Something just doesn’t add up with that title, right? Well this thought recharged my life today so let me just get to it quickly.
Beloved, don’t be deceived – the flesh wanting to do, do and do; see it first; prove it first; and be convinced first is not a “poor me” flesh.
This carnal thinking is looking to edge God out and take control.
Oh heck no! This is an insult to The glory of God and the glory He has for us.
Something obstinate and defensive just rises up in me when I realize that my Father God is dishonored!
What am I talking about? Too often we take pity on our flesh allowing this sense realm to wrongly communicate a loss to us when things don’t function according to how we feel.
We lose focus on the gainers that we truly are, being called and privileged to the walk faith.
Remember – what you focus on, you become.
Now I get it with the struggles we face with the walk of faith. I myself have been foolish enough to say in the past that I did not want to walk by faith because I used to only associate that walk with delayed or last minute answered prayers or just sounding silly and taking stupid chances. Haha, I’ve been privileged to experience a more robust and mature journey since.
But anyway, our flesh dominated mind still wishes things made sense according to it’s own reasoning, then when nothing budges we may finally “settle” and acquiesce to what God’s Word says… until we don’t have to anymore.
But like Jesus warned his own disciples in Matthew 16:6 “Watch out!”…”Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” (Because of their hardened hearts). See, his disciples had experienced His miracles back to back, yet their unbelief was still overwhelming.
Again, He warned against the yeast of the “Pharisees and Sadducees” – not by any means the weak, lowly or vulnerable of the society. These were generally the leaders of the day that strongly opposed Him during His earthly ministry and ultimately ensured His execution on the cross. They just would not honor or believe Him in spite of the overwhelming evidence of His Lord and Sonship.
And as much as He loved them and died on the cross for them too, He opposed them openly and exposed their wickedness and blindness.
Yes, “…God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6
Remember also that it was this fleshly reasoning in Eve that was tempted by the devil; which then rose up and dominated, causing the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. This was when mankind emancipated from God and chose to figure out the knowledge of good AND evil all by themselves. This introduced sin into the world to which we owe all the evil and chaos that followed. And since then, man has insisted on God working or explaining things to satisfy our limited intelligence.
But He is not obligated to do that. His way and His realm is superior and, get this – most advantageous and beneficial to us!
All this to say He was pointing out to us that unbelief masks itself in many ways, and while He is compassionate in our weakness, your flesh is not a docile and dormant force. It doesn’t need to be pampered and processed all the time.
It is opposed to God and must be bridled on either spectrum.
Spectrum? Like Joseph Prince said, and I loosely paraphrase – “the flesh is not just about immorality. It can dominate control on being really immoral, or self and sense righteous, as long as “it” is in control.” And that just won’t cut it:
…That no flesh should glory in his presence. And of him are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption
1 Corinthians 1:29-30 KJV 2000
If you are born again, your Spirit is exactly like Christ’s (yeeeeehaaaa) and that is the real you. That is who needs to dominate your reality, cooperating with The Spirit of God. Then the true excitement of your eternal life really gets practiced right here on earth!
Keep your mind on Him, beloved ❤️
Thanks for thinking again with me! Do you have an example of the gazillion ways we can choose to function through our superior Christian identity? Share it in the comments 🙂
To learn more about the original intent and design of your identity, click on my post here.