Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Is It Really Supposed To Be A Battle?

All of this "battling against the flesh" stuff has taken a life of its own. 

Let's clarify something. It's abnormal Christian behavior to be in a constant battle between your flesh and the Holy Spirit. It is not God's plan for you. His plan is that you would settle the issue once for all.

Galatians 5:16 (AMP) - "But I say, walk and live [habitually] in the [Holy] Spirit [responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit]; then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh (of human nature without God)."

 What has happened is that it has become a huge copout. When failure in the flesh strikes Christians will cop a plea that they couldn't help it because "you win some, you lose some". Or worse, "that ol' devil just kicked my butt today, but we'll get him tomorrow."

They read verse 17 out of context with verse 16.

(17) For the desires of the flesh are opposed to the [Holy] Spirit, and the [desires of the] Spirit are opposed to the flesh (godless human nature); for these are antagonistic to each other [continually withstanding and in conflict with each other], so that you are not free but are prevented from doing what you desire to do.

Verse 16 says what to do, verse 17 shows what happens when we do not. It is not a condition that is without remedy. It is is a statement of facts which will occur if verse 16 is ignored.

Look at verse 18:

"But if you are guided (led) by the [Holy] Spirit, you are not subject to the Law."

You see, what happens is when you concede your life to the power of the flesh, and say you continually fail in this "battle of the flesh and Spirit", Paul references it to reverting back to a graceless Law! He is essentially saying that it is normal to be yielded to the Spirit, and when we do that we will live a powerful victory in grace, not defeat under the legal system of "battling the flesh".

Understand something. There is really no battle. It's a "no contest". You can't battle the flesh. You are fighting yourself. It's like the house divided against itself.

Only the Holy Spirit can fight that battle and defeat it. The flesh needs to be crucified, not merely subdued. It's not a back and forth proposition of one day you win, one day you lose.

This is the way Paul says it should be:  "(24) And those who belong to Christ Jesus (the Messiah) have crucified the flesh (the godless human nature) with its passions and appetites and desires."

You have to take a stand and draw the line in the sand. Whom do you serve? Is it Jesus? If so, then realize the power that comes with that. If you belong to Him than that battle has been won already.

Why do you continue to live in flux, with your testimony being dragged through the mud everytime you fail? Or do you think that IS your testimony? Do you subscribe to the false notion that you are still "a sinner saved by grace", rather than the truth that you were once a sinner but now you are saved from that former life with the flesh crucified with Jesus?

You've been tricked into believing a lie. You have been tricked into a false identity. You have been tricked into catastrophic misinterpretation of God's Word. The result of that is a complete and total breakdown of truth to the point where you have become the polar opposite of who you are supposed to be in Jesus!

Let's right the ship.

"(25) If we live by the [Holy] Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. [If by the Holy Spirit we have our life in God, let us go forward walking in line, our conduct controlled by the Spirit.]"

 Start walking in the Spirit. You have the power. It is your inherited right as an adopted child of the King.

Keepin' it Real,

Pastor Kevin <><

www.reallifect.com

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