I began to explore in my time of study and devotion with the Lord the other day, what exactly it IS that determines our level of commitment, passion and intimacy with the Lord. And God led me as I picked up my Bible to open it to Galatians and my eyes fell on verses 16 and 17 which read:
(16)“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh.
(17) For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit,
and the Spirit against the flesh and these are in opposition to one another,
so that you may not do the things that you please.” (NASB)
(17) For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit,
and the Spirit against the flesh and these are in opposition to one another,
so that you may not do the things that you please.” (NASB)
Near the end of that chapter there was some space on the page where I’d written some notes. There was a paragraph which said this:
“When you are walking according to the Spirit, your choices will oppose the will and desires of the flesh. You CANNOT do whatever you want; speak whatever you want; eat whatever you want…SET YOUR MIND!
See: Romans 8:4 and Galatians 5:17.”
Here is a section of Romans 8 from the New American Standard Bible:
4...so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
5 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
6For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,
7because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so,
8and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
I wondered to myself why my mind and my will are so weak when I AM a child of God? They seem to be powerless against these desires and forces, Aren't Christians supposed to have power over their desires and appetites?
I went to look at Romans 8, as the note suggested. Verse two gave the good news that “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.” This reminded me of something I’d read in Chambers recently and that was that we do NOT have to fight sin. Surprised? I was. Then he said, “Jesus has already battled sin on the cross and defeated it.” Yes, I knew that was true…but why…. ? Then he said that the battle we fight is the battle between our fleshly self and our spiritual self. They are constantly “duking it out” in order to determine which one will have dominance.
Yes, I could attest to the truth of that statement. I’d just read in Eph. 5 in my Key Word Bible that the word in Greek for desires is epithumia and that means the “desires of a diseased soul.” Ephesians 5:17 is quoted above (Please read it again.) That verse talks about this same internal boxing match which constantly takes place.
So what, I wondered, determines which side will have dominance and knock the other to the floor? Because, as I thought, I realized that my epithumia has been winning against my spirit’s desires for quite a while…as a result, it has gained power and momentum. What could stop it?
I recalled Paul’s words at the end of Romans 7,
“Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from this body of death?” and then he continues, “Thanks be to God: through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
I knew that the BATTLE with sin was over and that freedom is ours in Christ, but what would change the path I was on and break this current winning streak of my flesh?
And I remembered Eph. 5:16. (Look at it again above) “Walk by the Spirit.” Walking is not a one-time event. It is a process taking place over time; a journey. I had seen the phrase in verses 5 and 6 of Romans 8 (see above) “Set your mind.” It sounded simple enough, but then I realized that this “setting” must be a constant tuning of our mind to the frequency of the Spirit of God….a constant surrender of our wills to Him. And that is the difference between a decision and a resolution in my mind. A decision is a one time event of the mind. A resolution is the setting of the mind AND THE WILL; a continual resolve is needed to make a resolution successful.
Motivation can be hard to maintain, as I’ve discovered in my new healthier way of eating and exercising. It needs a constant charge; a constant refill, because you know, my motivation tank has a leak! And so we must also “keep on keep on being filled with the Holy Spirit,” (as it is literally translated from the Greek) just as Paul adjures us in Scripture.
So, it must begin with a decision and then work its way into a resolution – and we need to constantly firm up that resolve and build our motivation by prayer, Scripture study and reading and through hearing other believers speak (this is “edification:” the feeding of our spiritual motivation).
We cannot starve our spirit by giving up on prayer and study. We should also watch that we do not slack off on confession because, as I realized today, that is how these landslides begin: with a single rock falling.…And if that rock is not captured and brought into obedience (2 Cor. 10:3-4), soon the whole mountainside will come down into a pile of rubble.
“But,” you may ask, “Where’s the Passion??”
You may have noted that what I’d LOST was my passion…and the things I mentioned above DON’T sound very passionate. The passion comes when we tune our hearts to God’s Spirit and give Him constant “mind”…a constant awareness as well as obedience. The things mentioned are the fodder or the ground from which our passion can spring up (to mix metaphors)…Just as are the spiritual disciplines. As Richard Foster states in his book on Spiritual Discipline (by the same title); they provide the fertilizer or the rich soil from which grows our intimacy with Christ. And it is this intimacy that brings the passion, the love; the joy; the peace…yes, all of the fruits of the Spirit come, not merely from attending church…because, as I proved, one can do that and be withered up and hard inside…but from a heart that beats along with the heart of Christ, that hears His voice, and thinks His thoughts. And then, in a wonderful cycle, our passion will infuse new joy and delight into all of these disciplines themselves. So that they are not merely dry, dead requirements that we MUST carry out in order to have a relationship with the Lord, but they are, rather, wonderful and delightful expressions of a heart full of love.
note: all rights to this article are reserved by the author. For permission to copy or distribute, please contact Cynthia Lott Vogel (see sidebar)
12 comments:
In healing, we often get in our own way which is the same as getting in the way of God's work. He may provide much in this process, but it is ultimately us who have to make a conscious decision...sigh
I totally agree C.C.; there's that old expression "You can't steer a parked car" which speaks maybe more of God's guidance...but the idea is the same...He won't jump in to "fix us" ...nor will He instill in us knowledge of Him (Intimacy) or passion for Him, without some motion from us first. ("I will be found by those who seek me with their whole hearts")
Jim--you realize that one only has access to the conscious part of the brain, about 10% of the brain. There is the cerebral cortex and it's parts, and there is the limbic system, where the primitive activities go on. Anger,aggression, fear, hunger, sex, etc. Signals from the limbic system go through the thalamus to the cortex. The cerebral cortex is always vying for access to the thalamus, a clearing house for control. Primitive thoughts are always wanting access to the cerebral cortex, thus the perception of a struggle of the 'flesh' with the 'spirit'. In the days the bible was written the spirits were the fluids circulating in the body, apparently coming from the heart. Thus the heart was considered to be the seat of the spirit, the mind. They did not know what the brain was for. Only in the early 1800's when high velocity bullets did not always kill soldiers they began to map what happens when the brain was partly destroyed. This perception of the 'spirits' was actually practiced up to, for example George Washington-blood letting to balance bad spirits with good spirits. When the heart was blamed for all evil thoughts it was 'desperately wicked'. You only get a perception of a struggle when you see 'carnal' thoughts struggling against 'good' thoughts.
Jim,
while your scientific facts are true...I believe you've then moved to an inaccurate conclusion. It is true that our NAMES for the center of man's being have changed over the centuries...but at all times, man has been recognized to be a triad - as is God himself. We are body, mind and spirit, however one might describe them or to which ever one mankind might assign the description of having control over the rest.
However, just because mankind, due to their lack of scientific knowledge at the time, mis-labeled or misunderstood the role of one part or another, I do not see how that justifies then DENYING the existence of the three parts as you have apparently done. The fact (and also the three functions of the three parts) remains the same. The physical being; the mental being; and the being which communes with God and contains the essence of that person.
To say that there is no conflict between the new nature of man and the old nature after conversion is to throw out Scripture...which I believe is a dangerous thing to do. It is also to deny our very experience as believers. I, as well as any person who has faith in the Lord Jesus and strives to do His will, can attest that there is a GREAT conflict between the desires of the spirit, the re-born mind and the old sin nature. Simply because one can't pinpoint from what physical point such an experience comes, does NOT make it any less real or any less valid. There are more ways to observe, Jim, than with the eyes.
Awesome Blog
A journey to spiritual discoveries is indeed a journey worth taking
Continue on in the good fight my friend - Hugs - Teresa
I still think that any conflict is the limbic system vying against the cerebral cortex for access to the thalamus, the anteroom for data transfer.-Jim
Teresa: Thank you!
Jim, than may we agree to disagree? I would not want to butt heads with your level of scientific knowledge, but I do not believe that all of life can be explained by science AS WE UNDERSTAND IT NOW. I believe that God is thoroughly scientific...After all HE invented science as he designed the universe...but I believe that our understanding of his science is not even pea-sized.
'Scientific' has grown to be a perjoritve term in theological circles. However there is no "scientific" in real terms-only what has been seen with sophisticated instruments. It takes a lot of observing to see what is actually happening. It is possible to see areas as small as ..1 mm nowadays, and show which areas are active when certain stimula are applied. Youu should not assume that I arrive at incorrect conclusions. The statement about body, soul, and spirit is only found in one sentence in the whole bible.
There is nothing to disagree with. What I have said above is established fact. You may disagree with the interpretation, but not the facts. What I have said is not up for argument. Look at Dr.Carolyne Leaf's book and it will give you a start.
Your disagreement is similar to putting a voltmeter on an AC outlet, measuring 110 volts then standing back and saying "well its just a matter of opinion"..Jim
Your disagreement is similar to putting a voltmeter on an AC outlet, measuring 110 volts then standing back and saying "well its just a matter of opinion"..Jim
I am not saying that what you are saying about the brain is not true. Maybe that is the "outlet" God uses for our spirit to speak to us... Why must it mean, because one can physically observe an electrical response in the brain, that God did not use that method to communicate with our brains: his Spirit to ours? How cool would that be? I will not reject the truth of God's word because of our current understanding of physiology. God designed our bodies and he included in them mysteries that we do not yet have any conception of.
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