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FLESH vs. SPIRIT

Posted by Tkulp , 17 January 2022 · 0 views

FLESH vs. SPIRIT

 

WALKING NOT AFTER THE FLESH, BUT AFTER THE SPIRIT

"There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. That the requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."-- Rom_8:1-4 (R.V.).

 

THE APOSTLE here is dealing with the conditions of a holy life; and the condemnation to which he refers is that caused by the constant failure so graphically described in the previous chapter. From my own experience, I think that the introspection which is often induced by ill-health and weakness makes us very sensitive to the failure and shortcoming of the inner life. We know that we are accepted in Christ, and that our sins are forgiven us for His sake; but we are deeply conscious that in us (i.e. in our flesh) dwelleth no good thing from. Rom_7:18).
The Reservoir of Eternal Life.--"the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus." We perceive what physical life is when a child comes bounding into our room in a very ecstasy of health and joy. We know what intellectual life is as we see the mind developing under the process of education. We know what the moral life of a stoic is, repelling by force of will the appeal of the senses. But above all these, there is Life which is resident in Jesus Christ, stored in Him, abounding in Him, which He longs to communicate to every soul that trusts in Him. This was the witness of those who knew Jesus most intimately in His brief human life--that "God hath given unto us Eternal Life, and this Life is in His Son." "He that hath the Son hath the Life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not the Life." This more than outweighs the down-pull of the self-life. The law of that life makes us free from the law of sin and death, for it has mastered death and the grave.
This Life is communicated and sustained by the Holy Spirit. We must be one with Christ; we must be in Him, as the sponge is in the ocean. We must be in Him, not only in our standing, but also in our daily walk. We must be in Him as the branch is in the vine, and the vine-sap in the branch. And this must not only be a theory, but an hourly experience. We must abide in Him and He in us. But how can this become our daily experience? There is but one way. Through the co-operation of the Holy Spirit, as we walk in Him (Gal_5:16). He is the essence of the Life which is in Christ Jesus. "The Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death."

 

PRAYER

Almighty God, I beseech Thee to raise me from the death of sin to the life of righteousness by that same power that brought the Lord Jesus from the dead, that I may walk in newness of life through the aid of the Holy Spirit. AMEN.

 

January 17 Devotional of F.B. Meyer

 

Truth: Christ in us is our Hope of Glory.

 

Colossians 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in” you, the hope of glory: 28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: 29 Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.

 

 

I have, for a long time, prayed for a way to help people understand this foundational truth of Christianity, based on what happened in the life and death of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. May our Heavenly Father’s Spirit open the spiritual eyes of every reader!!

 

This foundational truth is the reality that there are actually good/holy spirits. There are also evil/unclean spirits. The evil/unclean spirits desire to influence, deceive, control and destroy our lives, our souls; to separate us from a loving Heavenly Father; to think evil untrue thoughts about Him.

 

The spirits have power to influence and/or effect most everything in this world.

 

To understand Romans 8:1 one must understand John 14, John 15 and John 17, where Jesus speaks about His oneness with the Father, as well as the true believer’s oneness with Him and thus a oneness with the Father.

 

The Word of God uses human terms of relationship and family to help us to understand the realm of the spiritual. In heaven we are given to understand that there will not be marriage as we know it in this life. Yet Jesus is revealed as the bridegroom of the Church, His bride. The Old Testament refers to the relationship between the children of Israel and God as a husband and wife, with His wives commit fornication and adultery with the world, those nations that they had been told to destroy. In the New Testament Jesus is said to be the brother or those adopted into the family of God, with God being the Father. The relationship of Jesus to God expressed as an earthly relationship of Father and Son. That meaning of a son is he is the product of a male through birth or adoption.

 

Jumping ahead we find in the KJ Bible references to devils and spirits. The following is just one example.

 

Matthew 8:16-17 When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with “devils”: and he cast out the “spirits” with his word, and healed all that were sick: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.

 

Note that devils and spirits are, in context, the same. If you look up the uses of the word translated as “spirit”, you may be surprised to find that each human has a spirit. There are devil’s spirits, a Holy Spirit, unclean spirits, evil spirits and when Jesus died, He sent for His spirit. Spirits are evidently a very important part of the Kingdoms of this world as well as the Kingdom of God and creation as a totality.

 

The study of spirits may open your understanding to the verse that says that our battle is not against flesh and blood, but spirits and principalities.

 

For the idea that I am attempting to share consider the possibility of one human body. Is it confined to having only one spirit? Think about what the Bible says in just a few instances. Hopefully you will do a search on the Greek word for G4151 and see the vast reality of the spirit world; both for good and for evil.

 

Consider Mark 5:2-20, it goes beyond my comprehension. Jesus rebuked an unclean “spirit”. When the spirit gave his name he said that it was legion, because they were many.

 

Jesus warned about not filling our beings with good spirits in Matthew 12:43-45 “When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.”

 

He told the disciples not to be concerned about what to say for the Spirit of the Father would speak through them, in Matthew 10:19-20.

 

According to Matthew 12:43-45 I do not believe that both good and evil spirits can reside in the same person at the same time. I do believe that every one of us are continually open to possibly receive from either good or evil spirits, as Jesus, after being baptized was led by a good Spirit in the wilderness to be tempted by evil spirits, even Satan Himself.

 

I hope that I have wet your appetite to study the Word of God regarding “spirits”, and learn from the Holy Spirit how to do battle and defeat all evil spirits that desire to influence and control your spirit.

 

Please know for a fact that we can have the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead, living within us, and it will vitalize our mortal body, Romans 8:11. John 15 and 17 confirm that we can have Jesus Christ, (His Spirit??) actually living within us influencing and leading every facet of our lives. In order to have Christ living within we must crucify the old nature by repentance and resistance to it’s promptings. We must invite the Holy Spirit in and daily feed Him by submission and obedience to Him; at the same time keeping the old nature dead by refusing to yield to or obey his promptings upon our senses.

 

Consider the prophecy from Isaiah 11:1-5 “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: 2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; 3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: 4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. 5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.”

 

How can we know the spirit or spirits that are in control of our thoughts and/or lives.
Jesus says that we can know the tree by its fruit.

 

Paul in Galatians 5 shares what the works of the flesh, our selfish senses, looks like. He also what the fruit of the Spirit looks and tastes like,

 

The fruit of the Spirit is produced as naturally, in a life, as an apple on an apple tree. As individuals are grafted into the vine, the sap of His spirit causes repentance and a hungry for Him and His Word, His Will. A humble submission to His Holy Spirit, evidenced by unselfish obedience to that Holy Spirit, results from an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ; that is His sap, His Word, cleanses and empowers, destroying the desire to selfish rebellion.
The conclusion is that we need to try the spirits, evaluate the fruit of your own life as well as the lives and teaching of those that are an influence in your life. The promises of Romans 8 as well as all the promises that I know of or recall are conditional. The condition of Romans 8:1 is that the Spirit of Christ is truly “in” your body.

 

How do you know that? Is it possible that there is a strong parallel between the spirit and the body?? How do you know that your body is sick? What do you do when you sense that your body is under attack from viruses and or bad bacteria?

 

The world’s way does not always emphasize healthy food and a strong immune system. They tend to offer man made drugs that kill all the living bacteria in your body, both good and bad.
The old Jewish idea is to eat only foods that are Kosher, approved by their laws, founded on the Scriptures.

 

Is there another way? Yes, I see is as God’s way for both the spirit and the body. Simply put, stay away from anything that would compromise or weaken your physical or spiritual immune systems. Feed on only that which is healthy and nourishing to the immune systems. If you are healthy in body and/or spirit, built up and having a strong immune system, the immune system is designed, by God, to kill the evil thought or the germ substance the moment it enters your mind or body.
You may experience attacks in both areas that would seem to overwhelm but calling out to the Father, the Great Physician, brings an answer. We must trust and obey what we know is right to do no matter what our senses or mind tells us. Very often the physical and the spiritual are hand in hand, used by evil spirits to destroy us, even as a roaring lion! Why the roar before the pounce of the great cat?? Could it be to freeze us body and mind to keep our Father’s defense systems from being effective in defense??

 

Satan is a liar and the father of lies, half-truths and deception. As with Eve, he will attempt to falsely discredit God and His Word, anything to destroy the Father’s and the Son’s relationship with us.

 

Matthew 7:15-27

 

“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.”

 

“21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

 

“24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.”

 

Please note the men who relied upon the name of Jesus!! They could not understand their rejection. They had done wonders by and through the Name of Jesus!!

 

Sadly the name of Jesus did not deliver them. Jesus said that He never Intimately Knew Them. Evidently they, as the seven sons of Sceva, were operating and using the Name of Jesus without knowing and obeying Jesus' voice and will even as the sons of Sceva attempted to deal with evil spirits.

 

Acts 19:14-17
"And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. 15 And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? 16 And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17 And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified."






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