Most people think that Satan is public enemy number one for the Christian. However, the will of man is actually the foremost enemy of our spiritual life. Our will has the power to submit to God or to the flesh and Satan. If we do not realize the benefits of surrendering to God and denying the flesh, our will always sides with our flesh, even if it is against our better judgment! We are able to prosper with a healthy life only to the extent to which our soul flourishes (3 John 1:2). Our soul is a very vital part of our existence. It is not the flesh, but is used by the flesh for sin’s expression.
Our will employs our motives, desires, goals and ambitions,
which are driven either by our flesh or by God’s Spirit. The flesh preys upon
the thoughts, choices and emotions of our soul. The first step to success is to
request that our High Priest sacrifice our carnal flesh on the altar of God.
Then, we are free to follow the leading of God’s Spirit moment by moment
throughout the day. Once the Spirit of God takes control of our life, our soul
is sanctified from one level of glory to the next. The flesh no longer uses our
soul, because our will chooses to honor Christ instead (2
Corinthians 3:18).
We are dead to sin by the blood of the Lamb (Romans
6:11); therefore, we do not have to allow sin to use our body and soul any
longer (Romans 6:12). As we read the Word of God, it
shines a light on the areas in our life that the Holy Spirit wants to cleanse.
He deals with these issues until He purifies that area of our life (1 Peter
1:22). His Word is sure and mighty and pulls down Satanic and fleshly
strongholds in our soul (Hebrews 4:12). Our part is to refuse to give
the flesh a moment of our attention. In this way, we do not encumber our spirit
with the carnal demands of our flesh.
Christ gradually corals our will, gives us His mind and
replace our emotions with the fruit of His Spirit (1
Corinthians 2:16; Galatians 5:16-25). We do not return to the anxiety
and grief of our former carnal life, because not only is our spirit
regenerated, but also our soul is being saved by the faith of Christ within us (Matthew
6:25; Galatians 2:20; Hebrews 10:39). The more submissively we
surrender our will to God’s will for our life, the more freedom, fulfillment
and peace we experience (Ephesians 6:6). Even if He counts us worthy to
partake of His suffering, Jesus fills our soul with His presence, which sees us
through any hardship we ever encounter in the life (Philippians
3:10; 1 Peter 4:13,19).
Prayer:
Father God, we diligently search for You with a parched
soul that desires no one but You. We see the miracles You perform daily in our
life, things that many people overlook or account as coincidental. We long for
Your love and we want nothing more than to dwell in Your courts forever. We
give You praise and we glorify You with every waking breath and even in the
night watches, because You meet our every need. We gladly claim You as our God.
We cling to You as You carry us in Your everlasting arms (Psalm
63:1-9).
Thought for the Day:
The serene soul finds a place of deep rest by
yoking up with Christ, Who carries our load and leads us to green pastures and
still water (Matthew 11:29; Psalm
23:2-3).