Fantastic Voyage

In the 1966 film, Fantastic Voyage, a submarine full of doctors and scientists is shrunk down to one micrometer and injected into the body of a patient in an effort to destroy a brain clot. As wikipedia puts it, "The crew faces many obstacles on their journey. They are forced to detour through the heart (a temporary cardiac arrest must be induced to avoid destructive turbulence), the inner ear (all in the lab must remain quiet to prevent similar turbulence) and the alveoli of the lungs (where they replenish their supply of oxygen). When the surgical laser needed to destroy the clot is damaged, it becomes obvious there is a saboteur on the mission. They cannibalize their radio to repair the laser. When they finally reach the brain clot, there are only six minutes remaining to operate and then exit the body." It is amazing to watch the special effects bring to life parts of the body we rarely get to see if ever. I am reminded of the effect the Holy Spirit has had on my life and I am sure on the lives of others.

"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." Hebrews 4: 12-13

There is a myth out there amongst Christians that once you place faith in Christ all your troubles should cease to exist. Personally, I believe that accepting Christ as your savior has the opposite effect on a person. Christ is described as the Light of the world. Believers are described as being in the light as opposed to the darkness of unbelievers. What this says to me is that our eyes are opened to just how terrible things are in this world. As I have matured in the faith, one of the things that has humbled me is the discovery of just how wretched humans being can be. The indwelling sin within us all will never be purged from us as long as we live in these fallen bodies. In my own life, I have noticed the sinful thoughts, divisive language and unloving behavior that can rear its ugly head without warning. You can flee from sin and avoid the things that you believe cause you to stumble. But, that old flesh is right there with you at all times battling with spirit. The good news is that this battle is evidence of our salvation. I didn't have this battle prior to my salvation. That can only be due to the fact that I was in the dark and wasn't really aware of what I was doing. But, as scripture says God gets right down to the core of our being, "dividing soul and spirit," so we can see just how bad the situation is with us.

"When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!" Romans 7: 21-25

I remember it like it was yesterday. Shortly after being saved, and still struggling mightily with the old ways of the flesh, I recall how the taste of liquor had suddenly changed. Hanging out with friends was more like an out of body experience at times. My body was in their presence, but my mind was elsewhere. There was even a time when I had engaged in immoral behavior that left me feeling dirty and embarrassed afterwards. These are things that I had never experienced before. What was going on? It was the Holy Spirit within me battling with my flesh. Granted, I was not so naive of sin that I didn't know it was wrong prior to being saved, but there was rarely any conscious effort to avoid it as long as I kept getting the "rewards" from it I thought were adequate. It was as if God turned up the heat on my behavior to show me just how terrible my actions were. And once the perceived enjoyment dissipated I started listening to the Holy Spirit and avoiding those situations altogether. I am a completely different person today than I was then. Sinless? By no means. More aware of my surrounding? Definitely. Being a believer is like having the lights turned on for you inside a dark, cluttered, room. Before Christ all we could do was bang around into everything that was in our way. After Christ, we can now see the objects in front of us. We may still bump into them now and then, but we now have a "Helper" guiding us through life as only He can.

"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible." Ephesians 5: 8-14

Ever notice how much of the sins we commit are done in the dark or in secret? We don't want to be caught or exposed because we know what we are doing is wrong. That is why as Christians, in many ways, sinning isn't as "fun" as it once was. At least, that is how it can feel for me at times. I remember feeling as though I was at midfield of the Super Bowl in front of the entire world when I sinned. Not a pleasant feeling. It is as if God allowed me to be "exposed" in hopes that I would realize that my behavior was not consistent with who I am in Christ. Yes, Christians still sin. But, in the midst of our sins, we are reminded that God has taken them away from His sight for all eternity because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is like that submarine traveling through our bodies revealing every nook and cranny to us so we will continually seek out the guidance of the Lord. It is this way that He continues to conform us to His image. We aren't convicted of our sins, but reminded of our identity in Christ as holy, blameless and righteous children of God. Thus, we in turn learn what it means to not have anything to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but to bear the fruit of goodness, righteousness and truth.