One question I ask myself fairly regularly is whether I am using my will too much in order to grow spiritually or whether I am not trying hard enough. In other words, am I doing my part according to scripture? Am I crowding out the Spirit by trying to do too much on my own, or on the other hand, am I not activating my will and thus expecting God to change me without my cooperation? Am I erring on one side or the other: too willful or not willful enough? I have erred on both sides in my life, and I still have to adjust regularly.
This is an important question because it can have a dramatic effect on our growth. If I just read a little scripture each day and go to church on Sundays, then I shouldn’t expect to grow much. This is the most common side that believers err on – not activating their will enough. In our digital culture we have a million interesting things to catch our attention. American culture doesn’t exactly have a reputation for self-control and willpower in our personal lives. Just look at our eating, exercise, and viewing habits. In order to grow we often have to engage our will and choose not to get involved in the easy, fun thing to do. (Of course we need our weekly day of rest and other down times in order to take care of ourselves.)
TOO PASSIVE
Remember that Jesus is remaking us in his image, which includes our will. He wants us to have a fully developed, strong, controlled will, moved by love. He wants our will to “grow up” into the full measure of Christlikeness. We do this by exercising it and disciplining it, so that we have the spiritual strength to resist temptation and pride and compromise. Philippians 2:12 states: “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” (ESV) I Corinthians 9:27 states: “ I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should.” (NLT) Scripture gives us many directives for engaging our will; the New Testament contains hundreds of instructions for living.
The good news is that the more we exercise our will the easier it is to act godly. Pretty soon we lose our taste for mediocrity and worldliness. It is like training for a sport. If we keep training then we reach a place where the skills come naturally which brings us higher enjoyment. If I properly use my will, then I play better with less effort.
TOO WILLFUL
On the other hand, as we grow spiritually it is common to exert too much effort to become more Christlike. We may have seen the benefits of activating our will and we find ourselves able to do many things. Perhaps we have conquered our sensuous desires or we find ourselves in leadership. We end up exerting our willpower to make ourselves seem as Christian as possible. But there isn’t really deep change because we are trying to change ourselves on our own strength.
Instead, we need to take time to slow down and become aware of how much we are trying to do on our own. Ask yourself: Am I using my will too much? If so, you need to invite the Spirit to be back in control. We continue with our disciplines but now our heart is surrendered to the work of the Spirit. We continuously acknowledge that the true power comes from God in Christ. Romans 8:13 states: “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.” (ESV)
But how do we know if we are being too willful or not willful enough? Usually we know just by often reflecting on how we are cooperating with God. And we must be open to realizing that something is out of balance. Then we must choose to make the change we are responsible for.
If you find yourself attracted to worldly things, and you are not sticking with healthy spiritual habits then you are probably not activating your will enough. If you are sticking with your habits and desiring change but you are not consciously dependent on the Holy Spirit and there isn’t real change of the heart, then you are probably being too willful.
There will be times when it is very difficult to know whether we are doing too little or too much. This gets complicated by the fact that at different times in our lives we are supposed to be passive and let God do most things (usually this means our hearts are already surrendered to Him as much as we know how.) Other times we have to be very active and trust that God is working even though we don’t feel it.
PROPER COOPERATION
One qualification is in order when you reign in your efforts and let the Spirit do more: you will still have to activate your will to withdraw from cooperating with bad habits – this is very important. Bad habits are formed by hundreds of decisions to go the wrong direction; this needs to be reversed by many decisions in the opposite direction. And one especially stubborn bad habit is using your willpower to accomplish everything. Instead, use your will to reduce your reliance on your willpower! You use your will to depend on the Spirit and once you are properly focused on him and Jesus, then you can activate your will in cooperation with God. This takes time to learn but it is not difficult to start learning. If your heart is surrendered and dependent on the Holy Spirit, then you can use your will to do what seems wise, even if you do not feel any clear presence of the Spirit.
In this area of willpower, by far the biggest fault is lack of activation. If you are not disciplining yourself enough remember that spiritual gains are much more valuable than worldly ones; if you will discipline yourself you will be rewarded by God with an “eternal weight of glory”. If you are being too willful then have the courage to change and learn to let His Spirit work. We naturally resist change unless we are hurting; if we are willing to change our willpower level without the motivation of pain, then we know that we are truly loving God.
Do you ask yourself: Am I using my will too much or too little? Are you aware of how much willpower you use? What should you do to reach a proper balance between your will and the Holy Spirit?
