sgys banner books

The Flesh vs the Spirit

“For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.” Romans 8:5

This life is a daily test of who we truly love (Matthew 6:24; 22:37-40; John 14:15; 15:14; Romans 6:16).

You are not relegated to the flesh, to live after it, or be defeated by it.

“Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. 13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” Romans 8:12-14

How does Christ’s victory work in our lives?

“I die daily (death)But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (resurrection). 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. …  But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” 1 Corinthians 15:31, 57-58 …10

Those who are crucified with Christ are walking in His victory – the victory He alone grants. And they are laboring by His grace in His work.

There was no other way to redeem fallen mankind but the cross. And there’s no other way to  walk with the Savior who went to that cross for us – except by way of the cross He prescribed that we take up daily (Luke 9:23-24).

The War Within

“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 
17  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 
18  But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. 
19  Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 
20  Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 
21  Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 
22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 
23  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 
24  And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 
25  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”  Galatians 5:16-25

The Flesh or the Spirit: Which shall ye allow to reign?

“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” Matthew 6:24

Agreeing with the divine declaration of condemnation on our fallen state is essential to victory, otherwise the temptation to compromise and have mercy on the old man will be present (Romans 1-3).

Adam is the father of the old man the fallen man. Jesus is the King of the new man the new creation. Romans 5

“And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. … 12  And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.” Genesis 6:5, 12

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Jeremiah 17:9

For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. … 24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” Romans 7:18, 24

We are not good, not one of us (Romans 3:10). If we don’t understand and own what the Bible states concerning the universal fall of all men in Adam, that there’s “no good thing” in us, we will not recognize the need for the daily cross – to be truly crucified with Christ.

The “old man,” the flesh, can not and will not ever be reformed (Romans 6: Colossians 3). It must be daily crucified. There’s no hope of a chance or  possibility that the flesh can be reformed. It’s a lost cause and that’s why Jesus came.

“The truth is that while Christ dwells in the believer’s new nature, He has strong competition from the believer’s old nature. The warfare between the old and the new goes on continually in most believers.” AW Tozer

You can’t negotiate with a terrorist.

Kill or be killed. Kill the flesh or be killed by it.

There is no negotiating with the flesh and there can be no mercy afforded to it.

Allowing the flesh a foot in the door is the inroad to total destruction.

“Either you will crucify sin out of your life or sin will crucify Christ out of your life.” Burt Clendendon

“But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” 1 Corinthians 9:27

The flesh must be sentenced to death.

2 Corinthians 1:9-11

“But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: 
10  Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us; 
11  Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf.” 

  • v. 9 – Sentence the self life to the death of the self life.
  • v. 10 – Past, present, and future deliverance, victory over sin, can only come by way of the cross.
  • v. 11 – we must pray for each other in this regard – that we would be conformed to the crucified image of Christ our LORD.

Perhaps the best prayer we can pray for each other is that we’d be crucified with Christ…. because this guarantees the resurrection, the raising up of that life!

God is waiting for you to lay it all down – to be truly crucified with the Savior, to own it, to wear it, to embrace that your life is over in this world and now it’s all about Him, about King Jesus.

“And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: 10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; 11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. 12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:9-12

(v. 9) Being found in Christ and not outside of Him (and lost), not having our own filthy-rag righteousness “through the faith of Christ.” (v. 10) & (John 17:3) Knowing Him is the very reason we are created by Him – “That I may know him.” Experiencing “the power of his resurrection” is preceded by “being made conformable unto his death.” (vv. 10-11) Seems the apostle here is intimating that he is not perfect in taking up the cross, realizing the utter need for such.

The LORD is “Holy, holy, holy” and commands you to “be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8; 1 Peter 1:15-16)

Recently, had a conversation with a long time friend who is a dear brother in Christ. We mourned together over the sin he’d been walking in. And, we discussed the only solution – the cross. I was able to share with him that the only victory I have ever been able to walk in is via the cross life.

The life of the disciple is a crucified life and this is what our water baptism is supposed to depict and yet the follow up, the messages we hear in local churches, regrettably is anything but the cross (Romans 6; Colossians 2:12). Scarcely if ever can the message of the cross be heard or even mentioned, much less talked of continually by preachers today. This is the fulfillment of end times prophecy (Philippians 3:18-19; 1 Timothy 4:1-2; 2 Timothy 3:1-7; 2 Timothy 4:2-4, etc.).

Read Romans 6 each morning this week. Pray and ask the LORD to teach you His way – the way of the cross. Ask Him sincerely to anoint your life to be dead and buried with Him and raised up by Christ – that you would be conformed to His holy image (Romans 8:29).

God’s way is the cross. No one will be in Heaven who didn’t walk His way – which is the way of the cross, the crucified life (Luke 9:23-24; Galatians 2:20; Colossians 3:3, etc.).

Jesus taught diametrically opposite to Satan’s message of the world to love self.

So many people claiming Christ as LORD continue to peddle lies. Beware of them (Colossians 2:8-10). Their memes and messages say things like: “Love yourself,” “take care of yourself,” “treat yourself,” “forgive yourself,” etc. …. Hmmmm I don’t remember reading any such thing in the Bible. No, in fact, the Bible says we all already, innately love ourselves and THAT’s our biggest problem and where our sin is rooted – pride! – “The pride of life” (Ephesians 5:29; 1 John 2:15-17). We are never instructed to pamper our “desperately wicked” self but rather Jesus commands us to “deny” or die to self – to live the crucified life.

“If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. 24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.” Luke 9:23-24

People who are propagating these diabolical lies, encouraging others to love self instead of to crucify self, are clueless, walking in darkness, have no clue of who Christ is or His Gospel message – which begins with the essential command to “repent,” to lay down our lives in this world and obey Him – to follow Him, His example by preferring Him and others above ourselves (Philippians 2:3-5, etc.).

Recently a saint of Christ send this message:

“Never change Todd. Keep lifting JESUS up as you do. Keep dying, so you will not be cast away in the end. Keep increasing in humility and love. At any moment, you could jeopardize your place with Christ, when just a little pride slips in, self glory, lust…  Keep that humble place until You see your Lord face to face. I want Todd to enter Heaven, my dear Todd, a wretched  man, as I, who trusted Christ’s Sacrifice and lived, until the end, for His Name.”

“Jesus needs to Increase and I need to decrease. I am nothing without Jesus Amen.” David Reeves

“He must increase, but I must decrease.” John 3:30

Do you desire and love God above self?

Get low.

Stay low.

“For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.” Colossians 3:3

Go down deep into death and burial and let the LORD Himself raise your life upward.

“Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. 11 For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. 12 So then death worketh in us, but life in you.” 2 Corinthians 4:10-12

HOW will you finish? It’s really how you finish that matters most! (2 Timothy 4:7-8) Finish strong beloved – lay down your life (death and burial) so that the strength of your life is Christ’s resurrection grace!!!!! Read 2 Corinthians 12:9-10. Go down deep.

“And the remnant that is escaped of the house of Judah shall again take root downward, and bear fruit upward:” Isaiah 37:31

Read the verse above again, looking for the death, the burial, and raising up!

The context of Isaiah 37:31 concerns Assyria seeking to seize Judah and yet out of that evil attempt to conquer God’s people came a “remnant.” Yet it’s those who submitted to the LORD in death, those who took root downward (death and burial) who were reciprocally raised up out of that snare and destruction. Resurrection grace wins every time, with no exception! The cross is the divine prescription for absolute victory in every situation.

The depth you allow God to bury you determines the height of His resurrection, His raising up in you! (2 Corinthians 4:10-12).

As we submit to Him, to His way, God liquidates us, putting away our sin, our past, and weaknesses and raising us upward in His power while granting us a clear conscience.

“God salvages the individual by liquidating him and then raising him again to newness of life.” AW Tozer

The cross is always God’s way – the blood of Christ’s cross, His death, burial, and resurrection, and daily our own (2 Corinthians 4:10-12).

“And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” Romans 8:10-11

The raising up cannot and will not come before the laying down of one’s life.

God is not going to raise up the rebel but He is going to raise up the humble, the truly poor in spirit saint.

“The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.” Psalms 145:14

The soul, the spirit, the life of the true saint must be nourished in this essential cross message. A little dab will not do it – you must be saturated. You must be ever bowing downward in worship to the LORD. As your life is bowed down, the reciprocal divine raising will transpire!

If you are not learning the cross Jesus taught, you are fallen away.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I come to You now as a sinner. I am away from You and I do not want to remain alienated from You. Holy Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, I here and now ask You to take me back, to wash me clean in the blood of the Lamb, and to have Your way in my life. This moment, I lay my life into Your holy hands and rest in You, in Your love, by faith. Thank You for finding and saving me dear LORD. From this moment forward, I will follow You LORD Jesus till the end of my life on this earth. I pray all these things in the name above all names, the name of Jesus Christ! Sobeit dear LORD!

The Cross | 100’s of Scripture-Rich Podcasts for you edification in Christ | Fasting and Prayer

Support | STORE | PodcastsThe Return of Christ | Stewardship | Jesus Sat Over Against The Treasury [podcast]10 Clues Your Love for God has Waxed Cold [podcast]Where to Give and Where Not to Give | Fruit Abounding to Your Account!Parable of the Talents [podcast] | Proving Jesus Matters [podcast]Money, Material Wealth, and RichesRusted Gold and Fire Untold [podcast]

Join Us

We saved a place for you to receive our weekly newsletter.

Please wait...

Thank you for signing up!

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

Abiding

The Warnings of the Book of Jude [podcast]

Support | STORE | Podcasts |

Join Us

We saved a place for you to receive our weekly newsletter.

Please wait...

Thank you for signing up!

Continue Reading

Abiding

Attend to My Words [podcast]


IF THE WORD isn’t flowing into you daily, you are falling away. Flood and fuel your heart and mind and body with the pure, the holy light of God’s Word daily and you will never famish! All darkness will be vanquished (Psalms 119:130). All who have been saved and yet aren’t in God’s Word and prayer daily – have rejected Christ, with no exception. Re-turn to the LORD prodigal. There’s no good outside of Christ the KING.

“The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.” Psalms 119:130

ALL who are not in God’s written Word daily are not hearing from God, do not have God’s wisdom and direction, and are walking in darkness – 100%.

The feeding of Christ’s flock would integrally involve exhorting them to diligently study and walk in God’s Word themselves, daily (John 21:15-17). Isn’t this exactly what the apostle Paul told Timothy to do? Yes. He told his understudy to “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)

One of the ways we know who the false ministers are, is that they want people dependent on THEM, not God. So, they don’t constantly exhort the people to get into God’s Word, the Holy Scriptures, for themselves. Run.

“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” Joshua 1:8 

“He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live. … My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. 21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. 22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. 23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Proverbs 4:4, 20-23

“Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.” Jeremiah 15:16

“Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.” Job 23:12

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” Colossians 3:16

“Over the last 5-10 years I can see where He has done this for me already, but the problem is …. it’s not enough! I want even more! One hour of study and prayer in the morning is not enough!” Christine

Support | STORE | PodcastsBecause You Care Page | The Greatest of these is CharityBe Ready in the Morning [podcast]The Sure Mercies of David [podcast]That Repentance and Remission of Sins should be Preached [podcast]At His Feet | Prepared to be Used of God  | Waste | Stewardship | GivingLet Him be Your Fear [podcast]Why We Need Not Fear DeathFear Not Little Flock | The Glorious Church Jesus is Returning For [podcast]

Join Us

We saved a place for you to receive our weekly newsletter.

Please wait...

Thank you for signing up!

Continue Reading

Abiding

Gathering Fruit for Christ’s Eternal Glory [podcast]


IF you are truly born again, God has called you personally to participate in, to obey His Great Commission command— NOT to salvage any country in this fleeting world.

It’s amazing how many people claiming to be saved spend more time, energy, and money trying to save America than they do building up the body of Christ and evangelizing the lost. Anyone claiming to be saved and yet is not participating in the Great Commission command of Christ, is out of the will of God. Repentance needed.

Save America or See Jesus Save Eternal Souls?

“America is under God’s judgment for sure. And recently there was a golden statue made of Trump. And Pastors are praying over it. A golden calf. Same thing happened in the book of Exodus and God slew 3,000 men. This angers Him greatly! There will be a severe price to pay for this adultery! America is definitely going down at the divine judgment of God.” Karen Cochran

Forget saving America. Win souls. Preach the original Gospel to see eternal souls saved unto the LORD. See Mark 16:15-20; Matthew 28:18-20.

A good thing to ask proud Americans who claim they are Christians:

1. “When’s the last time you led someone to Jesus?”

2. “How much time and how much energy do you spend trying in vain to “save America” or “Make America Great Again” compared to the time and energy you spend learning, studying, and meditating on God’s Word and doing it – as in the Great Commission?”

“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.” Matthew 7:21

Anyone claiming to be Christ’s and yet is not doing, is not obeying His Great Commission mandate, is not in the will of God.

Regrettably, America is going down in judgment.

No efforts can undo the present reality of those claiming to know Christ refusing to truly repent, nor the 60 million innocent babies America has murdered in cold blood and called it “choice.”

Honoring something God calls “an abomination” brings “the curse of the LORD” upon any nation to do such. See Leviticus 18:22 and Proverbs 3:33. Sodomy is sin!

“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.” Matthew 7:21

Doing the will of the Father is executing the Great Commission Jesus gave us!

2 BIBLICAL EVIDENCES PROVE THAT AMERICA IS OVER – if there is no repentance, change [podcast]

“Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. 35  Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.
36  And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.
37  And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth.
38  I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.” John 4:35-38

Jesus says act now! To put off His work is to put off Christ. Read that again!

“And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:62

Many aren’t putting off their own sinful, lust-filled agenda in the world, right?

There is nothing new under the sun. See the book of Haggai.

Support | STORE | Podcasts | Jail/Prison MinistryMexico Mission here |All Ministry UpdatesThe Greatest of these is Charity | Be Ready in the Morning [podcast] | The Sure Mercies of David [podcast] | That Repentance and Remission of Sins should be Preached [podcast] | At His Feet | Prepared to be Used of God  | Great Commission

Join Us

We saved a place for you to receive our weekly newsletter.

Please wait...

Thank you for signing up!

Continue Reading

Categories

donate button round
sgys-books01

Trending