Lusts of the Flesh

 

The lusts of our flesh conflict with the desires of the Spirit of God in our spirit (Galatians 5:17; Colossians 1:8-9; Romans 13:14; Galatians 5:24; Ephesians 2:3; 1 Peter 2:11). As we mature, the Holy Spirit births more and more holiness in our soul (Galatians 4:19).

Paul lays out the entire purification process for us in Romans 6-8. Our soul leans toward sin during our initial walk with the Lord (Romans 7:17-18, 20-21, 23). As the Word of God quickens His Truth to our soul, these sinful habits start grieving our spirit as much as they do the Spirit of God (Ephesians 4:30; 1 Thessalonians 5:19).

We see the work of Christ in us as He dwells in us and gives us His hope of glory (Colossians 1:27; 2 Corinthians 13:5). We no longer live our life, but Christ lives in and through us (Galatians 2:20).

Jesus Christ is our whole life and we live in union with Him (Colossians 3:4; 1 Corinthians 6:17). We enjoy other relationships; however, if they are stripped from us for some reason, we can trust in God's purpose and wisdom.

Satan uses our circumstances and fishes in our desires in order to catch us off guard and to hook us into choosing to listen to his evil suggestions. He attempts to employ our carnal character and selfish habits to cause us to sin.

However, as we present our self to God, He makes us holy and uses us as an instrument of His righteousness (Romans 5:19; 6:13). He calls us during our lifetime to love, nurture, witness to, and influence those He brings into our life.

Prayer:

Father God, free us from the lusts of our flesh. Lead and guide us to be in the right place at the right time to affect Your plan for us in this world. Drench us with Your peace and joy in the midst of all of the sorrow and devastation we experience in the earth in which we live. Draw us close to You and never ever let us go.

Use us for Your purposes and help us to make an impact on the earth for Your Kingdom and glory. Use us to fill heaven with the humble and upright in heart whom You are calling to Yourself. Maybe we cannot meet them or talk to them, but we can pray for unreached people groups and the persecuted church every day as You lift up Jesus and draw humanity to You.

Thought for the Day:

We never lose faith in God's faithfulness regardless of what someone does to us, against us, or fails to do for us; we do not trust in people, because everyone is fickle and easily tempted to sin against us; but we continually trust in Christ who is our solid Rock. - 1 Corinthians 10:4

No Longer a Sinner - Divinity of Christ in Us

The Bible is full of symbolism. For instance, water baptism is a symbol of our death, burial and resurrection in Christ. We raise to walk in a new life with Him.

We do not die physically in baptism, but our flesh dies spiritually, and is now able to disregard the lure of sin in this world. Sin no longer tempts us as it used to, and we are free from its bondage.

We relate to Christ's new life in us to a greater degree than we connect to this world. We died together with Him; and it is Him, not us, that now lives in and through us (Galatians 2:20).

We are one with Christ; and through His divine nature within us, we die to the desire to sin. God adopts us into His family. We share in His benefits in His Kingdom of God as co-heirs with Jesus.

In Christ, we gradually become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). Our focus in life, our habits and the people we hang around with all change. Our life is spiritual now, rather than carnal and fleshly.

Our vital union with Jesus, puts us in right standing before God, our Father (John 15:1-11; Romans 6:3-11; Ephesians 5:30). He births our spirit, and we live a life which is pleasing to God. We are one with Christ and members of His Body.

Our old, carnal flesh - our intellect, emotions and will - is crucified with Christ and we died to sin (John 15:4; Romans 6:6, 8:11; Colossians 3:3, 9; 1 Corinthians 6:19; Ephesians 4:22). We are filled with the fruit of God's Spirit, which is the divine nature of Christ in us (Galatians 5:22-23).

Prayer:

Father God, remind us that the fruit of Your Spirit grows in us only as we abide in Christ and follow Your will for our life (John 15:4). Our living union with the Trinity allows us to fellowship with You every moment of our day and results in our eternal security (John 10:27-30).

Create in us a clean heart, and use us as a living testimony for Your glory (Psalm 51:10). Thank You for loving us unconditionally and changing us from the inside out. We look forward to You continuing to change our relationship with You by Your Spirit, until our human nature is altered to one that reflects Your goodness to a lost and dying world.

Thought for the Day:

As a Christian, we are transformed by God's Spirit from one stage of glory to another until we reflect to the world the exact image of Christ in us. - 2 Corinthians 3:18; Hebrews 1:3

Two-Stepping

Our Christian walk is a two-step process. We start by repenting of our former way of life, which was degraded by Satan's lies and earthly desires (Ephesians 4:22). Each of us is distracted by various sinful elements.

Some of us lie, but God calls us to speak truth; or we steal and take what does not belong to us, yet God calls us to work and earn money to buy what we need, as well as to share with others (Ephesians 4:25, 28).

Some have trouble with anger; and though it is a God given emotion, we often harbor grudges, while God encourages us to forgive before the sun sets each day, so that we do not give Satan entry into our soul (Ephesians 4:26-27).

Other people use foul language, when God wants us to use our words to edify and minister grace to those who hear us. Some even take God's name in vain and use degrading words, which grieve God's Spirit (Ephesians 4:29-30).

All of us give in at one time or another to bitterness, quarreling, gossip, antagonism and forms of cruelty, when God calls us to live with humility, compassion, patience, gentleness and kindness, as we forgive slights and wrongs just as God forgives us (Ephesians 4:31-32; Colossians 3:10).

The second step is to renew our mind with the righteousness mind of Christ and to walk in true holiness all the days of our life (Luke 1:75; Ephesians 4:24). This may sound daunting, but Christ already did it for us.

We are buried with Christ through our baptism into His death, in order to be raised with Him from death in the glory of God, our Father. This allows us to live a fulfilled, blessed new life in Christ, as we exchange our corrupted character with the nature of Christ, promised to us by God Himself (2 Peter 1:4; Romans 6:4; Colossians 3:3-4).

Prayer:

Father God, by separating our self from the sin, which once bound us as its slave, we are freed from the law and allowed to serve You through Your Spirit, rather than by decrees and legalism (Romans 7:6). You enable us to submit to You as You transform our mind, rather than to be conformed to the design of this evil world.

We have no more desire to gratify the sinful desires of our flesh, and we walk as a new creation, Your handiwork, created in Christ to live in Your will, which You prepared for us prior to our birth (Ephesians 2:10; Romans 12:2, 13:14; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Colossians 3:10).

Thought for the Day:

My soul silently waits for God alone; my salvation comes from Him.  He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my stronghold; I will never be shaken. - Psalm 62:1-2