The Drawing of the Father
No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him. John 6:44 KJV
When God draws me, the issue of my will comes in at once—will I react on the revelation which God gives; will I come to Him? Discussion on spiritual matters is an impertinence. Never discuss with anyone when God speaks. Belief is not an intellectual act; belief is a moral act whereby I deliberately commit myself. Will I dump myself down absolutely on God and transact on what He says? If I will, I shall find I am based on Reality that is as sure as God’s throne.
In preaching the gospel, always push an issue of will. Belief must be the will to believe. There must be a surrender of the will, not a surrender to persuasive power; a deliberate launching forth on God and on what He says until I am no longer confident in what I have done, I am confident only in God. The hindrance is that I will not trust God, but only my mental understanding. As far as feelings go, I must stake all blindly: I must will to believe, and this can never be done without a violent effort on my part to dissociate myself from my old ways of looking at things, and by putting myself right over on to Him.
Every man is made to reach out beyond his grasp. It is God Who draws me, and my relationship with Him in the first place is a personal one, not an intellectual one. I am introduced into the relationship by the miracle of God and my own will to believe, then I begin to get an intelligent appreciation and understanding of the wonder of the transaction.
Chambers, Oswald (2011-05-01). My Utmost for His Highest, Classic Edition (pp. 265-266). Discovery House Publishers. Kindle Edition.
While today's entry from My Utmost for His Highest may have been written with preaching the of the Gospel message in mind, several phrases are very applicable to the already adopted sons and daughters of God the Father.
If one replaces "belief" which is necessary for salvation, with "obedience" which is what believers are commanded to do, the passage becomes guidance for the Christian.
When God directs me, the issue of my will comes in at once. Obedience is not an intellectual act: obedience is a moral act where by I commit myself.
Obedience must be the will to obey.
I must will to obey, and this can never be done without a violent effort on my part to dissociate myself from my old ways. . .
Both the initial acceptance of God a Lord and Savior and continued obedience are both only possible through the workings of the Holy Spirit, but both are also a product of one's individual will. We choose to accept Christ, and we choose to obey Him.
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