Thursday, May 16th, 2024
As I was writing the last blog I found myself wanting to add in more regarding how we view our flesh, but it felt worthy of a separate blog. So here we go. In the battle to keep our spirit ruling over our flesh it is tempting to see our flesh as the enemy. If we travel too far down this road however, we may end up with a different set of issues. While our flesh is not yet perfected and prone to sin, we must remember who we are made in the image of. Genesis 1:27 says:
27 So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
Let us never get to a place where we curse something made in the image of God, whether someone else or ourselves. God loves us the same no matter our past or our present. He created us because He loves us; He loves us because He created us. He knows our weaknesses and in fact He celebrates them because He knows that this is where His strength can shine through the greatest. Instead of getting frustrated with our weaknesses and thinking these are the places that are holding us back, we need to thank God for who He made us to be and trust that He will use every part of our lives to author an amazing story.
Another scripture that God keeps reminding me of is Ephesians 6:12:
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
This is just as relevant in our imperfect relationships with others as it is with our view of ourselves. We are not wrestling against our mind, our feeble bodies or our broken hearts. Our battle is with the enemy that is trying to use these things to get us to doubt God or the plans that He has for us. When I find myself on shaky ground it’s scriptures like these that I start to declare: I have the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16), God is trading my stony heart for a heart of flesh (Ez. 36:26), Lord, when I am weak You are strong (2 Cor. 12:10), I am fearfully and wonderfully made (Ps. 139:14), or God has not given me a spirit of fear, but a sound mind (2 Tim. 1:7). It’s here that we strengthen our soul and tell the enemy to flee.
Final Thoughts…
Getting our flesh to submit to its rightful place of authority reminds me of how we have to train up our children. If we think we are going to win our battles by fighting and striving against them, it isn’t going to happen. The words we say will get glossed over by the harshness in our tone and our unloving body language. They need to be encouraged and strengthened by the truths found in God’s word. They need to understand the power of worship and prayer and their ability to shift storms and open blind eyes. They need to be loved so they are free to go out and love others. It’s the same with our flesh. God made us just the way we are. He will use every part for His glory and our good. Let us not get in the way!