Wrestling with the Flesh

As we continue to press into the Kingdom of God, we must remain mindful that any serious attempt to press into God's Divine Will for one's life is going to be met with Satanic opposition. No one is going to receive a "free lane" into the presence of God (Acts 14). 

There will be all sorts of Satanic attacks and demonic forces that are designed to thwart you as you attempt to seek God's Divine Will for your life. This is something we must expect, but not something to which we have to succumb. So, if you're finding that in your attempt to execute what "thus saith the Lord," you're coming against Satanic resistance, internally as well as externally, then understand that it's par for the course and a part of your wrestling with the flesh.

The Bible says very clearly, "we wrestle not against flesh and blood" (Ephesians 6). The battle that we have to fight as we seek to do God's will is strategically executed by Satan and his horde of demons, that have one objective in mind, and that is destroy you! (John 10) But be not dismayed. Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world! (1John 4). 

The challenge is understanding that the war that we're in is not in the natural, it's in the spiritual realm. With this in mind, we must use "spiritual weapons" in order to be victorious in a spiritual battle (2Corinthians 10). Therefore, we need not be frustrated, let alone exasperated, we need to be Encouraged. God has already given us the Victory (Romans 7), we just need to learn how to access it.

Saints, as I've stated before, it is imperative, if you're going to be Victorious in Wrestling with the Flesh (the sinful nature and the carnal mind) that you learn to Abide in the Word. We have too many Christians that are still trying to operate at a level of Spiritual Health without consuming a healthy diet of the Word. It's just not going to happen. If you're not in the Word, reading the Bible daily, I can assure you that Satan is having a field day with the thoughts of your mind. People still want to think that only "preachers and ministers" need to read the Bible on a consistent basis. Wrong! If you are a child of God and a born-again believer in Christ, then you need to be feasting on the Word of God. Reading the Word consistently is the only way that your spirit is going to be built up in order to stand against the wiles of the Devil (Matthew 4). This is a spiritual discipline that we cannot do without.

We must also learn to praise and worship God consistently, not just on Sunday mornings. I know of several Christians that read the Word daily (even if it's in a Daily Devotional), but they are not worshipers. For the type of war that's going to be waged in order to advance the Kingdom of God, you must be a worshiper. What does that mean? That means that on a daily basis, you set time aside to give demonstrative praise and worship to God. You lift your hands, you sing your song, you open up your mouth and you audibly say "HALLELUJAH" to God. Too many Christians want to try to get away with this "silent praise." "The Lord knows my heart." Wrong. The Bible says to make a joyful noise unto the Lord (Psalm 100). 

And remember, God inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22). A devil nor a demon will remain in a place where the presence of God is residing. Let us be proactive in combating the Satanic attacks that the Enemy is mounting against us; knowing that our victory is already secured in our wrestling with the flesh.

From Servanthood to Sonship

As we prepare to prepare to enter one of the greatest moves of God to ever hit the earth, we want to understand the dynamics of this move of God. This move will not focus primarily around function, it will focus specifically on being. In order to fulfill the call that God has on one's life in this next Kingdom move of God, it will be imperative that one has established their true Identity in Christ. 

For too long the church has been preoccupied with what we're called "to do" for the Lord, and not focused enough on who we're called to be in Christ. This is where the focus of the Father will be as He Manifests this Kingdom move of the 21st century. Therefore, it will not matter whether you're a preacher, a pastor, an apostle, a prophet, an evangelist; this will not be the primary concern. The question will be, who "are you" in Christ. There is a calling of identity that we as children of God must answer and fulfill. And for this reason we must make the transition from Servanthood to Sonship.

Most of us are aware that everyone has been called to serve. Regardless of the nature of one's calling or ministry, we know that the Holy Spirit has provided all of us with spiritual gifts that are to be used towards the edifying of the Body of Christ and the Advancement of God's Kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven (1Corinthians 12, Matthew 6). However, it's not as equally known that all of us are also called to a specific Identity in Christ, and that identity is the call to Sonship.

Every born-again believer is called to be a son of God (John 1). Please don't get lost in the gender terminology. The reference to sonship is not about male or female, it's about "office." Sonship in Christ is a spiritual office, not a gender identification (Galatians 4). (However, if you're more comfortable as a woman with the reference to Daughters of God, you can use that as well, 2 Corinthians 6). So the next movement, as a I heard one apostle put it, is a movement of the Sons. We must therefore focus on becoming Sons of God and manifesting the very character of Christ.

In order for this to take place, we must make the transition from Servanthood to Sonship. Over the years we've had too many people in the ministry whose identity was not reflective of the office of Sonship. They were excellent preachers. They were wonderful pastors. They were faithful and effective prophets. But they were not Sons! This has to change, and will change in the upcoming move.

It's not enough to just function in an anointing or a gift, you must become a Son. This will require spiritual maturity.That 's why Galatians 4 makes it clear that as long as you are a child, your spiritual status is that of a servant, not an heir. The sons of God are the heirs of God (Romans 8). There are powers and blessings that are only reserved for the sons of God. Who would you give your inheritance to, your maid, your butler or your son or daughter? 

We must mature, Saints. We must let the Spirit purify us and sanctify us that we may be conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8). The Kingdom of God can only be manifested and sustained as we learn to make the transition from Servanthood to Sonship.

Separation of Soul and Spirit

One of the things that we want to keep in mind is that we are created in the Image of God (Genesis 1). Even though there is theological debate around this subject, I am a firm believer in the Doctrine of the Trinity. I do believe that God manifests Himself in three distinct Persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Spirit (Holy Spirit). Not three different gods, but One God who chooses to manifest Himself to humanity in 3 specific persons (Matthew 3, 1John 5). Based upon this belief, we also believe that human beings are what can be described as "tri-partite beings", meaning that we too are three in one: body, soul and spirit (1Thessalonians 5). The reason this is significant is because a lot of times we mistakenly associate the soul and the spirit and interchangeably make them synonymous. This is incorrect. There is a distinction between the soul of man (humanity) and the spirit of man. It is important that we learn the difference so that we can make a Separation of Soul and Spirit.

The soul consists of one's emotions, will and intellect. The spirit consists of one's values, beliefs and convictions. The Bible is clear on the fact that the soul and the spirit are not synonymous (Hebrews 4). With that being the case, we need to learn to distinguish within ourselves the distinction between the operation of the soul and the operation of the spirit. Why is this significant? Because there are too many believers that have more of a soulish relationship with God than they do a spirit-ual relationship. One of the things that I've learned over the years is that there are a lot of things that we do in the church that grow more out of our soul than they do our spirit. When you're being regulated more by your emotions and feelings than your faith and beliefs, you're being soulish, not spiritual. Jesus said that the Father is seeking those who will worship Him in spirit and truth, not "soul" and truth (John 4). That's why Jesus went on to say that God is a Spirit, not a Soul (John 4). So our ability to distinguish and separate the two has a major impact on the development of our relationship with God.

Too many of us are still regulating our relationship based on how we "feel". This, my brothers and sisters, is not of God. Yes, God wants us to be real with how we feel, but that doesn't mean that He wants us to be regulated by how we feel. "I don't feel like praying...I don't feel like studying...I don't feel like praising...I don't feel like serving". With all due respect, who cares! There are a lot of times you don't "feel" like going to work (if you have a job) but you go anyway don't you? (or at least you should) The point is that we've got to stop regulating our relationship by how we feel and how we think. One of the greatest enemies to God's Kingdom Agenda in the church is what people "think". What you think doesn't matter to God when it comes to the execution of His Divine Will (Isaiah 55). God cares about your Obedience not your Opinion! But once again, when we get wrapped up in "how we think" and "our perspective" and "our opinion", that's our soul, that's not our spirit.

We must mature to the point that we're regulated by our spirit. When this happens, then we're not pressed about feelings and we're not pressed about our opinion (or the opinion of others), we're only pressed about the Word of God. Hebrews chapter 4 says that the soul and spirit are separated by the Word of God. Our minds have to be renewed and then regulated by the Word of God (Romans 12). Then the Lord will "teach us" how to feel. He'll "teach us" how to think. And once we let the Word of God through the operation of the Holy Spirit, allow our spirits to regulate our beings, not our souls, we will be witnesses of the Miracle of the Separation of Soul and Spirit.

Failing Forward

The leadership expert John Maxwell has a book that he wrote years ago entitled "Failing Forward". The gist of the book is about failure being designed not to stop your efforts, but as a means of improvement and development towards the reaching of one's goals. This is a lesson that a lot of us as Christians could afford to learn. There's not a person alive on this planet today who, at some level and in some area, hasn't failed. Failure is a part of life. If you're going to live, you're going to fail. The question is not, am I going to fail. The question is, how am I going to respond after I experience failure? This is how we want to make sure that we're Failing Forward.

So many of us, and I'm guilty of this, want to succeed "the first time around". We want to make sure that we get it right "the first time". If it goes down that way, Great. But if it doesn't, what do you do then? Many times in the spirit realm, particularly in the area of ministry, if we don't get it right initially, or if our efforts don't meet with immediate success, then we think it's not for us or that it's "not God's will" for us to engage in that particular area. This is incorrect. A lot of times God will "allow" us to fail in a particular area for which He's ordained us to participate in, just to test our resolve and our Perseverance. Saints, we have to reach a point in our faith and our commitment to God where we recognize that Failure is Not Final. Just because we didn't get it "the first time" doesn't mean we got the Call wrong or that it isn't God's will. This is significant, because there are some areas that the Lord is going to lead us in that are actually going to require "practice". Areas of spiritual gifts and callings that some of us may have never operated in before, and God is calling us to function in those areas of anointing. Just because you "mess it up" the first couple of times or so, doesn't mean you're supposed to throw up your hands and "quit". Neither does it mean you're supposed to try to justify your "temporary inactivity" until you "mature in your gift" and can get it right. No, you grow "through" it. You learn to Fail Forward.

A good example of this, believe it or not, was Jesus. Do you remember the time when Jesus was healing the blind man (Mark 8)? If you remember the story, the man didn't receive his full sight "initially". Oh oh, Jesus failed! Now, of course we know that Jesus didn't fail, but it looked like it didn't? I believe that the Lord allowed this to be written (at least in part) to inspire us to forge ahead in ministry, regardless of the area (but particularly in the Ministry of Healing) even when we don't get the complete results right away. God is getting ready to call many of us into areas of ministry that we've never done before. Do you know what that means? We're going to make mistakes! We're going to mess up. We're going to get it wrong. But be Encouraged. Don't let your mishaps and foul-ups get you down. Don't hang your head. Persevere.  Hang on in there. And let the Holy Spirit teach you the art of Failing Forward.

REST

As we continue to progress through this Season of Summer, I'm finding that many of the Saints who have been on the Battlefield for the Lord are tired. This is something that has been addressed previously, but the soldiers are getting weary. In addition to continued encouragement and inspiration from the Lord, what a lot of the Saints need is simply REST. 

Believe it or not, this simple admonition is the key for the weariness of many of our souls. A lot of us are still convinced that once the Lord turns our circumstances and situations around, this will bring us the needed relief for which we have been expecting. This is true to a very large extent. But what needs to be realized is that when God makes this turn and the breakthrough is manifested, we are going to war. God might give us a brief reprieve, but the Season of Harvest and Warfare will commence and the battle will be On! So, now is the time to get your "second wind" and learn to REST.

The first area of REST we need to focus on is our ceaseless activity. Some of us just need to sit down. There are too many of us that are always "busy." Busy for the Lord mind you, but busy nonetheless. This is not the will of God. God wants us to learn how to REST.  Not just relax, but REST. For many in our society, rest is equated with relaxation and leisurely activity. Yes, the Lord wants us to have a good time from time to time. But if you notice, sometimes you've got to work "harder" just to prepare to have a "good time." The God we serve is a God of Rest (Genesis 1). Don't become a proponent of the "Martha Complex" (Luke 10). Martha was busy serving Jesus and wanted her sister, Mary, to come and help her; and Jesus told her, in essence, you're busy doing a lot of work, but Mary has learned to rest. It's alright to take a nap every now and then. It's ok to go to bed early. To go to bed period! We need to make sure we're getting enough physical REST.

Then the Lord said, "Come unto Me all ye that labor and are heavy laden...and ye shall find rest unto your souls" (Matthew 11). For a lot of us, our minds and our souls are restless. We're worried about this and we're worried about that. We're anxious for this and we're anxious for that. REST. There are some things you just can't do anything about. And worrying isn't going to help it get better, neither is it going to help you. The songwriter had it right, take your burdens to the Lord and leave them there. Many of us are tired because we're thinking too much. Give it to God. Take it to Jesus. Let Him give you rest, and you'll find rest for your weary mind and soul. REST.

The last thing is, we need to labor to enter His Rest (Hebrews 4). This seems like a contradiction, but it's the key to renewal and revival that so many of us are longing for. True rejuvenation for many of us is not rooted in the shifting of our circumstances, it's rooted in us learning how to rest in the Lord. The challenge is, you have to work for this. You have to be diligent. You have to make sure that you've allowed the Holy Spirit to conform every aspect of your will to the Divine Will of God. It's not easy. It requires sanctification, purification, consecration, self-denial, crucifixion, circumcision, dedication and commitment. Once again, it's not easy.

And for many of you, you're tired of the process. But when you resign yourself to the Cross that God has called you to bear, when you wrap your mind around the word that says "we are killed all the day long, we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter" (Romans 8), the Holy Spirit will bestow upon you a supernatural rest that will give you the second wind that you're looking for. 

Resign yourself to the struggle. Concede to the Lord that you're willing to die daily (1Corinthians 15). Quit fighting it! And when you do Saints, God has a rest that will facilitate your "crossing over to the other side." Be Encouraged Saints, and get some REST!

Cross-Identification

We are in a season saints where Discipleship Development is going to be significant. No longer will one be able to get away with just being a "church member". If you're claiming to be saved and a born-again believer in Christ, then the requirement and the standard will be Christian Discipleship. Unfortunately, Discipleship to Christ is not something that is always strictly adhered to in the Body of Christ. This slackness in faithfulness and commitment to our Lord is found significantly in our church leadership. As preachers and ministers of the Gospel, a lot of times we get more preoccupied with our gifts and anointing than we do the Anointed One. This lack of focus in church leadership has created a ripple effect in the Body of Christ to where the majority of believers are not reaching for Discipleship to Christ as the standard for their relationship with God. This is about to change.

For those that have made a commitment to Discipleship to Christ, I'd like to reinforce the requirements of Discipleship as laid out by the Master Himself. Jesus says in the 16th chapter of the Gospel of Saint Matthew, "if any man will come after me let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me". The question I'd like to ask today is, have you identified your Cross? A crossless church is an un-discipled church. No matter how much praise and worship is going on, Jesus said that if you're going to be my Disciple you have to Bear Your Cross (of course praise and worship is a fundamental part of that). We have too many Cross-less Christians professing the name of Christ. This is one of the reasons why the church doesn't have the power to usher in the Kingdom of God. The Key is the Cross. And if you haven't identified and embraced your Cross, I can assure you, there's an aspect of your relationship with God that is off. We need to make sure that we've established Cross-Identification.

One of the preludes to bearing one's cross and the identification thereof is self-denial. That is the first prerequisite of Christian Discipleship (Matthew 16). Remember, self-denial is not synonymous with the stopping of sin. There could be an area that you need to deny yourself in that is not overtly sinful or against the word of God. One area that I've recently had to deny myself in is TV watching. Not that I watch an exorbitant amount of television, but the times I was watching it were not congruent with God's "discipleship agenda" for my life, so I had to shut it down. It may be an area that's very simple and subtle, but critical to the formation of Christ's Discipleship spirit within you.

In your pursuit of Cross-Identification understand this on the front end, you're going to have to Suffer. In identifying and bearing your cross, you are going to have to experience some pain. You're going to have to endure Sacrifice. If you're "pain aversive" or you're not into Sacrifice and personal inconvenience, let me tell you right now, you do not qualify to serve as a Disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. You'll be one of the followers that "walks away" (John 6). Our society has conditioned us that Pain is bad. However, this is not totally true. Not all pain is bad, particularly when it's Ordained of God. I still believe in the saying, No Pain, No Gain. The Holy Spirit will give you the strength to endure the pain of your Cross. But the first item of business is the identification thereof. The Lord is allowing me to identify mine. Yes it's painful, but it's also liberating. Hebrews chapter 12 says, "looking unto Jesus...who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the Cross". Saints, there is reward for those that allow the Holy Spirit to discipline and teach them how to identify and thus bear and endure their cross. I'm not talking about in the "bye and bye" either. I'm talking about the here and now! God has some rewards and promotions that He's getting ready to bestow upon His chosen. But the rewards will not be received without Cross-Identification.

From Death to Glory

One of the things that I'm discovering is that in order to truly get to where God has ordained one to be, you have to be willing to die. This is not a message that is frequently preached, but it's a message that is consistently supported and reinforced in the Word of God. I'm beginning to believe that part of the reason why the church has not witnessed a major move of God within the last half-century or so is due in large part to our lack of acclimation to self-denial and sacrifice. However, as we prepare to enter into this next Move of God, it's going to be imperative that His people understand how to transition from Death to Glory.

The Apostle Paul says something in the third chapter of Colossians that ought to be the mantra of every born-again believer in Christ, "for ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God". That is a very powerful, powerful, statement. Do you recognize yourself as Dead? Not dead in Christ, but dead to self. Most of the time many of us are trying to obtain self-affirmation, self-recognition, self-promotion, self-reinforcement. Believe it or not, a lot of this is counter to the declaration that the Word has pronounced upon our being. Why are we trying to get recognition for that which is dead? Why are we trying to get affirmation and reinforcement for that which God has said is not alive? Once again, we think the problem is with sin, but it's not. The problem is with self; and if you haven't taken the time to agree in your spirit with the Word of God, then you're going to find yourself sub-consciously seeking for things and reaching for things that run counter to the identity for which Christ died for you to be. We need to definitively declare today according to the Word of God, I am dead. 

However, that's not the end of the scripture. The text also says that we are hid in Christ. When you reach for self and the promotion and fulfillment thereof, you become exposed to all of the wiles of the Devil. Yet, when you're hidden in Christ, you're Covered. Saints, I am persuaded that a lot of the drama and a lot of the heartache that many of us are experiencing is due in large part to us not taking the proper posture of being hidden in Christ. That's why Colossians 3 goes on to say "put on the new man". Put on Christ! Don't wear your own personal attitudes and opinions and dispositions. Let your disposition and approach towards life be hidden in Christ. Let His Spirit cover you. This requires a degree of humility because, quiet as its kept, many of us like our personality and perspective towards life. The only problem with that is, a lot of times our perspective is not congruent with God's (Isaiah 55). We need to be deliberate about being Hidden in Christ.

Lastly, the Good News is that our being dead is not the Final Analysis. There is Hope! The scripture goes on to say, "when Christ who is our life shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in Glory" (Colossians 3). This is the part that we miss. Your being dead is not the focus. The Focus is the Glory of God, which is in Christ Jesus! (Colossians 1) As we embrace being dead to self, the Promise of the Father is, once Jesus appears, then we will appear with Him in Glory. Notice the scripture doesn't say "when He returns", it says when He appears. Jesus can appear to you at any time! (1Corinthians 15). And when He does, if you've adequately and sufficiently died to self and embraced your spiritual death sentence, then your New You will appear with Christ In Glory! Hallelujah!!! Aren't you excited about that? I am. But we have to be willing to embrace and endure the Transition from Death to Glory.