Many individuals think Christianity is about securing one’s spot in heaven mainly. It’s as if our earthly existence serves as a grand audition, with each person striving to become heaven’s next top believer. Yet, for those who have journeyed extensively with the Holy Spirit as their teacher, a profound realization emerges – a recognition that one’s calling involves gruesome bloodshed suggesting that our paths are each marked by a sacrificial and transformative process.
I know this may sound very controversial but it’s a bloody mess in the Kingdom of God. As believers, we are called to kill, murder, crucify and annihilate our flesh. This is not optional but rather it is a mandatory requirement for anyone who seeks to walk in the true image and likeness of God. Wherever flesh is present, you are sure to see all forms of sin present because our flesh lives in direct opposition to the Spirit of God who lives inside of us.
Let’s be clear: God unequivocally condemns physical acts of murder and suicide, as we lack the legitimate right to end the lives of others or ourselves. We do not possess the authority to extinguish that which we did not create. However, the sanctioned act of “killing” is reserved for our old, carnal selves—the old man. To undergo a transformation into a new creature, the demise of our former self is imperative.
Romans 6:6-10 (NLT):
“We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. So, you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.”
God stands as the Sovereign ruler over mankind and our allegiance is to His commands, not our own. This is evident in His ability to call His own shots, for instance, He chose to reset humanity as seen in the Noah’s Ark narrative and to permit wars throughout the Old Testament, all aligning with His higher divine purposes. Look at how fiercely God supported the stiff-necked Israelites as His chosen nation. How much more would He equip and defend the church He has built on His rock?
There is no need for physical wars as in the days of Moses as the battle has already been won for us in this dispensation of grace. The lineage for the birth of Jesus Christ has been fulfilled and Christ, in reclaiming the keys of death from Satan has already triumphed. Consequently, there is no war for us to fight except the war within ourselves and there is no need for physical suicide except the suicide of “self”.
As we enter 2024 and beyond, it is imperative that we don ourselves with the entire armour of God and envelope our lives in the protective shield of repentance. It’s time to shift our expectations and foster an environment where God genuinely reigns as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords in our lives. This is not a season for disobedience or for adhering to our subjective perceptions and feelings. Instead, we must disregard our personal thoughts and emotions and prioritize all that God says. As the Creator, He has unequivocally informed us about the deceitfulness of our corrupted hearts. Shall we then persist in contesting the manufacturer’s insights into His own creation?
Jeremiah 17:9 (NLT):
“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?”
The flesh represents the inclination to gratify oneself independently of God, while the Spirit embodies the presence of Christ within us, striving to please God even when it necessitates sacrificing our own desires. The flesh encompasses our mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual desires, and the senses and faculties of our being that are rooted in our carnal and sinful nature.
Within us, there is an inherent spiritual conflict unfolding daily, resembling a war where there are both winners and casualties. As Christians, our goal is to claim victory over sin and to ensure that every work of the flesh becomes a spoil of war. Our flesh, predisposed to sin, harbours an inherent anti-Christ desire which seeks to govern our thoughts, plans, essence, and entire being. The flesh, likened to a spoiled bread, is inherently unfixable. Once the yeast i.e. sin is incorporated, we cannot remove it; we must discard the entire contaminated loaf. Victory over the flesh does not come through attempts to repair it; rather, it is achieved by walking in the spirit of God.
Galatians 5:16-18 (NLT):
“So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.”
Our engagement is not with the weaponry and conflicts of this world; instead, we dedicate ourselves to investing, training, and arming up for spiritual warfare against the cunning schemes of Satan. This battle extends beyond earthly rivalries to confront principalities, powers, and rulers of darkness. Equipped with the spiritual weaponry of guns, battle axes, slingshots, rifles, and the arsenal of God’s Word, we actively fight to bring forth light into the abyss of darkness in this world.
As believers, we constitute an army meticulously crafted by God for His divine purposes, not for the agendas of mankind. Our call is not to unleash our tempers on trivial earthly matters, but rather to channel our righteous anger towards every generational curse, every lofty thing that exalts itself above the name of God, the works of the flesh, and every sinful desire and anti-Christ doctrine that takes residence within us. These are the adversaries we are summoned to confront, not individuals on the streets. As Christians, the “bloody mess” we are called to create involves applying the blood of the Lamb over ourselves, homes, families, communities, and nations. Instead of rising body counts in our nations, our Kingdom focus should be on increasing the demon count as we expose and annihilate these spiritual adversaries in every crevice and corner of the world.
When the Holy Spirit came upon Mary, facilitating the birth of the Word in human flesh, it served as a powerful symbolic representation of how the Holy Spirit would similarly come to impregnate and transform us. The Spirit of God takes residence within us, spiritually rewriting our genetic code, resurrecting our dormant “dead man” – i.e. our spirit that was once lifeless to God. You must understand that the absence of the Holy Spirit in someone renders their spirit as inert (dead) to God.
Analogous to a wilting plant or a tree being revived, our spiritual revival occurs when the Holy Spirit enters and establishes His dwelling within us. The Holy Spirit activates our spiritual senses, allowing us to come alive to God and His thoughts. As our spiritual senses progressively awaken, we increasingly reflect the image and likeness of God. We are new creatures and while we may walk among others who look like us, we understand that we are a peculiar people and a mystery to those who remain ensnared in their corrupted state because darkness cannot comprehend light.
When we partake of the Tree of Life which is embodied in Jesus Christ, we carry within us the seed of God. Planted by God, we are meant to blossom with His glory and reproduce the fruits of His Spirit. Understanding that all fruits bear their seeds, we recall God’s original command to Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply. God’s intention was for them to propagate the seed of God throughout the earth, multiplying their every God given resource, talent, and ability according to the God’s heavenly will. They were to partake of the Tree of life and reproduce the “zoe life” i.e. the God-kind of life which consists of the very nature, substance and being of God.
Sin however, infiltrated Adam and Eve, corrupting that seed and leading to a destiny tainted by death. In response, God sent the Tree of Life in human flesh for us to receive redemption. While Adam and Eve may have missed the mark by neglecting the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden, we must not repeat that mistake. In our current dispensation, God has made Himself available to us in a way unprecedented in history. It is our responsibility to heed the call and avoid being deceived.
Revelation 22:14 (NLT):
Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life.
Are you prepared for spiritual warfare—a hybrid conflict intertwining the physical and spiritual realms? It’s a battle between lineages, a war involving two seeds. Consider the message encoded in the depiction of Isaac and Ishmael in the Bible. Why did God emphasize the concept of a chosen nation (Israel) and now a chosen bride (His Church)?
In the impending last days, the struggle won’t be a simple clash between good and evil. Instead, it will unfold as a war where both good and evil vie for dominance over the zoe life—the life of God. Merely being a morally upright person doesn’t exempt one from the threat of death, which signifies eternal separation from God. Anything or anyone detached from God is shrouded in darkness, as God alone is the source of light. To triumph in this intense conflict, our only recourse is to follow Jesus Christ, who is the way, truth, and life, guiding us through the narrow gate.
This is the path to becoming heirs of God, destined to judge the world and even angels. We drink from the well of living water, a source that quenches our thirst eternally. Feasting on the bread of life, we engage in rigorous training, adorning ourselves with the complete armour of God. Our race is run with unwavering perseverance, driven to secure the ultimate prize. Love, among a plethora of gifts, is our constant companion. Anchored in the authority of God’s Word, we stand with a fortified defence for the gospel of Christ.
In the arena of the spirit, we walk and live, guided by the Holy Spirit. On the battlefield, we take our stance, readying ourselves in God’s armour for war, not mere rumours of war. This is the sublime calling of a believer—to imprint this world with the transformative power of the Lamb’s blood, creating a profound impact by applying it wherever our feet tread and on every demonic influence we trample on. This, indeed, is the unequivocal word of the Lord.
