lifestyle here on earth.

 

Example: John Doe goes into the variety store on the corner and purchases a scratch ticket, low and behold he wins one million dollars, in the eyes of the world he is a very lucky man.

 

On the other hand, Jim Brown goes into the same variety store the following day, he purchases a scratch ticket, he scratches his ticket and wins nothing, just then he stumbles off the sidewalk and twists his ankle, he is now referred to as a very unlucky man.

 

I wish to make a proposal concerning both experiences. Coming from a temporal carnal existence and having complete knowledge of how unbelievers explain and attempt to cope with life, I propose that these two experiences had nothing at all to do with luck and everything to do with temporal circumstances, which can also be viewed as surrounding conditions faced by all.

 

If you have lived for awhile you know this fact, that everyone that has ever existed or ever will exist, will at some point in their life be confronted with what is referred to as good and bad experiences.

 

Here is a very serious question that we as believers need to come face to face with. Who controls the circumstances in our own personal lives? Excluding things that are out of our control such as natural disasters etc.

 

I am referring to things that happen on a daily basis from the moment our feet touch the floor until we lay our sleepy heads down at night.

 

Who controls our lives?

 

We do, unless of course we are still in the nest and that would constitute a nesting problem.

 

As a young man I took the final step from my parents home and set up house keeping with my lovely young bride, from then on she and I were supposedly in control of our lives. Everything from that moment on became our responsibility, whether circumstances that arose led us into good or bad experiences.

 

In our case we were not believers so we had no knowledge that God had a plan for our lives that included power from on high, sent to help and guide us through lifes tests and trials.

 

It has been taught in church theology that God knows all things past, present and future. If this is so then He knows exactly what is over the next hill or around the next bend on life’s road. He also knows that there is an enemy who has a plan for our lives and through lies and deception he will attempt to guide us in the wrong direction, which is always away from God’s will and in the direction of his will, which is to  steal, kill and destroy. The scriptures literally say there is a way that seems right to every man but in the end is death. Proverbs 14:12.

 

This one thing we as believers have to accept, those who have not tasted the bread of life (Jesus) will always struggle with what they refer to as good and bad luck. They also have to learn to cope with the tests and trials of life to the best of their ability. All the while never knowing that they are without hope and without God in the world. Ephesians 2:12b.

 

Now I’ve said all of that to bring us to this question, do we as believers, belonging to the body of Christ, have to sit back and accept all things that come our way from the kingdom of darkness, or do we have an advantage over the ones who are lost?

 

It is unfortunate but there are differing mindsets within the church today that are creating problems in the lives of believers all because of this one fact, can we take the word of God literally and simply have faith in what is written or do we add and subtract the things that don’t fit our particular doctrines? Let’s remember Jesus words in Mark7:13, which says, the traditions of men make the word of God of no effect. How about the Amplified which says, “Thus you are nullifying and making void and of no effect [the authority of] the Word of God through your tradition, which you [in turn] hand on. And many [things] of this kind you are doing."

 

Here in North America we have access to millions of Bibles and tons of reading material both on paper and on the net that we can read and study to help lead us into all the truth that God has prepared for us in His word.

 

Here are some facts, in the beginning was the Word and the Word became flesh (Jesus) and dwelt among us. He said “You will know the truth and the truth shall make you free”. He said, “I am the way, the truth and the life and no one can come to the Father except through Me." Any individual who accepts Christ accepts the Word of God, He said, “I am in you and you are in Me and we are one just as the Father and I are one."

 

We became one with Him in spirit when His Spirit caused regeneration in the inner man at the moment of salvation. That was step number one, step number two is the infilling of the Holy Spirit which gives Him accessibility into all areas of our lives should we choose to cooperate with Him. Unfortunately some do not. The ones who do have a great advantage over those who do not. With the infilling of the Holy Spirit we become giants in the earth. How? Because greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.

1John 4:4.

 

This wonderful Spirit of God became our teacher and guide, as we read and meditate on the word of life we begin to discern in our spirit man which thoughts and intents we are to embrace and which ones we are to discard or cast down.

 

As we desire the pure milk of the Word we begin to grow in Him, and when maturity is finally manifested through the soul it eventually rises to the flesh which has to bow its knee to the spirit man. This is the area that Paul was referring to in Ephesians 4:13 when he said, till we all come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God.

 

When we have reached maturity it is only then that we really have control over our lives. It is Him in me my hope of glory.

 

In the state of full maturity the Word is as alive to us as it was to Jesus when He walked the earth. His complete will was the Father’s will just as our will is now His will in us. In John 5:19 He said, “I can do nothing unless I see the Father do it." In full maturity we can do nothing unless we see Him do it.

 

We are His body in the earth. Just as He loved we can love, just as he conquered we can conquer, just as He overcame we can overcome. Temporal circumstances could not interfere with the Father’s will in Him. The enemy attacked but he had to flee. The disciples and others who witnessed Him in action could do nothing but stand and marvel. Have you ever been caught marveling?

 

We can be in the midst of a building full of believers and if the true Word is being preached we can experience within ourselves the very moment that this particular Word is revealed to us and we in turn can marvel even today at the reality of Him in us.

 

I am a believer and if the Word revealed to me says I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus then that’s who I am. If the Word says by His stripes I was healed then I am. If the Word says I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health just as your soul prospers then I will. If the Word says I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me then I can. Whatever pertains to the body of Christ pertains to me.

 

Am I under life’s circumstances?

 

Not if I am in Him and He is in me. Not if my mind is renewed to the life of the Father instead of the temporal carnal life that tries to deal with the good and bad on its terms. Not when He so triumphantly proclaimed, “I have come that you may have life and have it more abundantly." John 10:10b.

 

Written by: R W Nagle.