INWARD FRICTION

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Ephesians 4:32

But there is another kind of friction which retards spiritual progress and does real injury to the soul. It is the friction created by inward maladjustment.

Our Lord had this in mind when He spoke of the value of the "single eye," and James referred to the same thing when he told of the wavering man of double mind who was unstable in all his ways. While the heart is at cross-purposes with itself, there can be no inward harmony, only discord and carnal heat that slowly wear out the life.

One source of friction is resentfulness. To hold bad feeling against another is to put the brakes on; no matter how sincerely we desire to go on in the holy way, we are held back by the grinding of resentment within us. Morally resentment is static and will brake to a stop any soul that will harbor it. It is vitally important to remove the pressure that is checking forward motion. This we can do by forgiving our enemies and taking pardon and cleansing from the Lord.

To name all the possible causes of inward friction would be to list the works of the flesh in their entirety. The flesh wars against the spirit: that is, it seeks to stop the motions of the growing heart and bring it to a standstill. Or, failing that, it will put as much pressure as possible on the life and slow its progress as much as it can.

The sad thing is that so many of us seem willing to let things go on that way. We "grovel here below," creeping forward painfully and at a snail's pace, when we might be racing unhindered toward the prize.

Let's check up on ourselves. Possibly we may need to take the brakes off.

Thought

Resentment and unforgiveness can eat away at love and peace. The solution is simple enough. Forgive others as Christ has forgiven you.

Prayer

Lord, help me run the race with the brakes off. By your Spirit highlight those areas of life where I am yielding to the flesh rather than to You.

https://www.cmalliance.org/devotions/tozer?id=475