Previously, we talked about how the Spirit battles the flesh. This daily devotional looks more at the nature of the conflict.
Nuggets
- We must pursue the desires of the Spirit instead of compromising with the desires of the world.
- Death – especially spiritual death – causes us much grief.
Devotions in The Goodness of Grace series
We describe the struggle we face in many different ways.
- Spirit v. flesh
- Old nature v. new nature
- God’s view v. worldview
Whatever label we put on it, one thing is for sure. It is a difficult struggle.
Whatever set of terms we use, this struggle is waged within us. Both seem formidable.
The Holy Spirit is — Satan isn’t really. He has already been defeated.
Programming note: This devotion ran long, so I will be breaking it into two. I had to rearrange after I wrote it to do that, so I hope it still flows for you. We are going to leave the connections and the application for the next devotion.
Let's Put It into Context
Here is a running list of nuggets for the series.
For this series, we are looking at Griffith’s sermon entitled Grace, the Only Source of Goodness.
- In the first two devotions, we looked at our lives without God.
- In the next two devotions, we looked at how our new lives with God created a renewed, inner life in our spirits and minds.
Resource
Grace v. Desires
“For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do” (Gal. 5: 17 ESV)
We must pursue the desires of the Spirit instead of compromising with the desires of the world.
We try to compromise, sometimes, because we are called to live in both worlds. We can’t take the constant battle of our spiritual nature against our physical nature.
Binney gave us a great description of what goes on there. He wrote, “Here are two integral powers, standing on each side of the personality, and each of them is watching the action of the other as it may be, operating upon the human volition; when the spirit with its elevating thoughts, its intense desire, its strong aspirations, is operating upon the feeling and the soul, and when a man would act under that influence, then the flesh, watching its opportunity, comes with all its force and power, and endeavours (sic) to prevent it, so that ‘the flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh, that the man may not do the things he would.’”
Resource
We want it to be said of us that we are after God’s own heart. However, “The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable—who can understand it?” (Jer. 17: 9 CSB).
Yes, we are children of God, but He continues to give us free will. Free will is the ability within us to make decisions, which determine actions that produce character.
But think of it this way. How many times have we said that we grow through the struggles. That is how God cuts the sin out of us and brings us closer to Him.
It gets even more understandable when we realize that this process is all about what sanctification is. Sanctification is the transformation of mind, body, and soul, which begins with regeneration; gradually changes our nature and morals through the promptings of the Holy Spirit; and ends with perfected state of spiritual wholeness or completeness.
- Regeneration is being changed from spiritually dead to spiritually alive and the internal new birth and requickening that God brings about through the work of the Holy Spirit to give us new character.
- Spiritual death is the separation from God that occurred as a consequence of Adam and Eve’s original sin.
- The spiritually alive are those who have ABCDed, so they are no longer separated from God.
- Perfection means we reach a state of maturity because the combination of the spiritual graces form, when all are present, spiritual wholeness or completeness — holy, sanctified, and righteous.
- Spiritual graces are worldly morals that have been submitted to God to further His kingdom instead of enhancing this world.
- Sanctified means to be set free from sin.
- Righteous means we are free from sin because we are following God’s moral laws.
- Spiritual death is the separation from God that occurred as a consequence of Adam and Eve’s original sin.
The ABCDs of Salvation
If you have not become a believer in Christ, please read through the
Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
A – admit our sins
B – believe His Son Jesus is our Redeemer
C – confess God as Sovereign Lord
D – demonstrate that commitment by making any changes needed in our lives to live the way in which God has called us
The Disciple’s Job Description
Glossary
How told us that there are four stages of the struggle.
- Pre-struggle
- In the struggle
- Winning the struggle
- Post-struggle
Resource
Ooo, baby. We substitute the word trials for struggles, and we think it is our day-to-day problems that How was discussing.
Instead, How was looking at this pre-conversion and post-conversion. Post-struggle is eternity in his sermon.
I can see both ways as being applicable. One way to look at it is our lives are made up of many struggles that have a beginning and an end.
The other way is that we will continue to struggle until this life ends. We may be in a lull in between struggles, but another struggle is coming.
Why doesn’t God shut down sin at conversion so that we don’t have to continue to struggle? He has commanded us to watch. Watchfulness is a continual conscious examination of ourselves and all events so that we may follow God in all things.
Glossary
We have to be in this world but not of it. That will cause conflict. Will we stay firm in our faith or compromise with the worldview?
Live v. Death
“Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Rom. 7: 24 ESV)
Death – especially spiritual death – causes us much grief.
Death causes much conflict in our lives. We tend to think this only means our physical death.
Our spiritual death is much more important. The thought of that should cause us anguish!
Let’s start at the back of this verse to check it out. What is body of death?
Kirkwood helps us out with that definition. He wrote, “Indwelling sin is called the body of this death, as it is the effect and remains of that spiritual death to which all men are subject in unregeneracy. The remains of sin in the believer is called the body of this death, on account of the deadness and dulness of spirit in the service of God, which it so often produces.”
Resource
We are born sinful in a sinful world. That is the consequence of the original sin. We are separated from God.
Let me process what Thomas said. He wrote, “The body, intended to be an instrument and servant of the soul, has become its sovereign, and keeps all its power of intellect and conscience in subjection.”
Resource
- Our soul is our spiritual part that is immortal. Because the soul is eternal, it continues to think and feel.
- God originally intended us to be able to control our bodies.
- When sin entered into the picture, we lost control of our bodies.
- So, instead of God being Sovereign of our intellect and conscience, our sinful nature is.
Luckily, since we are made in God’s image, deep down we know things are not as they are supposed to be. That leads us to search for God.
Searching for and Seeking God
Hearing His Word (Rom. 10: 17).
Reading His Word (Rev. 1: 3).
Praying to Him (Heb. 4: 16).
Studying His Word (Ac. 17: 11).
Meditating on His Word (Ps. 1: 1-2).
Memorizing His Word (Ps. 119: 11).
We can only be restored from our wretchedness by believing that Jesus sacrificed Himself to pay the penalty for our sins. No, we can’t deliver ourselves. We have to be delivered by Him.
Father God. We understand the importance of the conflict. You must remove the sin from within us. Help us to be victorious in the struggle so that we may become more and more like You. May we conquer sinful desires so that we may live with You eternally. Amen.
What do you think?
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