We
all struggle with temptation and will continue to battle the beast within for
as long as we abide in our bodies that are tainted by the curse of sin. Look at
a passage we examined earlier from Romans 7:18-25
18 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.
19 For the good that I would I do
not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
20 Now if I do that I would not, it
is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
21 I find then a law, that, when I
would do good, evil is present with me.
22 For I delight in the law of God
after the inward man:
23 But I see another law in my
members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to
the law of sin which is in my members.
24 O wretched man that I am! who
shall deliver me from the body of this death?
25 I thank God through Jesus Christ
our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the
flesh the law of sin.
This should be a great encouragement to us as individual
Christians. The apostle Paul who wrote two-thirds of the New Testament lamented
over the sin abiding in his flesh which continuously warred against his mind to
bring him back into bondage to the flesh. Regardless of how deep your faith
grows and how mature you grow in Christ, your flesh will continue to war
against your mind and attempt to draw you back to walk according to the flesh.
Most people try to overcome the flesh by our efforts in the flesh but this can
only provide temporary success and is limited to human ability. Truly
overcoming is to live according to the inner man created in Christ who is born
after the Spirit[1]. Look at
Jesus’ statement in John 3:
6 That which is born of
the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Those who try to overcome the flesh by the flesh are
fighting a losing battle for you can not produce anything spiritual by efforts
of the flesh. Earlier we looked at the passages that tell us that all our
righteous acts in the flesh are filthy rags in God’s sight[2],
all the good produced by the wicked is sin[3],
and whatever is not of faith is sin[4].
Faith is of the Spirit and only that which is born of the Spirit can produce
any righteousness for righteousness is of the Spirit. We cannot overcome
temptation by sheer resistance. Man can curb certain behaviors; however, if our
life is still lived according to the flesh, we profit nothing. The Bible tells
us how to overcome in this basic passage from Galatians 5:
16 This I say then,
Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
I would like to compare this to what is taught in Romans 8:11-14
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.
12 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.
If you walk in the Spirit you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh, but if you live after the flesh you will die for the wages of sin is death[5]. The key is to get out of the flesh and walk according to the Spirit. Only then do we have the promise that the Spirit of God within us will quicken us (or give us life) through Christ Jesus. Our flesh is dying day by day, but we are renewed daily in the Spirit[6].
Our
human nature is to hide from God each time we sin and recognize our violations
against God. Look at Adam and Eve. Before their sin, they had fellowship with
God but once they sinned, they hid themselves when they heard the voice of God.
Our natural reaction is to do the same thing. When we know we are not right
with God, we want to run from God as we are driven by guilt. Look at the lives
of people who drop out of church. I have heard many say that they will come to
church after they get their lives in order. This is because they know they have
guilt and they also know that hearing the word of God exposes that guilt. This
is explained in John 3:19-21
19 And this is the condemnation,
that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light,
because their deeds were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil
hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be
reproved.
21 But he that doeth truth cometh
to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in
God.
The flesh always runs from the light and if you are in a church where the scriptures are fully taught, it will expose your sin. If you spend time in the word, the word of God will expose your sin. When our lives are not right with God we will either change or put away the scriptures. I have found that in my own life, my times of struggling are short-lived because the word corrects. The Bible tells us that it corrects, rebukes, instructs, and teaches us doctrine. Christians that have this as part of their daily lives have a means of constant course correction for the word continuously reveals the way we should go as it exposes our ways when we stray. There is no guilt unless we reject repentance. Repentance simply means to turn from our own ways and follow the ways of God.
Guilt is highly misunderstood among Christians. Since God’s people do not recognize the value of holiness and the joy and fulfillment it brings in our lives, the idea of hearing a convicting scripture or a sermon that convicts our hearts is viewed as negative and discouraging. People look for those who only preach feel good messages thinking that it will bring a sense of fulfillment, but it is conviction and our response to the word that truly makes us feel good when we turn and give our failure to God. Candy from the pulpit may seem sweet, but it does little to build a healthy spiritual life. An immature Christian is very much like an immature child. If you give a child the choice of eating only what they want, all kids will head straight for the dessert and will shun the foods that have nutrition. In the short term they are very happy as they freely consume only what they want, but it would not be long before their happiness will fail as their health begins to deteriorate. Anyone who has been nurtured properly will eat healthy food because they recognize the value of a healthy diet.
A mature Christian recognizes the value of the whole counsel of God because they see the value of a healthy spiritual life founded upon the word of God. It is the responsibility of those who have matured in the faith to provide healthy nurturing to babes in Christ and not just the things that a child in the faith demands. When my older children were very young, they thought my wife and I were mean to them because we did not give them what they wanted but forced them to eat the things they needed. You will see the same thing among those who are weak in faith. Those who preach and teach the word will be called mean spirited by those who are self seeking and too immature to discern the difference between what makes them feel good and what is truly good. Just because a child does not recognize the love of a parent does not negate the responsibility to do what is right and the same is true in church leadership. Just because those immature in the faith do not recognize the value of truth does not negate the responsibilities that God has placed on those He has called to nurture others into a walk of faith.
Convicting
scriptures are necessary for they reveal to us the things that profit our
spiritual lives. Conviction only makes us feel bad when we don’t want to let go
of our own ways in the flesh. Feel good messages only make us feel good as long
as we do not see a clear need in our life that reveals our dependence on God.
Conviction reveals our need for God and His call to surrender the areas of our
life that hinder our spiritual walk. To hide from conviction does not change
the need, but resistance to the call of the Spirit does create feelings of
guilt. If we feel guilt when we hear or think upon the word, we should examine
our lives and see if we are truly surrendering to the will of the Lord. Not all
feelings of guilt are legitimate for the Bible says that Satan is the accuser
of the brethren. The devil will manipulate you into an unhealthy emotional response
when he has the opportunity to do so; however, we must not measure our lives
with emotions. Consider this passage from 1 John 3:18-21
18 My little children, let us not
love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
19 And hereby we know that we are
of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.
20 For if our heart condemn us, God
is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us
not, then have we confidence toward God.
This is an important passage for it reveals how we deal with guilt. The first principle is that we assure our hearts before God by living according to the truth of His word. We do not gain assurance by our words for there are many who use religious talk but have little power in their lives. We know that we are in the truth when our deeds or actions are based on the truth of the word of God. Living in confidence is not just talking the talk. Living in confidence is not just deeds or religious acts. Confidence comes from becoming a doer of the word of God. We hear the word and obey out of a heart of faith. Good deeds are a part of the picture, but the foundation of our good deeds must first come from a life that is surrendered to the Lord.
Obeying the word in our own lives must be first before we can apply good deeds to the lives of others. If we are assured by obeying the Lord by faith, then we can also have the confidence to deal with guilt. There will be times when feelings of guilt will arise even when we are living by faith and walking in the Spirit. This is the flesh rising up and warring against our minds. However, if we are firmly grounded in the word then we cast our confidence on the Lord knowing that He is greater than our hearts. We then walk by faith even when feelings challenge our faith. When we act according to the truth of the word, it will not be long before these unwarranted emotions lose their grip and then we will have confidence toward God even in our emotions.
The point in the passage above is that emotions are not the driving force in our lives. Sometimes emotions are irrational, but other times they are indicators that something is right or wrong. When we have feelings of guilt, we examine our lives and through the word we either discover something is wrong or we discover that emotions are being deceptive. Emotions are also deceptive when we feel good about doing something that is harmful. All feelings and emotions must be examined by the light of God’s word and only then can we have confidence toward God in all things.
Many
struggle unnecessarily with guilt because they think of God as an angry judge
who rages against us each time we sin. The flesh provokes us continuously as it
wars to bring us back into captivity through our minds; however, we have a wonderful
promise given to us in 1 John 1:6-10
6 If we say that we have fellowship
with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
7 But if we walk in the light, as
he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus
Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we
deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not
sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Since
we are imperfect and human, we will sin. There is a difference in walking in
darkness and committing a sin. If we live for the flesh we have the curse of
the flesh. It is not God who is judging us; it is the consequences of sin.
There will be a Day of Judgment and even the Christian will give an account for
everything done in their bodies[7].
We also know that the Lord chastises those who belong to Him for the purpose of
correcting their behavior in order to lead them into the right way. Even so,
before we stand before Christ we must complete our walk in this life and sin
has consequences long before we stand before God. The wages of sin is death and
we reap what we sow. Look at Galatians 6:
8 For he that soweth to his flesh
shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of
the Spirit reap life everlasting.
God chastises us so that we do not reap corruption. The works of the flesh must be removed so that the fruit of the Spirit can grow. Jesus warned that many would receive the word but it would be choked in their lives so that they will not be fruitful. What we sow in our lives is what will grow in our lives. We have seen the scriptures warning that if we live according to the flesh we will die and the promise that if we walk in the Spirit we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. We think of the lust of the flesh as sensuality or greed, but it is more than this. Look at hatred, malice and envy. The Bible warns us not to avenge ourselves for it is God who will either avenge or draw others to repentance. Bitterness and hatred are lusts of the flesh, for it is our flesh attempting to satisfy itself by avenging ourselves upon those we feel have wronged us. When we feel wronged, our human nature attempts to draw us into the flesh with the promise that we will feel satisfied with vengeance. We think that getting someone back will gratify our lives in some way and so we submit ourselves into the flesh to fulfill our lust for revenge.
Have
you ever met anyone who had a fulfilled life that took vengeance into their own
hands? I have met people who have been severely wronged and their bitterness
has destroyed them. Their lives are consumed with hateful passion and they are
miserable. Every lust of the flesh promises satisfaction but delivers
corruption and self-destruction. The only pleasure in temptation is the pursuit
of the temptation based on the hope of satisfaction. In the end it is always
emptiness, vanity and sorrow. The curse of sin itself delivers destruction even
before we stand in front of the Judgment seat of Christ. The truth is that God
has established the blessing and the curse from the beginning as described in Deuteronomy 11:26-28
26 Behold, I set before you this
day a blessing and a curse;
27 A blessing, if ye obey the
commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day:
28 And a curse, if ye will not obey
the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which I
command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.
Anything that turns us out of the way is idolatry for we must exalt things and desires over God in order to pursue them. Those who pursue the flesh are walking in the curse and will reap its consequences. Those who walk in the Spirit are also walking in the blessing for all good things are found in an abiding relationship with Christ. When we sin, we confess our sins, turn from them by forsaking them, walk in fellowship with our Savior and are cleansed by His blood of all our unrighteousness. Righteousness is not something we produce nor is it something we possess of ourselves. Righteousness if found in the presence of God and as we draw near to Him, we abide in His righteousness and by faith His righteousness is credited to us.
This is why there is no guilt when we are walking in the Spirit. All our flesh is corrupt for even our good works are counted as sin according to the scriptures. We put levels on sin, but in truth, anything in the flesh is of the flesh and is destined to reap corruption. Confidence can only be found in an abiding relationship with Christ. Guilt is the result of our rejection of the conviction of the Holy Spirit or being drawn back into the flesh to revisit the graveyard of our buried sins. We often have trouble accepting the fact that we are forgiven when we don’t understand that we are putting off the flesh and no longer carry this burden.
Let’s take a moment to look at Galatians 5:19-23
19 Now the works of the
flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness
[moral impurity], lasciviousness [lewdness or unbridled lust],
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred,
variance [contentions or fightings], emulations [contentious rivalry or
jealousy], wrath [boiling outbursts of anger], strife [a desire to put one's
self forward], seditions [creating dissentions], heresies [following teachings
arising from one’s own opinion or the opinion of a sect],
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness,
revellings [carousing in a half-drunken state], 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
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against
such there is no law.
Some
of these works are described in words not common in our everyday language. I
have put in brackets the definition of the original Greek word in order to
clarify what is being said. In this passage the Bible is drawing a comparison
between the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit. The works of the
flesh do not produce fruit, but corruption and death. Look at Romans 6:21-23
21 What fruit had ye then in those
things whereof ye are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.
22 But now being made free from
sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end
everlasting life.
23 For the wages of sin is death;
but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The flesh cannot produce good for only God can produce
anything of eternal value. Through the flesh we reap corruption and ultimately
death, but through the Spirit we see eternal fruit in our lives in this world
and in our eternal inheritance. The Spirit produces fruit but the flesh
produces the wages of sin. We must recognize the works of the flesh for they
are indicative of our current spiritual condition. When we feel drawn toward
lust, it reveals to us that we are being drawn from our walk in the Spirit and
toward the desires of the flesh. When we are fighting wrath and outbursts of
anger, this reveals to us that we have been drawn into the flesh. It is not
possible to walk in the Spirit and in the flesh at the same time. When we are
immature in the faith, we will find ourselves being drawn toward the flesh
continuously, but as we grow spiritually, we will begin to resist the urges of
the flesh as we begin to consistently walk in the Spirit. As we walk in an
abiding fellowship with Christ, we will see the fruit of the Spirit beginning
to emerge in our lives. We do not overcome by resistance or by efforts of the
flesh, but by submitting ourselves to God. Look at this passage from James 4:7-10
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Draw nigh to God, and he will
draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your
hearts, ye double minded.
9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep:
let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
10 Humble yourselves in the sight
of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
I know we have already looked at this earlier in a previous
section, but it is beneficial to review this again here. Notice that the key to
overcoming temptation is not to resist, but to submit ourselves to God. Our
resistance to temptation comes after our submission. Most reverse this and tray
to overcome by resisting as though we have the power to make ourselves holy. We
submit ourselves and draw near to God and He draws us near to Him which removes
us from temptation. The devil does not flee because we are resisting him, but
because we are drawing near to our Savior. I am going to use a lot of scripture
here so we can see the larger picture of overcoming temptation in our lives.
Most people want to blame Satan when they struggle in their flesh, but
temptation is our desires meeting opportunity. Look at James 1:14-17
14 But every man is
tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
15 Then when lust hath conceived,
it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
16 Do not err, my beloved brethren.
17 Every good gift and every
perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with
whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
It is your own lustful desires that entice you. This is true
whether your flesh is lusting after sensuality, greed, selfish ambition,
wanting revenge or any other work of the flesh. It is your flesh that craves
sin and we bear the blame when we submit ourselves to the flesh to fulfill its
lust. Satan is bound by the will of God and is limited as to what He can do to
those who are walking in the Spirit. Remember Job. Job walked in obedience and
righteousness and Satan had to gain permission to test Job. Satan tested but
through faith, God sustained him so that he did not fall. Our problem is often
caused because we are not walking in obedience. Those who live in the flesh are
captive to the flesh and unable to restrain their passions. Our flesh must be
put to death in order to break the bondage of sin. Look at Colossians 3:5-6
5 Mortify therefore your
members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate
affection, evil concupiscence [cravings and desire for sin], and covetousness,
which is idolatry:
6 For which things' sake the wrath
of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
To mortify means to put to death. This is not an act of the
will, but dying to our will and submitting to God. This is further explained in
the passage we looked at earlier from Romans 8:
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.
It is through the Spirit that we put our flesh to
death. It is not your efforts, but your submission. Most make the mistake of
thinking that they must get their will in line with God’s will, but this is the
wrong focus. The will has its foundation in the flesh and human nature and the
Bible says the flesh wars against the Spirit and these two can never agree[8]. We
must stop trying to redeem the flesh and start putting it to death through the
Spirit. Jesus even gave us an example on this topic. Look at Luke 22:40-43
40 And when he was at the place, he
said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.
41 And he was withdrawn from them
about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,
42 Saying, Father, if thou be
willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.
This prayer was the preparation for the arrest
that would lead to the crucifixion of Christ. Jesus testified that the way to
obedience is to submit to the will of the Father. Though Jesus was in the form
of God, He humbled Himself and came in the likeness of men according to
Philippians 2:5-8. Also look at this passage from Hebrews 5:7-8
7 Who in the days of his flesh,
when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears
unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;
8 Though he were a Son, yet learned
he obedience by the things which he suffered;
If Jesus had to learn obedience by putting His
flesh under subjection, dying to His own will and submitting to the will of the
Father, what does that tell us about our own will? Jesus had to learn obedience
even while He was without sin. How much more true is that to us who have a
natural bent toward rebellion? Jesus learned obedience by facing the agony of
the cross. He knew what suffering He was to endure and agonized over the dread
of having to face it. Even though He did not want to go there, He put down His
own will to obey the will of the Father. Let us look at this in more detail
from this passage in Matthew 26:
39 And he went a little
further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be
possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
40 And he cometh unto the
disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not
watch with me one hour?
41 Watch and pray, that ye enter
not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
42 He went away again the second
time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me,
except I drink it, thy will be done.
43 And he came and found them
asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.
44 And he left them, and went away
again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.
I wanted to view this in more detail through
Matthew’s account so we can see the example for our own lives. Notice the first
prayer was to ask to be delivered from what He knew was His purpose. Throughout
His ministry Jesus foretold of His death on the cross, so this was not a sudden
realization. However, when going to the cross became eminent, the flesh rose up
to draw Him to follow the will of the flesh. The flesh always seeks to fulfill
the flesh. The cross is the death of the flesh. His first prayer is influenced
by the cry of the flesh, but He still surrendered His will to the Father.
Through this prayer He received strength. The second and third prayer still
acknowledged His dread of the cross, but was focused on the will of the Father.
The first prayer was focused on deliverance, but after surrendering His will
the prayer shifted to the Father’s will with the hope of deliverance being a
secondary concern.
Jesus made it clear that the spirit is willing but
the flesh is weak. If Jesus had to surrender His will in order to overcome the
flesh, we know that this applies to our lives in the Spirit as well. After
surrendering His will, He was strengthened and after we surrender our will we
also are strengthened. The strength of the Christian life comes from above, not
from our will. We are overcomers by surrendering our will to the will of the
Father as we submit ourselves to Him. The power of faith is only discovered
after we rest our hope on His word. When we put our trust in the Lord through
faith then we receive grace to empower us to overcome as God sends us strength
from above. Look at Romans 5:1-6
Therefore being justified by faith, we have
peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
2 By whom also we have access by
faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of
God.
3 And not only so, but we
glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
4 And patience, experience; and
experience, hope:
5 And hope maketh not ashamed;
because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is
given unto us.
6 For when we were yet without
strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
Grace is given to us while we are without strength
and through the grace of God we have the power to overcome. The good news of
the gospel is that where sin abounds, grace even more abounds[9].
Grace is the unmerited favor of God given to us through faith in Christ. The
depth of our sin does not limit the grace of God for the flesh is defeated when
we lay down our lives in Christ. I once read a book that stated that if grace
is taught the way it should be, it should almost sound like a license to sin.
Nothing could be farther from the truth. Look at Romans 6:1-4
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in
sin, that grace may abound?
2 God forbid. How shall we, that
are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
3 Know ye not, that so many of us
as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
4 Therefore we are buried with him
by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the
glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
The
message of grace is that while we are without strength to pull ourselves out of
our bondage to sin, God showed us favor without any merit of our own, pulled us
out of the mire of our sins and set us upon the rock of Christ so that we are
now free to live in the Spirit. Grace rescues us from sin; it does not pay us
visits while we remain in the mire. Grace is God taking sinful mankind, making
us righteous and bringing us into fellowship with Him where only the holy can
abide, and this is done without any works on our part; however, we cannot
receive the holiness of God while clinging to the passions of lust and holding
on to sin. Grace is not merely repeated forgiveness while we live in the mire,
but restoring us to God and making us righteous by faith without any human
effort or merit from works. Psalm 40:2-3 gives a wonderful description of grace:
2 He brought me up also out of an
horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established
my goings.
3 And he hath put a new song in my
mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and
shall trust in the LORD.
The true message of faith is that God does not leave us in the mire, but redeems us and rescues us from the pit of sin from which we cannot escape and then establishes our goings on the path of life. The efforts of man are futile for redemption and deliverance are only through the hand of the Lord. Our song is praise for our escape through His mighty works. True guilt is left behind when we are pulled from the mire of our own sin.
Can anyone call God’s deliverance from the mire of sin a negative message? Only those who are blind to the fact that they are sinking in the mire will cherish the pit and rage against those who proclaim our deliverance from it. Comforting others while they remain in the mire is not the good news for they continue to sink even while they are soothed by words meant to encourage them. When we recognize that sin is the mire and we must be delivered from it in order to live, we will also recognize that the word of truth is good news indeed.
Eddie Snipes
Exchanged Life Outreach
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