As believers, we are enlisted to fight on the battlefield every day. There is an active warzone at work within each of us daily as our flesh and spirit are fiercely opposed to each other. Because of this, there are days when we will win the fight in our spirit but there are days when we will lose the fight in our flesh. Notwithstanding this, we keep our eyes affixed on Jesus Christ and heed his call to put on the whole armour of God. This armour allows us to battle not only in defence mode but also in offense mode in both our flesh and spirit.
Have you ever been deceived by an apple? Sometimes, an apple will appear to be good based on its firm and glossy exterior but when you bite into it, its flesh is soft and rotten. You are never entirely sure of what you are going to get with an apple and there are no means of returning a spoiled one to the creator. Was there any real way of knowing the quality of the inside of the apple? Can you check the inside before purchasing it? Of course not! Well it’s the same for us. We shop around looking at the exterior of people without really knowing the contents of their inner man. God however, who is all knowing has no limitations in choosing His kingdom’s army. He is not examining our outward appearance rather, He wants to know that the inward contents of His people are not rotten by the sin in its flesh but preserved with the firmness of His Spirit.
We can outsmart and manipulate man but we cannot outsmart God. God’s way of dealing with man is very much concentrated on the motivation behind everything we do and whether it is centred on ourselves or centred on Christ. It is not what a man does that determines whether his work or play is sacred or secular; it is why he does it.
As believers, we have a responsibility to realign our minds and souls with God so that we can reflect Him in His fullness in everything that we do, think and say.
Our bodies are the dwelling place for our spirits. It gives our spirit a material existence for without the spirit, the body is dead. It is very alarming then, that we pay primary attention to life from the materialistic perspective and ignore the superiority of our “spirit man”. In the busyness of life, we forget that the results of our life in the flesh are as a result of whatever is influencing it in the spirit.
Because the flesh is hostile to God, we cannot accommodate the flesh when we are walking in the spirit. We must make it our duty to remind ourselves daily to walk through our physical life in the spirit ensuring that the Holy Spirit is who dwells within us, His secret place. Romans 8:5 reads “Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.”
Whenever you feel the war raging within you, think about what your mind is set on. Is it set on you or is it set on Christ? This is the first step to walking in the Spirit. Additionally, always remember that your intellect will always lead you to the knowledge of this world. The Word of God is the only foundation of Truth upon which we as believers can stand and it will always lead you to God not to yourself. For we are imperfect and powerless against the flesh. We must die to our self-will and allow the Holy Spirit to override our flesh if we are to win. Some days we ourselves will want to engage in our fleshly desires but if we just affix our eyes on Jesus and the Truth of His Word, we will see the pieces of God’s armour restored.
QUOTE:
“Pulled out of the mud of your own ego, so that you have stopped thinking that you are somebody, at last you are delivered from yourself and are seeking God for Himself alone.” – A.W. TOZER
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, we thank you for your redeeming grace and ask that you renew our minds to be affixed on you and your will. Help us to put on the whole armour of God to stand firm in your kingdom’s army today.
