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FLESH & HOLINESS (2 Cor 7:1 KJV) "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." What we have been experiencing in our lives is a time for separation. The Bible talks about times and seasons. And now the greatest time is before us. And what is this time? What is the reason for this moment? JUDGMENT! God's judgment for His people is different from that of the world. God judges the world for their bad. God judges His people for their good. God will bless anything that is good in your life. God's judgment for His people is PREPARATION. If we don't listen to God's instructions now, we will be left out. Living Word has been raised up to be a hospital. God sent you to receive a healing in your life so you can be used in this last hour. Most are being healed, some are not. And the reason: God is not asking you to do some special thing for Him or for the church this hour. He is simply asking you to "Be ye holy for I am Holy."(I Peter 1:13-16)... We have been taught that we need to walk by the Spirit and live by the Spirit. We know the Scripture says we must be Holy in order to see God. But we flounder with holiness because we battle with this enemy called the flesh. There is only one way to be HOLY - to believe and receive! When you purposefully allow your flesh to rule, you are not believing and receiving. You are being "double-minded" and "quenching." None of us denies the flesh all the time. But Paul says if we are to walk by the Spirit, there are things that we must know for our own lives - again not for the Church or for others, but in ourselves. (Eph 4:17-32 KJV) "This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, {18} Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: {19} Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. {20} But ye have not so learned Christ; {21} If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: {22} That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; {23} And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; {24} And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. {25} Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. {26} Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: {27} Neither give place to the devil. {28} Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. {29} Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that, which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. {30} And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. {31} Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: {32} And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." Our bone of contention continues to be our flesh. And we hate it! As long as we are alive and breathing, we will have to deal with the flesh. But we must still understand what the Word says about the flesh. Deeds of the flesh will grieve the Holy Spirit within you; therefore, we are instructed to live a certain way. It is not up for discussion. [I John 2:16] Here it is all in one: Lust of the flesh=cravings of the body (Romans 13:14) "provision" Lust of the Eyes=cravings of the soul (eyes = window to the soul) Pride of Life=assurance of what is seen Vrs. unseen What the flesh is not: "Flesh & blood" = a living human being (Eph. 6:12; Matt.16:17; Gal.1:15-16; I Cor.15:50; Acts 2:17) II Cor.10:3-6 tells us what to do. OBEY THE SPIRIT OF GOD! Strongholds will never be destroyed until we get out of the flesh and obey the Spirit, not the flesh. What the flesh is: (Gal. 5:19-21 AMP) "Immorality, impurity, indecency, idolatry, sorcer, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger (ill temper), selfishness, divisions (dissensions), party spirit (with peculiar opinions), envy, drunkenness, carousing…" What we are to do? (1 Cor 5:5 KJV) "To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus." How do you know if you are walking in the flesh? (2 Pet 2:10-11 KJV) "But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. {11} Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord." - Walking in the flesh will cause you to despise authority and rule over your life. The self-willed do what they want instead of submitting. They have no respect for those in authority. They say whatever they want, not recognizing they will reap dearly for these actions (Galatians 6:8). Hebrews 12:9 tells us we are to submit ourselves to the Spirit. I Peter 4:1-2 says Christ suffered so we would not spend the rest of our lives doing whatever we wanted according to our personal desires. [Before you say it, (Psalm 37:4) "He shall give you the desires of your heart." That is true if you TRUST, DELIGHT, & COMMIT and if they are God given desires, NOT desires of the flesh.] That is the OLD NATURE. We are told to "Put on Christ" because the old nature is dead. The reason some Christians never get anywhere is because the old nature is supposed to be dead (you can't get very far when you are dead) but they forget to put on Christ and live. (2 Cor 5:16-17 KJV) "Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. {17} Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (Rom 8:5,8,13 KJV) "For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 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." In all these, the flesh is the SOUL. There is a mixture in some people. One of these days we may be shocked because some are going up. And then people will say "Well, why did they go? They never did anything special for the Lord." It is not what you do, but "Those who are pure in heart" who got rid of the mixture. (Romans 8:1 KJV) "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." CONVICTION = IT CAN BE ALLEVIATED INSTANTLY WITH REPENTANCE CONDEMNATION = BROUGHT ON BY YOURSELF, NOT GOD, BECAUSE OF YOUR UNCONFESSED ACTIONS OF DISOBEDIENCE. "But I don't feel any different after I repent." We need to recognize in the OT any vessel that was Holy could not be used until it went through a cleansing process. Vessels that were defiled had to be cleansed again and again no matter how many times they were defiled. You are a vessel of honor; and when you allow the flesh to rule, you must go back and be re-processed - the cleansing process of repentance. THAT IS PERFECTING HOLINESS IN THE FEAR OF GOD. Although it is important to know God's Word, there is one thing you can live by and never have to worry about regardless of how much you know or don't know. "THAT YOU ARE HOLY." If you keep it in the forefront all the time, when the flesh rises up, the Holy Spirit of God will remind you. God knows you are human. He just wants you to know you are HOLY! The Word of the Lord: "THE NEW IS NOW! WE ARE THERE!" But those who continue to operate by the flesh will not see, enjoy or understand this new thing that God is doing in our midst. It will cause you to be angry, cause strife in your family and church and will pull you away. Song of Solomon 2:4 "His banner over me is love." I believe God protects you. There is a banner over your life that says to the other enemy called Satan, "KEEP AWAY, THEY'RE MINE!" Your battle is in you and Jesus overcame in every way for you to be victorious because He has given you New life and you are special to Him. I will not turn away from what God is doing for us no matter what it looks like. The flesh has been rising up in many directions, BUT JESUS IS STILL LORD. The Holiness of God in our midst is more important than man’s ideas and ideals. The reason for the moment is God's judgment. What will remain in your life? -Pr. Steve October Newsletter 1998 | Flesh & Holiness | Corrective Lenses | Pastor's Journal October 1997 Prophecy by Rev. Earl Roundtree | The Need for Virtues | A People of Understanding part 3 of 4 Revised: May 11, 2010. |
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