Help Me Understand: Spiritual Warfare—The Flesh
Although we are Christians, we still struggle with sin in our flesh (Galatians 5:17-21). If we live according to the flesh we will reap dead works.
Seek His Word to learn His heart.
A tragic accident takes a husband from his family. The unexpected loss of a job leaves parents and children fearful and without provision. A young woman continues to wait for marriage, but each of her boyfriends says he still needs more time.
Sometimes we have the idea that if we just knew what direction to take, following God would be easier. But it never seems to work that way. How is God operating in our lives? Can we really know His will, and, if so, how can we know it? These resources are designed to help guide you as you seek to know and follow God’s will for your life.
Although we are Christians, we still struggle with sin in our flesh (Galatians 5:17-21). If we live according to the flesh we will reap dead works.
Honesty is the quality of being genuine and uncorrupted. And from that core, like the trunk of a tree, it branches three ways.
Though we're in the world, our battle is not to be like it. Worldliness means loving the values and pursuits of the world. It means gratifying and putting oneself first to the exclusion of God and His rule over our lives.
For the rest of the missions trip, I thought about Jesus' ministry and the compassion He must have felt for the many people He encountered. People He taught, healed, and those who desperately cried out to Him.
But it was like something out of a horror movie at first. Then I thought, Well, make the most of it. So I did. Sometimes the only thing I can control is my outlook. My response. This was definitely one of those times.
We can use a lot of energy and resources in our lives to build up our internal sense of worth or to form an identity for ourselves. Who we believe we are defines how we behave.
Do we plan and make provision or do we just wing it, and hope for the best? Do I buy insurance or instead rely on faith that the Lord will provide? What about planning for the days when I no longer work and have an income?
Humans are designed to plan, but our knowledge is limited. We can trust that God is preparing things in ways we can't imagine, and we can trust Him with our future.
God is more concerned about our hearts and our being, more than He is about our doing—who we are as opposed to what we do. That sounds pretty radical.
I want to pass along some thoughts by way of four simple reminders. Let's call them “commandments,” which apply to anyone graduating—as well as to those of us who graduated years ago.