The Stages of Our Christian Life - Part 2

Welcome to the In Touch Podcast with Charles Stanley for Tuesday, February 1st. Have you ever felt stuck in your Christian walk? There is a way to get back on track. The series on measuring your spiritual growth continues. Well, that's the reason I want to talk about the stages of the Christian life because there are stages.

God desires that you and I grew up in Him. So what is the first stage in a person's spiritual life? Number one is first stage is unbelief.

There's not a single person who can boast of anything for the simple reason we were all lost. So that the first stage of our spiritual life is that we're lost. We're separated from God because of our sin.

We're unbelievers. The second stage is salvation because at that moment you trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. Maybe somebody tried to explain it to you at first and maybe they didn't do a very good job and so you, as somebody said, well, I tried to get saved. And I've talked to some people who say, well, I've been trying to get saved.

Boy, do I like to meet them because I want to say your days of trying are over. Let me tell you how to do it. It's simple as it can be. God wants to save you. He wills to save you. He chooses to save you.

He died to save you. Now's the time. Let's talk about it. Once you trusted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and you began to understand a few things and you were excited, the Bible says that you became a new creation in Christ Jesus. Old things have passed away.

All things have become new. And you begin to think a little different. You want to go to church, want to read your Bible, want to pray. But after a while, you got so that you thought, well, you know, I'm not dissatisfied doing this when I think about all that God has done for me over in the past. And you look back over your life and some of you have to say, well, I've wasted so much of my life. I don't want to waste the rest of it.

So much of my life has just been doing what I want to do and doing my thing. God saved me. I want to do something him. So what happens brings us to stage number three. And that stage is the stage of service. You say, well, how am I going to serve him? God will show you. The truth is, he says that you and I are the possessions of God. He says you're not your own. You've been bought with a price. We are the blood bought possession of God. Every single believer. The Bible says God prepared beforehand that you and I would serve him in some fashion.

There is absolutely no way to succeed in your life in deliberate, willful disobedience to God when it comes to serving him. Listen, he has invested so much in your life. And for us to tell him we don't have time, suppose he said, well, fine, I'll just take you off the scene. All of us have time. All of us have talents and gifts. The issue is, God, what do you want me to do with what you've given me?

Now, listen carefully. God has called every single one of us to serve him. That's one of the stages in the Christian life. It's one that you never get over. Now we get over being lost.

We never get over being saved and we never get over serving him. The fourth stage is frustrated inadequacy. You say, well, my, where did that stage come from? Just listen. Frustrated inadequacy is God's stage to bring us through, to bring us to the point of realizing, hey, you know what?

You can't do this. You can't live the Christian life. You see, it's not a matter of doing better and better and better because it's not a matter of getting better and better and better. The truth is, if God took the Lord Jesus Christ out of our body today, out of our spirit, you and I'd be just as wicked, just as evil, just as vile as anybody else. It is Christ.

It is not our life. And so what does he do? He has to bring us to the stage of frustrated inadequacy. If he did not, we'd become proud and egotistical. And so what does God do?

He gives us enough frustrated inadequacy to bring us to the realization of life. We cannot serve God in our own strength. That is not a demotion. It is not a failure.

It is not a setback. It is a step forward in your Christian walk. He never intends for us to do it apart from him.

What's the fifth stage? Spiritual dependency. God, you must do it. I'm going to trust you to do through me, Father, what I cannot do, because it's very evident, Lord, I can't do it. I can't do it adequately. I can't do it long enough. I can't do it in my own strength. And I can't do it in my own wisdom. God, it's just not working. And so it's real difficult for us, especially people who are gifted and talented, to come to that stage of frustrated inadequacy.

And so what do they do? They fight against it. I'm going to do it. I'll work harder. I'll be stronger. I'll think successfully. I'll think positive.

All that junky stuff. And all the time they're trying to do better, God's trying to make them do worse in order to bring us to the point of spiritual dependency. So many things happened when you and I were saved that we not even realize.

One of the things that happened was that the Spirit of God came into my life, just like he came into your life the moment you were saved. He sealed you as a child of God forever. Nobody can break that seal. Nobody can rip that seal. Nobody can tear that seal.

Nobody can hinder or touch that seal in any fashion. Seal as a child of God forever. The Holy Spirit came into your life. The Bible says he baptized you at that moment into Christ.

That is, he placed you as a branch is placed in the vine, grafted in becomes a part of. He says he made you a child of God, the Spirit of God living on the inside of you, anointing you, enabling you, strengthening you, energizing you. The Spirit of God came on the inside of you so that from that moment on, you and I were to be spiritually dependent. That is, we were to rely upon the Holy Spirit. When you and I wake up in the morning, we wake up with the Spirit of God, no matter what we face in a given day. The Spirit of the living God is there to energize us, release that energy through us, give us wisdom and direction for every single thing we need in life. What a wonderful, wonderful life. The Spirit filled life. And so that is a stage.

It is available to every single person. And I think about people who lived their whole life doing what? Trying to live the Christian life, trying to understand the Word of God, trying to be better, trying to do better.

I know how frustrating that is because that's exactly the way I grew up. I grew up in a church that taught me I had to do better. And when I didn't think I did better, I thought God doesn't love me. In fact, I sinned against God.

How could he love me when I sin against him? Not realizing, nobody ever told me for years and years and years did I not realize that it is the work of the Spirit of God enabling us no matter what he calls us to do. All right, now watch this next stage, because this next one you think, what in the world is that? Pre-programmed bondage. Stage number six, pre-programmed bondage.

What in the world is pre-programmed bondage? Well, let's take you through the stages now. There was a time when you were in unbelief, but you got saved and then you wanted to serve the Lord and God began to use you. And you began to realize, hey, something's missing in the Christian life here somehow, just not able to do what ought to do.

And so you came to the stage there of frustrated inadequacy and you realized you needed more. And then the Spirit of God came into your life and you became filled with the Spirit and you said, well, this is it. Praise the Lord. Hallelujah.

This is it. Walking in the Spirit. And then somewhere along in your life, you began to have to deal with things that you never thought about before. Not situations that were necessarily sin, but things in your life that maybe hadn't cropped up before. And I think oftentimes this comes a little later in life to some people than others. And you can't ever put anybody in these categories and these stages and say you ought to be here and you should be there. No, because it depends upon that individual personality.

Now, what do I mean by pre-programmed bondage? I mean the things that you and I learned, the things that we were taught as children, either by school teachers or by our parents. For example, things that they did not necessarily purposely teach us, but we learned them from them. For example, let's say that here's a person who was physically abused and they were told, you're not worth anything. We didn't want you anyway. You are an accident in this family. My friends, you can be saved. You can serve the Lord Jesus Christ. You can be filled with the Holy Spirit. And until God deals with that pre-programmed bondage that your parents said to you, you're not worth anything. You don't matter. Here's what will happen all through your Christian walk.

That tape is going to play. That idea is going to keep popping up in your mind. I know that the Spirit of God is within me, but God, I feel so inadequate. I feel so unworthy. And what happens is you strike against your own self-esteem. And one of the struggles you'll have in serving God is that that old tape keeps playing back. You can still hear your daddy say you never amount to anything.

You can hear your mother say, well, we didn't want you anyway. And so until that is dealt with, that's pre-programmed bondage. It is bondage a person lives in. It is bondage a person lives with. And somehow, oftentimes, they shove that aside and they say, well, that's meaningless and that doesn't count and that doesn't bother me.

Yes, it does. Before you listen to anybody counsel you on what you can and cannot do or tell your children what they can and cannot do. Listen, you talk to your children about what God has equipped them to do and nobody can tell them what they can and cannot do. God is the one who equips us. And so. So we all of us have this tape and every man in here, I don't care how strong and mighty and muscular you are.

The little boy is still inside. And so what does God do you say? Well, well, once you're filled with the Holy Spirit, why does God allow that stuff to come up in you? Well, for the simple reason he wants us absolutely totally dependent upon him. And he wants us to have the joy and the peace that comes to us and knowing him as our savior. And I know Christians just like you do who are saved and they understand what it means to be filled with spirit and God's using them.

But you know what? They struggle with things, something that happened back down in their life, something they were taught, something they were told. And even while I'm talking, you already have thought about some things that happened, maybe in your early life that have influenced you, keep influencing you, keep causing sometimes you to feel like there's a stranglehold in your life here.

You can't do this. Oh, God, now I know that you said the spirit of God will enable me. And yet sometimes you wrestle with those self-esteem situations and circumstances. And God, certainly, Lord, I know that I believe in the Holy Spirit, but God, certainly you couldn't use me in that way while, Lord, I know that you'll do whatever is necessary.

But Lord, who am I? You see, these are things we struggle and wrestle with. We all have those tapes.

We all have those tapes running. And they run at different levels, at different speeds, at different times, with different messages in all of us. And so often it is a negative feeling that has to do with our sense of self-esteem and our sense of worth. I want to tell you, my friend, it doesn't make a difference who you are. God says you are so worthy he stretched out his Son on the cross and said, You're worthy of me dying in your behalf. Pre-programmed bondage, and I can stay there for a long time. Last stage is what I call the exchange life.

What in the world is that? Here's what it means. It means that you and I in our spiritual walk, we come to the realization that God never intended for us to live the Christian life. That the truth is that when he came into our life and saved us, he came in. Listen, when people say, Well, I let Jesus in my heart, you know what really happened?

What really happened is you died to your old way of life. And the Lord Jesus Christ himself in the presence and power of the Holy Spirit came to live on the inside of you. And now it is no longer I that live, Paul says, but Christ lives within me. Look at that second chapter of Galatians and look at the 20th verse. The scripture says it in different ways in different parts of the word. But this second chapter of Galatians and 20th verse, he says, I've been crucified with Christ.

What does that mean? It means that when Jesus Christ died 2000 years ago, listen, God the Father had the Apostle Paul in mind when Jesus died. The old Apostle Paul died with him because he was created in newness of life. All of us who've been saved could say the same thing. I've been crucified with Christ. It's no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me now and the life which I now live in the flesh. I live with the faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Here's what's happening. Every single one of us who is a believer, we have the Lord Jesus Christ living his life through us.

Now, what is this exchange business? Here's what I'm talking about. We come to the place in life to realize, God, I can't live this life. You never intended me to. I can remember the day that I learned that truth. I can remember how liberating and freeing it was. I can remember driving to church that next morning, sitting in the park and not in my car and looking at the church building and thinking, thank God, this is no longer my responsibility. I don't have to make this grow. It doesn't have to be a big church. I don't have to be a big preacher.

Thank God. I don't have to be anything, Lord. But whatever you choose to live through me.

That was one of the most liberating moments of my life to think it's no longer Charles, but it's Jesus living on the inside of me. It was no longer my responsibility. It was no longer my task. It was no longer my labor. It was no longer my work. It was no longer my ministry. It was his work and his mission, his task and his responsibility.

What is mine? Just to live in continuous surrender, decision after decision, because you see, the exchange life is an exchange of the old life that we used to have for a brand new life. And listen, not only did that exchange take place, but understanding that it took place and claiming by faith that Christ is my life.

What is the exchange life? It's coming to the realization in our life that it's no longer my life, but Christ living in me. You say, well, now, how do we live that life? We just live it.

And listen, listen carefully. In one decision to surrender after another. That's what it is. Lord Jesus, it's your life. You see, when Jesus Christ is living his life in and through us and we have accepted the fact that it's no longer my life, but his, there's a sense of rest that becomes ours, a sense of peace and contentment and joy. Does that mean you'll never have any restless moments like that and trials and difficulties?

No, it does not. But here's what it means. And what it means is this, that when we get knocked off balance at times and we all do, we are reminded this isn't my life. This isn't my burden. I can't fix this. I can't change this. This is your life, your burden. You said cast all your cares upon you for you care for us. It's your power and your strength.

This is your life, Lord, not mine. And so what happens? The truth is that every single one of us has Jesus living on the inside of us every single day, walking through us.

What we say, what we touch, what we feel, how we respond, how we act. At any moment, you and I can get in the flesh. At any moment, we can, our naturalness can come alive.

But you know what? It's because we choose to, not because we have to. There is a freedom and a liberty that comes when you and I say, Lord, I do accept the truth that your life is now my life and I've exchanged my whole life for your life. And now I choose to walk in submission to your will moment by moment, day by day. There is a freedom. There is a liberty I cannot explain at any moment. You can step back in the flesh, but it's not because we have to. It's not struggling.

It's not trying. And I think one of the most awesome, indescribable results of that is that the struggles, and I can remember how often I struggled even as a pastor, struggled, struggled, struggled, struggled over the sermons, struggled over trying to do the work, struggled to live the Christian life. How much of my life was a terrible, terrible struggle until the day I understood that simple truth? Do I have a long ways to go?

Absolutely. Is there some limit to growth? Absolutely not, because God is infinite. You say, well, what's the next stage? Listen, when you and I understand what it means for Christ to be our life, it's no longer our life. From that moment on, here's what happens. We just grow deeper in our understanding. We grow deeper in our love and submission to him.

We grow more able to receive his love, more able to give his love. What we do then is we do it with such joy and a sense of contentment and happiness and peace in our life. That no matter what kind of storms whirl around us, there is an anchor to the soul that anchors Jesus. There is a rest in the midst of all the turmoil. There is a peace that cannot be explained. That's what Paul was talking about in Philippians Chapter four.

He says that surpasses all human understanding. When Christ becomes our life, somehow our view and perspective on other things begin to change, even though we may have been a Christian a long time. So I simply want to say to you, wherever you are in your walk, you don't have to stay there. And if you've never trusted Jesus Christ as your personal savior, if you happen to have been wise enough to jotted these things down, it won't take you long to move right along. And if you find yourself one of those persons who says, you know, I was saved two years ago, five years ago, 20 years ago.

And to tell you the truth, Paris, I don't think I've grown very much. Then start right now is the time to start. How do I start getting the word of God?

How do I start? God, show me where you want to use me in any way, whatever you say. Listen this carefully. At the point God says, here's where I want you to serve.

And you say nothing doing. That's where you stop growing. Listen carefully. You cannot grow around disobedience. You cannot grow around a rebellious spirit. When God says, here's what you ought to be doing in my service. You say, God, I'm not going.

You know what I found? It doesn't make any difference what kind of excuse I give him. It's unacceptable.

No excuse is acceptable. At the point in my life where I say, I'm not going to do that. That's where I stop growing. My friend, listen to me carefully. There's not anything under God's heaven worth stopping your spiritual growth for.

Nothing. Because we're going to spend eternity with God. And I want to plead with you in Jesus name. If you're a believer, take those seven simple little principles, those stages, find yourself and listen, wherever you are, move on. You change your financial condition today if you could do it. Are you just as hungry to change your spiritual condition?

You can do that, too. If you're willing to say, Lord, today I surrender everything that I am and everything I have to you, no matter what. I choose to obey you. God, move me on to the next level in my spiritual walk.

Let me never be satisfied where I am. Keep me moving and progressing and growing in Christ's likeness to the moment you let my heart beat the very last time. Thank you for listening to part two of the stages of our Christian life. If you'd like to know more about Charles Stanley or In Touch Ministries, stop by In Touch.org. This podcast is a presentation of In Touch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia.