Encounter Yourself

The word Encounter is such a unique word, some of the definitions mean to come face to face, or to confront an enemy, or a conflict with an opposing force. When thinking about this word with yourself it carries a much greater weight to it. The Bible talks about us being two separate people, the Spirit, and the Flesh, but often I think Christians forget we are a soul with a body not a body with a soul. We war so often with these two persons. There is apart of us that See's a child being picked on we want to go and defend them, and the other side of us says oh what will people say or do if I stand up for that child. There is apart of us that says I'm so tired of the same old addictions and I want to be free but another side of us that tries so hard to pull us right back into the same pain we are sick and tired of. Many people will try to put some type of scientific reason or intellectual answer to why this is or justifications other than the what the Bible says but no one can deny these impulses or internal urges. I often find it funny when Parent's wont curse around Children but do so in there absence, as if self admitting that what they are doing is wrong but as they get older truth for them is not truth for the child. Truth cannot be relative or it is not absolute. Encountering Yourself means taking a hard look at what we are in comparison to what Jesus wants us to be. Do we really follow Jesus, or do we really lead ourselves. There are a couple of things that I have been thinking about when it comes to Encountering ourselves. 1. A Big mirror and a small mirror. The Word says what Good does it do for a man to look at a mirror seeing what needs to be fixed and then walks away forgetting to fix anything. I know for myself I often take a small mirror, that way I can only see a little bit, I'm able to move it to the areas that I want to work on and I have control of. I don't have to look at the rest. But I know God wants a big mirror, so we can examine our whole self. We cant avoid the big picture or what we try to hide. We constantly try to achieve and excel so we wont confront the void and emptiness inside, we spend so much time trying cover our mistakes and seem perfect because we don't want people to know that we don't have it all together and that we are tired from trying to always be perfect. We try to always be funny because we want to be the center of attention because we don't want others to know we feel alone and depressed. Encountering ourselves is often a messy ordeal, but Jesus gives us one of the greatest examples of encountering our self than any other. When Jesus goes to the garden in the last hours of His life it's an amazing story of how we Encounter ourselves. 2. Jesus was faced with the greatest decision of His life, do I give up my life like God is asking me or do I go with my flesh and turn away. Often when we face difficult situations no where near the cost of death why do we bail out and run, Jesus could have but instead He decided to obey the Father and face His flesh, and literally crucify it. His word says we are to crucify our flesh daily so that are flesh will not live but Christ will. We are to confront our enemy and war with our flesh, Face it, encounter it and like Jesus say not our will but Father yours be done. Not our will but but Father yours. When we want to be mean not our will but Father yours, let us show Love. When we want to Gossip, Father not our will but Yours let us speak positive and encouraging words. When our flesh man wants to take control Kill it let Gods spirit have control. Not our will but Father yours be done. Encounter yourself! And find out who's will has control the flesh or our spirit. And keep in your mind always the example of Christ. Father not my will but yours be done!!!!