Spirit vs Flesh

One of the greatest struggles of the Christian life is the war between our flesh and the spirit.

Most often, we want to do right but our flesh is too strong for us to resist.

For example: there is a television show that I really really like to watch. It contains most things I am fascinated by and then some.

The problem is, there is not one edifying thing in that show. There is nothing good in it. Nothing good at all.

I am tempted to watch it from time to time and my flesh's argument for watching it goes something like this: 'You're mature enough to know what's wrong, you have discernment, it's not like you will be doing those things'.

The flesh is right. I do have discernment and I know what to accept and reject but God's Word on the matter is this:

I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes:

Psalm 103:3a

That settles it.

Now, if you think that does not settle it, consider this:

I watch an episode or two then go and clean stuff. What do you suppose is on my mind?

That show and it's wickedness.

What you watch, you think about. You may not be 'thinking' about anything but I find I play scenes in my head when I'm not 'thinking' about anything. 

The thought of foolishness is sin:

Proverbs 24:9a

I have enough trouble with sin as it is, why should I aggravate that by watching a show that makes me sin even more?

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are

true, whatsoever things are honest,

whatsoever things are just, whatsoever

things are pure, whatsoever things are

lovely, whatsoever things are of good

report; if there be any virtue, if there

be any praise, think on these things.

Philippians 4:8

That show does not fit any of those things that Christ tells us to think on.

Casting down imaginations, and every

high thing that exalteth itself against the

knowledge of God, and bringing into

captivity every thought to the obedience of

Christ;

2 Corinthians 10:5

That show, promotes covetousness, which I have a tendency towards, and is a grievous sin. Like I said, there's nothing edifying in it, the people in it live like there is no God, and no accountability for your actions.

It is evil. I do not watch it anymore.

My husband went away last week, my son was in bed, I decided to spend most of the night sewing. I really REALLY wanted to put that show on. It's on Netflix, I'll be entertained and productive, it will be great!

Oh man, I was soooooo close to putting it on. I signed into Netflix, clicked on the show, was just about to click on the episode I left off at... then I exited the whole thing and watched a sermon on Youtube.

I just couldn't do it.

The reason I couldn't watch it is this: the Spirit in me is too strong. I would be backtracking in my walk with God- which I absolutely do not want, and I could possibly destroy my chance of bearing fruit in the future.

As Christians we have two natures: our sin nature, which we will be rid of at death or rapture, and the new man, which is Christ in us. (For more on this please read Romans 6, 7,8) 

And if Christ be in you, the body is dead

because of sin; but the Spirit is life

because of righteousness.

Romans 8:10

According to Romans 6, 7, and 8, we can live after the flesh or after the Spirit. Here's a tidbit from chapter 6:

For in that he died, he died unto sin

once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto

God.

Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be

dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Let not sin therefore reign in your

mortal body, that ye should obey it in the

lusts thereof.

Romans 6:10-12

My body, the one I am employing right now to type out these very words, is dead. We cannot do right by feeling things out, following our hearts, and acting on our emotions:

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.

Romans 7:18

Fortunately, we do not have to live in sin:

Knowing this, that our old man is

crucified with him, that the body of sin

might be destroyed, that henceforth we

should not serve sin. 

Romans 6:6

We can either feed our flesh, by watching dirty movies/TV shows, speaking wickedly, thinking wickedly, spending time with ungodly people, or we can feed our spirit, by reading the Bible, praying, singing hymns, going to church, fellowshipping with believers, and filtering the things we allow on our TV's.

The more you feed your flesh, the harder it is for you to say no to it when you want to get out.

The more you feed your spirit, the easier it is for you to say no to the flesh when it is acting up.

The best thing you can do to start feeding the spirit, is reading your Bible.

I used to have trouble praying. I'd get uncomfortable, tired, uninterested, and I knew it wasn't right. I just couldn't help the way I felt about it but I would force myself to pray, focus on it, and ignored my discomfort. The more I desired to follow Christ's example of prayer, the more time I spent reading, studying in depth, and taking time to sing hymns the more I wanted to pray. It has become something I crave. Sometimes God wants me to spend my devotion time praying instead of reading.

Did I do that? No. The Holy Spirit inside me gives me the grace, strength, and desire to pray. The Holy Spirit does that for me because I've made it clear that I will sow to my spirit no matter how my sinful flesh felt about it.

Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap

in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for

it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and

rain righteousness upon you.

Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have

reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of

lies: because thou didst trust in thy way, in

the multitude of thy mighty men.

Hosea 10:12&13

I know that's an Old Testament passage but it rings so true for us today: God does not want us to sin. He will help us if we just show the willingness to follow Him.

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for

whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he

also reap.

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.

And let us not be weary in well doing: for

in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

Galatians 6:7

It does not get any clearer than that.

What to do:

The Bible says in James 4:7

Submit yourselves therefore to God.

Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

When you go to the gym and lift weights, what are you doing?

You are resisting, are you not? The weight will come down on you, that's the easy part (also dangerous,  if its really heavy), but pushing it up- resisting gravity, that's what increases your strength.

It's the same thing with the flesh and the spirit. Resist the devil, resist your flesh and you will be strengthened in the spirit.

I promise you, the more you resist your flesh, the easier and easier it gets. To the point, for me, there are things I cannot do simply because I said no so often the Spirit is too strong in that area.

For whom he did foreknow, he also did

predestinate to be conformed to the image

of his Son, that he might be the first born

among many brethren.

Romans 8:29

Jesus could not sin- He was God, He was holy, and thus He could not sin. We will never be perfect on this side of heaven, but it will be a lot easier to keep ourselves from sin if we make it a point to heed the Spirit every time we have a decision to make.

One more example and I am done:

I used to be terrified of handing out tracts and talking to people about the bible.

Frankly, that's ridiculous since I have the truth it is nothing to be ashamed of, but that's the flesh for you.

One day I put a stop to that foolishness, made sure I had tracts with me all the time, and made a point that my priority whenever I left home was to give tracts out and to talk to people about Christ. If I s prevented from either of those things, while I'm driving for instance, I would show the love of Christ by being kind, forgiving, and peaceful.

I was nervous but I started giving out tracts to everyone. I give them to people at Starbucks, the grocery store, and I give them to people in the parking lot at the park if they are just sitting in their cars.

I have no doubt I'll see some of those people in heaven, why? Because God said, 'look Grace, there's a man in his car, waiting for someone to be done at the park, he has nothing to do, give him a tract to read' and I obeyed.

The more I do it, the less nervous I am, the easier it is, and more natural it becomes. The new man inside me is beginning to take precedence over my natural sin nature.

The Spirit points out people to me, and I give them the gospel.

God will bless that obedience.

Let me encourage you to obey the Spirit. The more you obey, the louder the Spirit will speak to you, and decisions become easier and easier.
Remember, sin is bondage.

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.

Romans 8:13

Paul is talking to saved people there. Think about it.

I hope this was a blessing and a help!

God's Plan of Salvation

And as it is appointed unto men once to die,

but after this the judgment:

Hebrews 9:27

If you died right now are you going to Heaven? Can you say with absolute certainty that you will go to God and live with him for eternity or is it a real possibility that you will spend eternity burning in a lake of supernatural fire?

Do not just close this page and never think about this again. Your mortal body lasts maybe 70-100 years but your soul is eternal. Where your soul spends eternity is completely up to the decision your mortal self makes right now. Do not go away without the assurance that you will be going to heaven when you die.

If you want to go to heaven and be with God for eternity, please continue reading.

First- realize that you are a sinner.

Romans 3:23- For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

What is sin?

1 John 3:4- Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

What is the law?

John 1:17- For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

Therefore the law is everything God gave to Moses. Moses was given the law in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

For example: the Ten Commandments are included in the law.

Some of those commandments include wanting things that other people have, in other words, coveting.

Do you see the nice new car someone has and covet it, or the nice clothes someone else wears, or the nice new hot tub in your neighbors yard? That's coveting and it's a sin.

How about taking the Lord's name in vain?

Do you say 'oh my god', 'Jesus Christ', or 'For Christ's sake' when you're surprised, frustrated, or just to say?

That is taking the Lord's name in vain- just saying it without meaning to call on Him.

Deuteronomy 5:11- Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

Those are just a few examples. I can give many more.

Like the verse says in Romans 3:23- we are all guilty of sin. We sin everyday. It is our natural way of life. Because of this sin we cannot have fellowship with God or be welcomed into heaven:

Isaiah 59:2- But your iniquities [sins] have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

Second- realize that nothing you do can get you to heaven.
There is nothing in the Bible that says 'good people' will get to go to heaven on their good deeds and good lives alone. You cannot buy your way into heaven and you cannot work your way into heaven.

Galatians 2:16- Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

Romans 4:5- But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

Isaiah 64:6a- But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags;

That verse means all the good things we do are still filthy.

Third- Realize that all sin must be punished by death and ultimately, eternity in Hell and separation from God

Romans 6:23- For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

John 3:36- He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

Revelation 20:15- And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Fourth- realize Jesus Christ came, lived a sinnless life, then died the death of a sinner to pay for your sins

Romans 5:6- For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

Romans 5:8- But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

1 Corinthians 15:3&4- For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according o the scriptures:

Isaiah 53:5&6- But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all

Fifth- Believe that Jesus died for your sins, that he was buried, and raised up three days later
John 3:16- For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Romans 10:9- That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Romans 10:13- For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Ephesians 2:8&9- For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works lest any man should boast.

That's it, friend, that's how you get to heaven:
Faith in Jesus Christ.

If you are not saved, please don't delay. You are not guaranteed another minute of life. It can all end without warning.
If you are reading this and do not know for sure that you are saved and going to heaven, pray a prayer like the one following. Do not just say the words but believe them, own them, and realize your lost state and God's mercy toward you:

Lord Jesus, I am a sinner that deserves Hell.

I do not deserve your sacrifice for me on the cross.

I believe that you came to this earth to save me.

I believe you rose again the third day conquering death.

I ask you to cleanse me from sin by the blood you shed on the cross for me 

and save me from eternity in Hell.

Thank you for your mercy and forgiveness.

Thank you for your grace and faith by which I am saved.

Amen.

If you prayed that prayer and meant it, then praise the Lord, you are saved and going to heaven!

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask, I will not publish your comment.

God will do wondrous things in your life! If you don't have a King James bible, you can read it here:

www.thywordistrue.com

or get a bible app on your phone or tablet.

Reading the Bible is the best way to get started on your Christian life.

I recommend reading John and Romans then expand to reading a chapter of Proverbs every day and maybe starting in Genesis to read about God's dealings with mankind.

If you're a Christian already, I hope this compilation of verses helps you to reach lost souls for Christ!

How to Have A Personal Ministry

Every Christian should have a personal ministry. A personal ministry is something you don't talk about, unless asking for prayer for a specific need, it is something between you and God. A personal ministry is done outside the local church. It is the body of Christ, exercising their abilities to reach lost souls.
At the Judgement Seat, you will not be judged along with your local church. You will be judged alone, receive your own crowns for the work that you did for Christ, and have your own works tried.
While the church presents opportunities for you to do outreach, Christ's burden for the lost extends far and above once a week witnessing. We are around lost people everyday. We need to be reaching people every day.
I know for a fact that keeping yourself from reaching the lost hinders your relationship with Christ. I have personally experienced it. My unwillingness to give out tracts prevented me from having a full and fruitful relationship with God for at least two years. It's not easy talking to strangers about Christ or giving them a tract. I had to grow into it, mature into it, and fully trust that God would help me.
I realized I just needed to give out the gospel then take my hands off and let God work:

Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but

ministers by whom ye believed, even as the

Lord gave to every man?

I have planted, Apollos watered; but God

gave the increase.

1 Corinthians 3:5&6

For anyone scared to give out the gospel, those verses above should comfort you greatly. All we can do is give out the gospel. God does the rest.

Trust and obey, for there's no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey (Hymn by John H. Sammis, 1887, Trust and Obey)

The hymn is absolutely true. The more you trust God, the easier it is to obey, the happier you are because you're bearing outward, inward, and upward fruit.

Without any further ado, here are my tips for having a personal ministry every day of your life:
1) Have the right motivation

Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or

whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God

1 Corinthians 10:31

The best way to test your motivation in God's work is see how your flesh reacts when no one compliments you.

Having a potluck at church and no one says anything about the lasagna you worked so hard on- does it bother you? If it bothers you, you likely have the wrong motivation for serving God's people- the praise of man.

This is why you shouldn't talk about what you do on a daily basis for the Lord- how much you pray, read the bible, witness, and so on. Preachers can do that to encourage and guide their flock, but us non preachers don't need to talk about it. We shouldn't need the praise of man to do work for the Lord.

Souls getting saved and most importantly God's glory should be all the motivation we need to work for Jesus.

2) Pray about it

Pray for the burden to reach souls.

Pray for the willingness to reach them.

Pray for boldness and strength.

Pray for good opportunities to hand out tracts and speaking to people about it.

Pray for the lost people you know right now and think deeply about what they're facing in eternity.

Pray to God that every tract you give out, every person you tell will get saved.
Thank God for the opportunity and freedom to pass out tracts and to witness.

3) This ties in with that last point but is slightly different: pray specifically for everyone you give a tract to.

I've found that my experience with giving out tracts is different with everyone I give them to.

Leaving tracts in random places is one thing but to actually look someone in the eye and hand them a tract leaves a mark.

Every time I give out a tract I pray for the person who received it. I pray for them all day. I pray for them the next day. I love that I remember them and can pray for them.

This is what having a personal ministry is about: praying over those you want to see saved.

And the Lord said, Simon, Simon,

behold, Satan hath desired to have you,

that he may sift you as wheat:

But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith

fail not: and when thou art converted

strengthen thy brethren.

Luke 22:32

Satan could have had Simon Peter BUT Jesus prayed for him. I like to think that God will do the same for those we pray for:

Confess your faults one to another, and

pray one for another, that ye may be

healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a

righteous man availeth much.

James 5:16

4) Set your priorities straight by obeying the Spirit's urgings

Your priority when you leave home is to get the gospel out. If you're a stay at home mom like me, there's really no reason you can't give out a few tracts a day or leave them in places for people to find.

You'll find the Holy Spirit will remind you when to give out tracts or if there is someone to talk to. The more you heed the Spirit's commands, the stronger you'll be in the Lord, the more Spiritual you will be, the better decisions you will make.

5) Bring tracts everywhere you go

Keep tracts with you in the car, in your bag, in your pocket (just don't crumple them). Make sure you have them. That way you have no excuse not to give them out.

About the tracts: make sure they have a clear presentation of the gospel using bible verses. Those tracts with paragraphs and paragraphs aren't to the point. The point is, people don't really care about the gospel and won't care to read a mini novel about it. A simple card with the Romans Road on it will do just fine:

So shall my word be that goeth forth out

of my mouth: it shall not return unto me

void, but it shall accomplish that which I

please, and it shall prosper in the thing

whereto I sent it.

Isaiah 55:11

and

So then faith cometh by hearing,

and hearing by the word of God.

Romans 10:17

Our job is to get the Word out there. God takes care of the rest.

6) Be kind, gentle, peaceable, pleasant, and generous everywhere you go

This means having a good testimony.

If you're rude, obnoxious, or just plain sullen, no one will take the tract seriously.
What often keeps us from having an overflowing testimony is not having the right priorities- Dilbert Terry
You may be going out grocery shopping, but your priority can still be to get the gospel out and be a good testimony. Always, in the front of your mind, remember that you must have a good testimony.
Fear the Lord and depart from evil- Proverbs 3:7b
How will you feel if someone goes to hell because of one thing you said to them on an off day?
I've been in a terrible mood but I've managed to smile at cashiers, be pleasant, and give them tracts. If I didn't remember that my demeanor and countenance towards them could make an eternal difference in their lives, I would never have been able to pull myself out of a bad mood and be sociable with them.

7) Have a goal/ challenge/ rule to give out tracts

For example: my rule is to give out tracts to all the cashiers I deal with when I go grocery shopping and to leave tracts wherever I go.

You may have a goal to give out two tracts every day or a challenge to give out tracts to every third person you walk by on the street.

Right now, you're shy and timid, going all out may keep you from handing out tracts entirely. Start slowly and see how God builds boldness inside you. It gets easier and easier, I promise:

But this I say, He which soweth sparingly

shall reap also sparingly; and he which

soweth bountifully shall reap also

bountifully.

2 Corinthians 9:6

That verse sealed my determination to hand out as many tracts as I could. I want to reap bountifully. I want to meet people in heaven that are there because I gave them a tract or told them about the gospel or was just a good, solid testimony while they knew me. 

8) Go to outreach events at your church

My church goes out every Saturday morning to put tracts in mailboxes and hand them out to people on the street. We want to saturate our community with the gospel. In fact, we're going to go door to door later this month. I'm nervous but excited. 

We have gym night every third Saturday and we're planning a community barbeque/ carnival later this Summer. 

It is a blessing that my pastor is so burdened for our community and intent on making our church as outreach oriented as possible. He said last Sunday that our job, as the local church, is to get the gospel out. He doesn't just say that, he makes it happen. Praise the Lord for that!

If your church is lacking in this area, maybe talk to your pastor about getting an outreach program started.

9) Say Hi and be helpful to visitors at your church
I know this sounds kind of elementary but it's a small thing that makes a huge difference.
-Before or after the service go up to people you've never seen before and shake their hand, welcome them, tell them your name, and learn a bit about them.
-If you see someone who clearly has never been to church before, maybe sit by them and help them find the passages your pastor is preaching on.
-If they walk in late or during singing, give visitors your hymn book so they don't have to fuss with finding the right hymn.
-Smile at everyone you see and be genuinely happy to see them at church
This goes hand in hand with being a good testimony and it could be instrumental in bringing someone to Christ.
One of the things that kept us going to the church we do now is the kindness and love bestowed on us as soon as we walked in it's doors. Kindness and hospitality go a very long way.

And be ye kind one to another,

tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even

as God for Christ's sake hath forgive you.

Ephesians 4:32

There you have it! Nine ways to bear fruit. By the way, nine is the number of fruit bearing- seven is completion, eight is abundance, and nine is fruit bearing (pregnancy is nine months).

I hope this helps you in some small way!

Then saith he unto his disciples, the

harvest truly is plenteous, but the

labourers are few;

Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest,

that he will send forth labourers into his harvest

Matthew 9:37&38