Will My Life Be Occupied WIth Spiritual Fruit Or With Cravings Of The Flesh?

I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. (17) For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.  (18) But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.  (19) Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,  (20) idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, (21) envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (22) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  (23) gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. (Galatians 5:16-23-NKJV).

Well, it’s day 365 of 2015. The last day of the year. This is my last blogpost of the year. We’re now thinking about 2016 and what it will hold for us. Will we walk with God in 2016 or will we fall into flesh centered living? How was 2015 for your spiritual life? Every day we have the choice of walking in the spirit or of allowing our flesh nature to rule us. Let’s look at this subject as we peer into 2016.

 

Walking in the spirit is allowing your human spirit to govern your life. Walking in the flesh is giving in to your natural appetites and desires.  Galatians 5: 19-21 gives a list of the lusts of the flesh and Galatians 5: 22-23 gives a list of the nine fruit of the recreated human spirit.

 

The lusts of the flesh can be broken down into two categories, inward sins and outward sins. Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, drunkenness, and revelries are outward sins of the flesh. Idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, and murders are inward sins of the mind, emotions, and motives.

 

The fruit of the spirit are the byproducts of the love of God being placed in us by the Holy Spirit when we’re born again. They are all connected much like the segments of a tangerine. Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and self-control are placed in your spirit at the new birth.

 

Our daily choices determine which fruit our tree of life bears. If we with our will choose to focus on the daily happenings around us then we will probably walk in the flesh and the flesh works will surface in our lives. What occupies our minds will eventually fill our lives.

If we keep our minds on things above, and filter out the flesh things that the world and the enemy dangles at us each day, then we will walk in the spirit. The mind is the doorway to spirituality or carnality. Protect your mind. Allow nothing in it that would tarnish your spirit life. Carefully watch what you allow yourself to read, look at, hear, and dwell upon.

Flesh lusts never satisfy. They demand more and more of your time and attention and then leave you empty. Spirit fruit gives total satisfaction to life from the inside out. If you find yourself ill-at-ease, ask yourself what you have had your mental and emotional attention and outward actions focused upon.

At any time during your day today, you are either exhibiting the lusts of the flesh or the fruit of the spirit. The fruit you bear determines what you’re focusing on today. If you don’t like the fruit, then change your focus!

Spending time daily in the Word and in prayer are spiritual exercises that will allow the fruit of the spirit to surface in your life. Spiritual fruit generated by your human spirit through the Word and through being prayerful will challenge every wrong thought, word, action, and motive of your life.

Your bearing flesh lusts or spirit fruit today will be determined by what you give your attention to with you mind. Keep it clean!

    

Forget Your Past And Move Forward Spiritually In 2016

Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13-14-NIV).

 

None of us will arrive at Christian perfection in this life, but it should be our goal! We should be changing from glory to glory as the years pass. If we’re not changing, we’re not growing, for growth demands change.

Paul mentions in verse 13 that he did one thing. Too many times we have so many life pursuits that we become a “jack of all trades and master of none.” If my one life ambition is to become like Jesus, it will temper my hour, my day, my week, and my year! Some things should be left undone if they do not add to my growth in Christ. Growing in Christ in a healthy way includes daily time meditating in the Word, in prayer, with spouse and children, in service to others, and in personal rest and leisure. Burnout is not progress.

  

As we enter a new year we should follow Paul’s admonition to forget those things which are behind. If you look back, you may stumble. Satan is master of bringing to remembrance our misdeeds and failures. The Father never reminds of past confessed sins; I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more (Isaiah 43:25 – NIV). His Spirit urges us on toward the mark of becoming like Jesus. He lifts us up and faces us forward, not backwards! For though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought down by calamity (Proverbs 24:16).

Likewise, we can’t live on yesterday’s or last year’s experience with God. We must choose each day to remain in close fellowship with Him by abiding in the Word and letting the Word abide in us.

Paul mentions pressing on in verse 14.  This denotes great exertion. Before I became an avid cyclist I jogged for 33 years, and when you run long distances, you hit the wall, or reach a point where you feel like you just can’t go any further. But if you just press on a little more, you find a second wind, or a new strength, and the run becomes much easier. Salvation is a free gift to us. But each level of spirituality reach will cost you self-denial in a thousand ways. We must press on more than average if we want to give our best to the Father.

 

As we approach 2016, let’s forget the past and decide to give the Father our all. The prizes awaiting us are eternal!

No More Curse!

Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith (Galatians 3:13-14).

 

The curse of the broken law is three-fold: spiritual death, poverty, and sickness. Jesus bore the results of the curse of the broken law in Himself on the cross. Since He has legally borne our penalty for sin, we are released from the results of the broken law.

 

In the place of spiritual death, we receive spiritual life. The very life and nature of God (Greek- Zoe) enters our spirit when we are born again! The wall that separated us from the Father has been removed, and intimacy with Him becomes possible if we will pursue it! Draw near to God and He will draw near to you (James 4:8).

 

In the place of poverty, we receive prosperity. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9). Some people think this verse refers to Jesus becoming spiritually poor. But the spiritually poor can’t heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out devils, or preach and teach the gospel! Jesus became physically poor as He bore our poverty. In the place of poverty we have abundance and the blessings of God. The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it (Proverbs 10:22).

 

In the place of sickness we have His health! Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness — by whose stripes you were healed (1 Peter 2:24). We have a legal right before God to walk free from sick and disease.

 

Satan does not give up territory easily, and you must be diligent in the Word and stand in faith for the blessings of God to be yours. Don’t stand for low level fellowship with the Father when Jesus has opened the door wide for intimacy! Don’t walk in poverty when Jesus has secured your blessing! Act and speak like you believe God’s Word is true! Don’t permit sickness and disease to reign in your body. Command Satan to keep His hands off of you in the name of Jesus! With His stripes you are healed.

Don’t settle for less than God’s best! Jesus has endured the curse for your freedom. Honor Him by receiving the best He has for you today. You’re free from the curse and an heir of blessing!

We're Not Saved By Grace To Live By Works!

Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified (Galatians 2:16).

 

We are right with God, not because of what we do, but because of what He did for us! We are not saved by grace to live by works.

 

Early in my Christian experience I learned a valuable lesson about trusting the grace of God in my life. Being a hard worker, I had a subtle belief buried deep within my soul that I must work to be accepted. As a young boy, I received affirmation mainly when I accomplished something. I carried this habit into my adult life.

 

Righteousness is the ability to stand before a Holy God as though you had never sinned; to stand before Him without sin, condemnation, or inferiority.

As I began to walk with God, the familiar call of guilt and inferiority pulled me back into a works righteousness instead of a faith righteousness. I begin to read my Bible to be right with God instead of for spiritual nourishment. I would pray, not for fellowship, but to calm a overbearing conscience. I would fast a few meals, not to wait on God as much as to please Him.

 

The Lord graciously revealed to me during that season that He loved me, and that Jesus had already done everything necessary to make me right with Him. He showed me that I must take all of my inferiority to Him, and that there was nothing more I could do to become righteous. Jesus paid my sin debt. Jesus cancelled my past, and gave me His standing before the Father.

 

The Lord showed me that my righteousness was like filthy rags and that I could never do enough to be right with Him. I must accept by faith that He loves me, that He has forgiven and forgotten my past, and that I am now secure in Christ. My human efforts could never match what Jesus has already done to make me right with Him.

 

Stop struggling in self-effort to be right with God! Accept the fact that the blood of Jesus gives you a righteousness that makes close fellowship possible. When you sin, confess what you did before the Father and ask for His grace to enable you to overcome the weakness of the flesh. We’re not saved by grace to live by works!

Merry Christmas!

Today we celebrate the love of God for us all. Without the virgin birth of Jesus Christ, we would have no hope for now, no solution to life’s challenges, and a bleak future. With Jesus Christ, the God man, comes hope, forgiveness, restoration, life, peace, joy, favor, blessing, light, grace, healing, resurrection, heaven, freedom, and life purpose.

The Father desires to minister to each one of us today. Some have life and family changes that bring heavy emotions during holidays. I pray that the Father would enable them to let go of the past, and reach out to him for comfort and help. He’s always available and present.

Others have lots of family and fellowship they will enjoy today, Don’t take that for granted! All we are and have is by grace. Don’t take anything in life for granted. We are what we are by the grace of God!

I’ll leave you with the passage from Matthew about Jesus’ birth. The Sovereignty of God was at work in Jesus birth. His Sovereignty is at work today, bringing to pass His ultimate purposes. Let’s open ourselves to God’s Sovereignty in our personal lives. Every day, God has a plan and a mission for each one of us. May we have the grace to open ourselves to the God’s plan for our every day. See the hand of God is at work in your life and family.

From my family to yours – Merry Christmas!

Matthew 1:18-2:23 The Message Paraphrase (from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)

The birth of Jesus took place like this. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. Before they came to the marriage bed, Joseph discovered she was pregnant. (It was by the Holy Spirit, but he didn't know that.) (19) Joseph, chagrined but noble, determined to take care of things quietly so Mary would not be disgraced. (20) While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God's angel spoke in the dream: "Joseph, son of David, don't hesitate to get married. Mary's pregnancy is Spirit-conceived. God's Holy Spirit has made her pregnant. (21) She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus — 'God saves' — because he will save his people from their sins." (22) This would bring the prophet's embryonic sermon to full term: (23) Watch for this — a virgin will get pregnant and bear a son; They will name him Emmanuel (Hebrew for "God is with us"). (24) Then Joseph woke up. He did exactly what God's angel commanded in the dream: He married Mary. (25) But he did not consummate the marriage until she had the baby. He named the baby Jesus. (2:1) After Jesus was born in Bethlehem village, Judah territory — this was during Herod's kingship — a band of scholars arrived in Jerusalem from the East. (2) They asked around, "Where can we find and pay homage to the newborn King of the Jews? We observed a star in the eastern sky that signaled his birth. We're on pilgrimage to worship him." (3) When word of their inquiry got to Herod, he was terrified — and not Herod alone, but most of Jerusalem as well. (4) Herod lost no time. He gathered all the high priests and religion scholars in the city together and asked, "Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?" (5) They told him, "Bethlehem, Judah territory. The prophet Micah wrote it plainly: (6) It's you, Bethlehem, in Judah's land, no longer bringing up the rear. From you will come the leader who will shepherd-rule my people, my Israel." (7) Herod then arranged a secret meeting with the scholars from the East. Pretending to be as devout as they were, he got them to tell him exactly when the birth-announcement star appeared. (8) Then he told them the prophecy about Bethlehem, and said, "Go find this child. Leave no stone unturned. As soon as you find him, send word and I'll join you at once in your worship." (9) Instructed by the king, they set off. Then the star appeared again, the same star they had seen in the eastern skies. It led them on until it hovered over the place of the child. (10) They could hardly contain themselves: They were in the right place! They had arrived at the right time! (11) They entered the house and saw the child in the arms of Mary, his mother. Overcome, they kneeled and worshiped him. Then they opened their luggage and presented gifts: gold, frankincense, myrrh. (12) In a dream, they were warned not to report back to Herod. So they worked out another route, left the territory without being seen, and returned to their own country.  (13) After the scholars were gone, God's angel showed up again in Joseph's dream and commanded, "Get up. Take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt. Stay until further notice. Herod is on the hunt for this child, and wants to kill him." (14) Joseph obeyed. He got up, took the child and his mother under cover of darkness. They were out of town and well on their way by daylight. (15) They lived in Egypt until Herod's death. This Egyptian exile fulfilled what Hosea had preached: "I called my son out of Egypt." (16) Herod, when he realized that the scholars had tricked him, flew into a rage. He commanded the murder of every little boy two years old and under who lived in Bethlehem and its surrounding hills. (He determined that age from information he'd gotten from the scholars.) (17) That's when Jeremiah's sermon was fulfilled: (18) A sound was heard in Ramah, weeping and much lament. Rachel weeping for her children, Rachel refusing all solace, Her children gone, dead and buried. (19) Later, when Herod died, God's angel appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt: (20) "Up, take the child and his mother and return to Israel. All those out to murder the child are dead." (21) Joseph obeyed. He got up, took the child and his mother, and reentered Israel. (22) When he heard, though, that Archelaus had succeeded his father, Herod, as king in Judea, he was afraid to go there. But then Joseph was directed in a dream to go to the hills of Galilee. (23) On arrival, he settled in the village of Nazareth. This move was a fulfillment of the prophetic words, "He shall be called a Nazarene."

The Lion, The Ox, The Man, And The Eagle

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham (Matthew 1:1)

Matthew 1 begins with the genealogy of Jesus. The book of Matthew presents Jesus as the king of the Jews. It shows Him through this genealogy as the legal heir of the throne of David through Joseph.

 

All of the gospels depict Jesus differently. And here is the background. In the Old Testament tabernacle and temple stood the figure of the Cherubim. There were four faces on these Cherubim; the face of a lion; the face of an ox; the face of a man; and the face of an eagle. The early church fathers applied these four symbols to the four Gospels as they reveal different perspectives of Jesus’ life.

 

The Lion represents Jesus, the King of the Jews. The kingship of Jesus is the theme of the book of Matthew.

  

The ox represents Jesus as the suffering servant, and this is typified in the book of Mark. Mark represents Jesus as the worker, serving mankind by preaching, teaching, healing, and delivering people from satanic bondage.

  

The human face represents Jesus the son of man and He is typified in the book of Luke. In Luke we have a display of the humanity of Jesus and He is represented as the Son of man. Details of his birth are given in Luke, showing that He was both God and man. Mary clothed Jesus with a body of flesh so that He could identify with our weakness, show His strength, and set us free.

 

The face of the eagle on the cherubim represents Jesus’ Divinity. The gospel of John reveals Jesus as the Son of God. John looks at Jesus from the aspect of his Divine nature. In John we see Jesus as the Living Word, pre-existing the body that Mary gave Him. We see Him as the Son from eternity past who came to give us light and to set us free!

 

In the genealogy of Matthew 1, four women are mentioned that had nothing to do with God’s covenant with Abraham. Tamar and Rahab are mentioned and they were both prostitutes. Ruth is mentioned, and she is from the cursed race of the Moabites. Bathsheba is mentioned, and of course she is the woman who committed adultery with David.

 

Why did God add these women to the genealogy? I believe that He wanted us to know that we are accepted into the family of God regardless of our background. Jesus was a friend of sinners, and when He cleanses from sin, it is so thorough that He is glad to include us in His family tree!

  

Neither race, gender, social place, nor political persuasion can keep us from the love and forgiveness that Jesus offers if we will simply humble ourselves. He will be to us everything we need. The face of the lion, the ox, the man, and the eagle all represent the fact that Jesus came as the king; not too mighty or proud to work; willing to identify with our humanness; yet being Sovereign Deity who reigns over all.

 

As member of His body, let’s identify with Jesus and see every person through His eyes. Every person is precious to Him. He love and forgives if we simply yield and accept His freely given grace and mercy. Let’s look beyond the flesh when we see others, and place on them the value that God places on them. For God so loved the world!

The Word Of God Is Like A Flashlight On A Dark Night!

And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would go onward in all their journeys. But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not journey till the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the Lord was above the tabernacle by day, and fire was over it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys (Exodus 40:35-38).

Old Testament saints did not have the Holy Spirit living in them and guiding them as we do today. They had a cloud over the tabernacle that they followed by day and a fire over it by night. The tabernacle was where the presence of God remained. The cloud and the fire reminded them that they were not to go alone or just go as they pleased. They must wait and follow God’s direction by day with the cloud and at night by the fire.

Today, we are the tabernacle! We are where the Presence dwells. In our spirit dwells the Spirit of God. And we are to be led by the Spirit from the inside. The Holy Spirit guides us first of all through the Word and then through the witness of our human spirit as the Holy Spirit bears witness with the Word. The Word of God is like a flashlight on a dark night!

I see so many today that are making choices to do thing that directly contradict the Word! And then they say that the Lord led them to go that direction. It is absolute deception to do something that contradicts the Word. Some say, well, I have peace about it, and I going to do this way anyway!  Any peace that you have to do something that contradicts the Word is a false peace!  It’s a deception! This kind of peace is an emotional satisfaction that is separate from the peace that comes through obedience to the Word. To be led by the Holy Spirit means first of all to obey God’s Word. Obedience to the Word produces peace in our spirit. The moment we disobey the Word, we leave the Holy Spirit behind and follow our own way and lose the peace of God within.

Colossians 3:15 tells us to let the peace of God rule us as we make decisions. But the peace of God must be preceded by obedience to the Word or the peace is a false peace!    

 

Our cloud by day and fire by night is the witness of our human spirit to the Word and to the prompting of the Holy Spirit in obedience to the Word! Let’s determine today to be people of the Word!

Jesus Christ - The Center Of Everything

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross (Colossians 1:15-20).

 

Jesus Christ is the center of all that God has and is on earth and universe wide. He is before all things and in Him all things consist and are held together. History is really His Story!

 

Jesus looms larger than any problem you face today. In relationship with Him is the answer to every difficulty. He is to us the wisdom of God; He gives us the ability to stand before the Father boldly without sin; He removes bad habits from our souls and bodies by His Spirit through the Word; He has made provision for the healing of our bodies when we are physically attacked; He has completely bought us back from Satan’s legal dominion and has given us authority over Satan and his demons in The Name!

 

Begin and end your day with the Son of God. He is the Alpha and Omega. He will give you wisdom to face every obligation as a conqueror if you’ll submit moment by moment to His Lordship. Confess your failures if you sin today. His blood will cleanse you and bring back into sweet fellowship with the Father. Being separated from Him brings weakness. Walking with Him brings strength and vitality to spirit, soul, and body.

Remember that the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of Christ) lives inside of you. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring Me glory by telling you whatever He receives from me. All that belongs to the Father is Mine; this is why I said, The Spirit will tell you whatever He receives from Me ( John 16:13-15- NLT).

 

Let Jesus be the center of all that you think, say, and do today. In Him we live and move and have our being!

What Would Love Do?

Notice these translations of Matthew 24:12:

And the love of the great body of people will grow cold, because of multiplied lawlessness and iniquity ( Amplified)

For many others, the overwhelming spread of evil will do them in, nothing left of their love but a mound of ashes (Message Paraphrase).

And because of the prevailing disregard of God’s law the love of the great majority will grow cold (Williams).

There will be more and more evil in the world. So most believers will stop showing their love for each other (New Century).

For the Spirit of God to use us the way He desires in this day, it’s imperative that we walk in love. Love is the foundation of the kingdom of God, and is the force that moves us into being used in spiritual gifts by the Holy Spirit.

The harshness of the hour, the continual erosion of moral values, and the self-centered interests that pull us in every direction, tempt us to put a barrier of protection up around our lives. Instead of reaching out, the tendency is to close ourselves in and isolate. Let’s not let that happen!

 

This is the time for the church to shine! This is the moment that the Holy Spirit wants to manifest in an unhindered way to set people free. As we put love first, we open an avenue for the Spirit of God to speak to us and bring ministry to others.

Satan’s kingdom operates on fear, strife, envy, and selfishness. If Satan can keep believers from operating in love, he can quench spiritual manifestations. This must not be! Refuse to give place to the devil! Put love first in all your relationships. Ask yourself in every situation, what would love do?

Spiritual growth and love go hand in hand. Love is the first manifestation of the reborn human spirit. We know that we have passed from death to life because we love the brethren (1 John 3:14). The Father desires that we develop in love until it consumes us!

 

Love neutralizes Satan’s kingdom! Strife dies when love responds. Hatred, anger, and bitterness cannot do their work when love shows up. The Father is holding you personally responsible for the love atmosphere manifesting where you go today. In your home, at work, in the mall shopping, wherever you are, let love loose today!

Let’s not allow the ugliness of our times to harden us. We’re created to love!

Let The Holy Spirit Will Help You With Self-Control!

One of the fruit of the spirit that the Father has placed within us is self-control. In this age of looseness and excess, we have the ability to curb every human appetite and passion. Someone has said that true freedom only exists in restraint.

 

The highway of freedom has two ditches on either side. In one ditch is legalism, the excess of rigid and stringent laws and demands to curb behavior. In the other ditch is unbridled excessive living where any and everything is ok. A person who chooses to live without restraint will eventually become a slave to what he allows in excess. Ask the alcoholic, the drug addict, the gambler, or the sex addict how their life is going after a few years of unbridled living.

 

Every believer has to deal with excesses in the various areas of living. We must learn to exercise self-control in our entire being; spirit, soul, and body.

 

Our spirit lives must be guarded from excess. You’ve perhaps been around a person who is so heavenly minded that they are not easy to be around and are not practical enough to be effective. We must learn to be naturally spiritual, with our feet firmly on the ground while pursuing God in the balance of work, family, relationships, and church life.

 

We must be self-controlled in our mental life. Our spirit nature through the Word should rule our conduct. Giving the Word right of way is giving the human spirit right of way in life. The mind will seek to lead you into paths of wrong living every day. If you go there, it will cost you your peace and joy in the Lord. Learn to control your thoughts and not allow them to control you. I do this by meditating on a scripture when I have idle mental time.

 

Emotions can dominate unless you restrain them. Emotions in a healthy person are a result of thoughts. When you’ve feeling down or blue, check up on what you’ve been thinking about.  Thoughts fuel emotions. To change emotion, redirect your thoughts. When I was young my emotions ruled me. Life was a roller coaster. I learned to value the Word over feelings and I learned to force my mind away from negative things by consciously choosing to think on scripture instead of the negative event from past or present.

 

The will must also be harnessed. Stubbornness is expensive. It costs in relationships, work, family, and in your relationship with the Father. We must choose to daily take up our cross, yielding our will and our bodies to the Father.

It goes without saying that the appetites of the body must be restrained and controlled.  Negative physical habits are a challenge to break, and the body is constantly tempted to excess by the world and the devil, and by previous indulgences in life before you were born again.

 

Deal sternly with your body and refuse to be its slave! Control it or it will control you! Fasting is a great aid in controlling the flesh. Keeping the mind free of vice and filled with the Word of God is really the best way to control the flesh, since thoughts, both conscious and subconscious, rule life.

 

The Father has placed the seed of self-control in your spirit. Self-contol is God strength, God ability. By faith, humble yourself before the Father today, and ask for self-control in your areas of excess in life. He stands ready and waiting for your permission!

 

I’ll leave you today with  several translations of 1 Corinthians 9:27, where Paul mentioned his challenge with his own flesh:

 

But [like a boxer] I buffet my body [handle it roughly, discipline it by hardships] and subdue it, for fear that after proclaiming to others the Gospel and things pertaining to it, I myself should become unfit [not stand the test, be unapproved and rejected as a counterfeit] (Amplified).

I am my body’s sternest master, for fear that when I have preached to others I should myself be disqualified (J.B. Phillips).

But I discipline my body and make it serve me, so that, while I am preaching to others, I myself may not be disqualified (Berkeley).

But I keep on beating and bruising my body and making it my slave, so that I, after I have summoned others to the race, may not myself become unfit to run (Williams). Like an athlete I punish my body, treating it roughly, training it to do what it should, not what it wants to. Otherwise I fear that after enlisting others for the race, I myself might be declared unfit and ordered to stand aside (Living).

But I hit hard and straight at my own body and lead it off into slavery, lest possibly, after I have been a herald to others, I should myself be rejected (Weymouth).

But I beat my body black and blue and make it my abject slave lest somehow, when I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified [from further Christian service] (Wuest).