(5) James 1:15 - Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death
(6) Philippians 3:20-21 - For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.
4. Live & Grow
You are now born again and you must now live and grow in this new lease of life that you have received because God loves you. You live in enemy territory. The world you live in is contrary to God but you are here for a purpose. The enemy works tirelessly to disconnect you from God and make you forfeit God’s gift of love; salvation(1). You now need to learn to survive in enemy territory.
The key hear is to know that when you became born again, you became alive in Spirit. Now, you must feed your spirit so that it will remain alive and grow in God. The stronger your spirit’s connection is with the Holy Spirit of God, the easier it becomes to live a Godly life in this carnal minded world.
The Oxford Dictionary describes the word ‘carnal’ as being ‘of the body or flesh and not spiritual’. By this we can understand that ‘carnal’ and ‘spiritual’ are two states of being that are in contrast to each other. So, one can be carnal in thought or spiritual in thought. One can be driven by carnal desires and another by spiritual desires. The carnal is contrary to the spiritual.
Therefore, our physical bodies are carnal and our spirits (which are now alive and operational) are spiritual yet a human being has a spirit, a body and a soul. So you can imagine that there will be conflict within a human being where a carnal body and a spiritual spirit are combined. Naturally the stronger will dominate the other. The good news is that you and I have a say in which one can become the stronger one – but let me warn you on the onset that a bit of effort is required in this regard.
When we read the book of Romans in the Bible, we see Paul express the turmoil within himself(2). In verse 23 of chapter 7, Paul states that the law in his members (body) is warring against the law of his mind (spirit). There is a point to note here. Before looking at how to survive in enemy territory, we need to first focus on how to strengthen our spirit(3) because by doing so, we are enabled to understand the things of God and prevail over our carnal or fleshly desires which are contrary to God.
It is very important to note here that the benefit of strengthening the spirit also transcends to the physical as well. There are millions if not billions in the world that are slaves to their carnal desires; these are called addictions and are not limited to food only but let me take sugar addiction as an example because I myself suffered from it. People get addicted to sugar because of the taste and the little boost of energy one gets after consuming something sweet. I used to find myself craving for something sweet even after a good meal. In my experience, no matter how full I was, I didn’t feel full until I had eaten something sweet. For me, sugar was like the morning coffee that some cannot do without. The worse part was that I knew that I was consuming way too much sugar in my diet and I knew what the consequences could turn out to be. I knew I had to overcome it and I had the desire to do so. Every morning I would resolve to not give-in to the urge of eating a sweet but when the moment of truth came, I failed miserably. Then I felt depressed and reached out for double the amount of sugar in order to feel better. It was a vicious cycle. I even prayed but there was no change and this puzzled me. How could I not control what I put into my body? The simple answer is this; my spirit was too weak to overcome my flesh. My fleshly desire won over my will because my flesh was stronger and more dominant. This only meant that I had not fed my spirit enough that it may survive and grow strong.
If your spirit is hungry, you must feed it. Through feeding your spirit, you can and will overcome your flesh. How can you feed your spirit? Jesus has the answer: “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”(4) The answer is the Word of God. The Bible contains the word of God(5) in literal form but every word is life to your spirit. The more you read the Bible and meditate on what you read, the more you feed your spirit and the stronger your spirit becomes.
Reading the word of God or the Bible on a daily basis is a ‘must do’ for someone who desires a walking talking relationship with God. The benefits and gain are so much that it cannot be quantified or put into words. Internally, when your spirit grows stronger and becomes dominant, you will be able to overcome your internal battles and externally, when the enemy throws various trials and temptations your way and your flesh is ready to give-in, your spirit along with the Spirit of God will battle and overcome and you will be preserved as holy. If your spirit is not fed, it will die and that connection with God will be blocked. Again, I say this because at one point in my life, I struggled to reach God. This was after I had become born again but work and everything around me took up all my time and I failed to sit at the feet of the Lord every morning as had been my practice for years. During this time, I managed to gain a significant amount of weight, squander all my savings, cause damage to a few important relationships, become extremely irritable, depressed, frustrated, lose hope and given up. God was there, He hadn`t gone away but my spirit was dying and I couldn`t connect with God Who is a Spirit.
Meditating on God`s word daily, will enable you to live and grow in the spirit. It is your strategy for survival and victory while in enemy territory.
Notes & Bible Verses
(1) 1Peter 5:8 - Be sober, be vigilant; because[a] your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
(2) Romans 7:23 - 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.
(3) 1Corinthians 2:12-16 - Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
(4) Mathew 4:1-4 - Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’
(5) 2Timothy 3:15 - All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness
5. Work-In-Progress
There is one fact that you and I must always keep in mind and that is that we are all ‘work-in- progress’ for as long as we are on this earth. Other than Jesus Christ Himself, no one who has walked on this earth in the flesh is without sin(1). Yes, our goal is to be holy because our God is holy(2) but we cannot achieve 100% holiness while on earth – God Himself confirms this by His word.
My walking-talking relationship with God was interrupted on many occasions because of the inconsistences of my emotions, moods, commitments etc. This is normal for a human being who has lived in sin. Despite the fact that I now consciously chose to live a life that glorifies God, sin tries to enslave me every now and then. Among the various strategies the devil had used to disrupt my walk with God is guilt.
As I began to walk with God and get to know Him more and more, my love for Him kept on growing. What made me love Him the most was the way He loved m
e; unconditionally. He was concerned about me and He expressed it in many ways and God became more real and alive to me than some of the people that I could see and touch. I so wanted to please Him and the love that I had for Him was such that I didn’t want to hurt Him because I couldn’t bare it. Such was my love for God.
Now you might think that it is good to love God – yes it indeed is. Yet, the love that I loved Him with was an earthly kind of love. It was a love where I had to give in order to receive. If I failed Him in any way, it would mean that I didn’t love Him enough to keep myself from sin. This was how I felt constantly.
Naturally, I committed sin no matter how strongly I resolved not to and when I did, I didn’t have the courage to go before God because I felt that I had betrayed Him. When I sinned, I became guild stricken and my guilt(3) kept me from going before the Lord and receiving the forgiveness that He has already set aside for me. I forewent what was already mine by giving into guilt which was pushed my way by the devil.
The two main mistakes that I made was to liken the love between God and myself to an earthly relationship and then secondly to give in to the feeling of guilt which is offered by the devil and not by God.
When you commit a sin, yes you will be sad but don’t let that sadness lead to guilt and then moving away from God but let that sadness turn into repentance and draw you nearer to God. Satan is the accuser(4) and what he wants to do is to accuse you of betraying God push you into guilt which leads to spiritual death through a distancing from God.
Remember that Jesus came for sinners(5). So, each time the devil accuses you of being a sinner, remind him that Jesus came for you and that with every new day that dawns, God’s mercies towards you are renewed(6).
Remember Daniel(7) from the Bible? Although the king commanded that Daniel and his friends be given a portion of the king’s delicacies as part of their preparation to serve as the king’s officials, Daniel purposed in his heart that he will not do anything that will cause him to be defiled. God blessed Daniel in his decision and rewarded Daniel greatly that the others too followed his course of action. Similarly, God looks at your heart. Determine in your heart to do what is right in God’s eyes and He will give you the strength and wisdom you need to overcome temptation. If you fail, repent and go before the Lord and ask Him for forgiveness. Remember that for as long as you are on this earth in the flesh, you are work in progress.
It is important to note here that you and I are not the only work in progress but everyone else in the world is work in various stages of progress so God calls us to be merciful to others. For me, forgiving those who have hurt me has been the highest hurdle to get over. Often God would nudge me and remind me that I have to forgive a certain person and I would put off dealing with the issue. God would patiently remind me that when I forgive, I am released and ready to be blessed. Remember that forgiving others does more for you than for those you forgive. I even recall listening to a sermon where the preacher said that the greatest weapon that he used against all the people that the devil used against him was forgiveness.
God’s Kingdom operates on love that is expressed much through forgiveness. Jesus explained this concept to His disciples using a parable(8). We have been forgiven much and God forgives us on a daily basis – therefore you and I have no right to hold bitter thoughts against others that Jesus died to set free. Don’t feel hopeless at this point. I admit that it is easier said than done by far. I’ve spent months weeping and struggling with my emotions to forgive certain people in my life. Mothers will know what I mean when I say that it is like going through child birth. You carry something so heavy for so long and your life is nothing close to normal when you carry this weight. When the time comes for you to let it go, it is not an easy process, there is pain, there are tears but when you finally deliver, you are at peace. For me, forgiving has been like childbirth and there are still some people that I am struggling to forgive but by the grace of God, I will do it because Christ lives in me and if I can do it, so can you.
When we don’t forgive, we are also guilty of judging others. When we judge others, we bring judgment upon ourselves(9). Judging is God’s job. God judges because there is no sin whatsoever in Him but we who are sinners cannot judge other sinners and we who stand to judge others seriously overstep our boundaries and venture out to God’s territory. The best thing is to let God do what He specializes in doing and ask the Holy Spirit to help us to forgive and let go.
You and I are work in progress. Pastors are work in progress, our parents, teachers and relatives are work in progress. No one is complete. In fact, now might be a good time to turn and look back at our lives and ask the Holy Spirit to help us forgive those who we have not been able to forgive. When I was a child, my mother was my biggest hero. But in my teenage years I saw her many flaws and was in a sense disappointed that she was not the perfect person I thought she was. My mother wasn’t a typical mother who’d stay at home and cook etc. she was a career woman. So, in a sense I was bitter towards her for not being around too much. It was only I became a mother myself that I realized that when one becomes a mother, the earth doesn’t shake and something doesn’t snap inside of you and you don’t suddenly become the epitome of perfection. I had this tiny little baby boy to care for and I was still me – I had no idea about how to raise a child. My mother by the way did a great job as a mom because she did her best. She would never give-up no matter what troubles came her way. I wouldn’t be where I am today if not for God’s blessing of my mother in my life. When I became a mother, I forgave her for the flaws that I thought she had because I learnt that she just like me is; work in progress.
Perfection is not something that you and I can achieve in this life-time, so don’t be too hard on yourself if you make mistakes. God is a righteous Judge who shows no partiality so you and I are in the right hands. Just this morning I read in the book of Corinthians Paul says that he does not even judge himself (10) and I think it is a good principal to live by. But you might wonder if that means we could do just about anything that we want and feel like doing. Don’t forget that God judges the heart(11)/(12).
Notes & Bible Verses
(1) Romans 3:23 - for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
(2) 1Peter 1:16 - because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
(3) 2Corinthians 7:9-10 - Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance for you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.
(4) Revelations 12:10 - Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.
(5) Mathew 2:17 - When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
(6) Lamentations 3:22-23 - Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.
(7) Daniel 1:8-16 - But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. Now God had brought Daniel into the favor and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs. And the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who has appointed your food and drink. For why should he see your faces looking worse than the young men who are your age? Then you would endanger my head before the king.” So Daniel said to the steward[a] whom the chief of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,“Please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance be exam
ined before you, and the appearance of the young men who eat the portion of the king’s delicacies; and as you see fit, so deal with your servants.” So he consented with them in this matter, and tested them ten days. And at the end of ten days their features appeared better and fatter in flesh than all the young men who ate the portion of the king’s delicacies. Thus the steward took away their portion of delicacies and the wine that they were to drink, and gave them vegetables.
(8) Mathew 18:24-33 - And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. “But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ So his fellow servant fell down at his feet[a] and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’[b] And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’