Jer. 17:5 π Rom. 7:18 π Gal. 5:17 π Gal. 5:24
“They that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its affections and lusts.” ( Gal. 5:24; top ) The flesh is that part of our lives that promotes its own desires, promotes those things it does well or enjoys the most, or has the natural inclination to do. It may not be sinful; it may be right, proper and good, but it is the goodness of this action that keeps us from God’s best which represents the setting aside of good for something infinitely better.
When we discover that our natural attributes of goodness are in conflict with God’s programs, a battle results. The flesh fights the surrender to the spiritual, as it wants to go its own way. The two are contrary to each other ( Gal. 5:17; top ), keeping God’s best from being accomplished. The natural must submit so the spirit can rule. We may have to show mercy when we feel judgment is due; or when we feel compassion should be shown to a person or situation, the Lord may desire us to be silent.
In every case, your natural tendencies must surrender to the Spirit of truth (God’s holy desire for that particular situation). It’s costly: it will cost you everything. The natural life can only be made spiritual by sacrifice of itself. If we don’t submit entirely to God’s desire, we will be undisciplined spiritually, even though we may be a so-called spiritual leader or influential Christian. Our life will be futilely spent doing good things which will ultimately minister death, and will negate a lifetime of doing God’s best, His goodness.
We can spend a lifetime of Christian service giving in to our self-life rather than sacrificing it to gain total obedience to the Father’s desire. When a person appears before the Father at the end of this life, the works of the self-life (flesh) are the works that are hay, wood and stubble and shall be burnt up by fire, even though the person will be saved.
The tears that God will wipe away in that day will be those when we see the man or woman we could have been by being obedient to the Spirit and not to the flesh.
The reason we see so little happening spiritually today is because the Church world is ruled by the flesh.
Rom. 7:18 : “…In my flesh dwells no good thing…”
Jer. 17:5 : “Thus says the Lord, cursed is the man that trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord.” (top)
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