A few days previous to the call I had been sitting in a sushi bar that had a big screen TV hanging from the ceiling. Directly after the food was ordered I began to watch as 40 year old men strapped on wrist braces and oddly colored shoes for what appeared to be the world championship of bowling. "This should be comical," I thought to myself. However, as the frames progressed from strike to turkey, then another strike to another turkey, I quickly realized that these were men who made very few mistakes. At least when it came to knocking things over from a distance.
I wish I could have said the same for myself as I threw my fourth gutter ball in a row. My girlfriend and I had decided to go with a few friends to the local bowling alley, shortly after our ritual sushi indulgence.
If there is one thing I love about my girlfriend, its that she is very good at everything I know how to do, and even better at the things I cant seem to do. Bowling appeared to be no exception. She smiled innocently as she bowled her second and third strikes, easily placing her in the lead. My best friend played the role of mediator between our drastically contrasting scores. What had happened? Why was I unable to do what I needed to do in order to be successful? I felt foolish at first, grossly inadequate. I simply could not seem to bowl a decent shot. However, toward the end of the game I began to improve my shots as best I could. It appeared that I was going to be able to stop the bleeding, or at least slow it down.
Why the change? How was it done? The formula for making a change toward success is practically the same no matter the subject or task. In life, and specifically in my spiritual walk with the Lord, I had learned what it meant to throw gutter balls. I had become more than just acquainted with spiritual failures. Therefore, I had learned how to get past them in life and how to climb out of very deep holes. I had learned what it was to pursue holiness in spite of weakness. I knew what it was to fail, and what it was to truly succeed. The first step toward true success when facing failure is to define the terms.
Gutter Ball: a moral or spiritual failure in the face of temptation, trial, or otherwise difficult human circumstance. I.E- to commit a sin, particularly when you would really like to do the right thing.
Before this process is addressed further, it is critical that we make an important observation and distinction regarding what the Scripture teaches about sin, man, and the regenerate condition as opposed to the unregenerate condition of mankind. Romans 8:7-8 states- "For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God."
Those who currently exist solely in the flesh, those who have not truly trusted in Jesus Christ to save them from their sin, and who have not therefore been filled by the Holy Spirit cannot conquer the sin in their lives. They will ultimately roll gutter balls far more often than they will ever hit pins. In fact, this verse actually states that in God's eyes those who are not in Christ cannot ever please Him, no matter what the carnal man may think is charitable, kind, or selfless here on earth. The carnal man simply cannot truly succeed against sin. Many scholars of this passage explain the concept by comparing an unregenerate man's works of "righteousness" to silken sins. Their best works are dead works in the sight of a Holy God.
Thankfully, the scripture continues on through verses 9-11- "You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him. But if Christ is in you, although your body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you."
It is clear that those who trust in Christ and are therefore filled with the Spirit have a new kind of power over the flesh, the temptation to sin, and death. Verse 13 says: "For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live."
The observation that must be made simply follows: success against sin and personal wickedness in life cannot be achieved whatsoever outside of the grace given by Jesus' sacrifice and the consequential indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
With that in mind, the next step is to welcome the Holy Spirit into your life and keep Him there. That's right. Him. He is a person, the third person of the Trinity. Never make the mistake of thinking He is simply some impersonal force or something out of Star Wars. He is your guest in your heart, make Him welcome. How is this done? It certainly seems complicated, deep, beyond anything an average American man or woman could possibly do on a regular basis, and yet the Word tells us that He is the only way to walk now that we have been saved and made anew.
I noted earlier that there is a consistent formula for success in all areas. Such a statement may sound farfetched, but the three keys are actually widely agreed upon. They are Constant Attention, Focus, and Repetition.
As I was bowling, I realized that I had to pay serious and constant attention to everything I was doing in regards to the mechanics of a decent bowling shot. Eyes on the pin, thumb strait, correct footing, etc. In short, I had to be acquainted with the basics, the essentials of bowling success. The same principle applies when dealing with sin, temptation, and death in your spiritual life. Constant Attention to the Word of God is necessary in order to maintain the Spirit's presence in one's life, by which one successfully puts to death one's own wickedness. This means careful, daily study of His Word in order to be in the right mindset, fully prepared for the tricks of the devil.
The second key is Focus. What is the difference between Focus and Constant Attention? Focus here refers to the practical implementation of the basics that were learned through the discipline of Constant Attention. Now that we know what to do, we must set our hearts and minds upon doing it. Prayer and time spent before the Lord is our only source of strength here. Even Paul, in desperation regarding his own inability to do what he desired to do for the Lord cried out "O wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death?" He goes on to simply praise Jesus Christ for redeeming his soul, even as he struggles within his body while on earth. Nonetheless, focus is the key to doing that which ought to be done. Discipline is the requirement of a life submitted to a Holy God.
The third and final key is repetition. Once I had bowled one good shot, I knew that I had the ability to bowl others. Frame after frame, I was able to consistently hit the pins because I fully understood the essentials of what I was doing. Also, the confidence to move forward was provided by previous successes while implementing those essentials. Making Spirit driven decisions to the glory of God is exactly the same. An act of obedience taken in faith is always safe. Our God is a God of promises, the chief of which is His promise to protect those who walk in paths of righteousness in His name.
It is worth noting that a life of holiness is essentially Caught not Taught. It is a Spirit driven rhythm, so to speak, in which all things are possible in Heaven and on Earth. To break the rhythm by neglecting any of the three keys is to ensure moral and spiritual failure. An utter absence of the inner rhythm is the sign of an unregenerate, unsaved man, on his way to everlasting death.
We must always remember that we, who are saved by GRACE, do not depend upon our works to save us. They are what we are saved for, but they are not the means by which we are saved. That task has always been reserved for Christ alone, beaten and killed for us upon the cross of Calvary. It is there, and there alone that the debt was paid. Ours is simply to accept His work as accomplished, our sin paid in full.
We have been saved by GRACE. God's Riches At Christ's Expense. No matter our gutter balls, Jesus has given us the victory.
