The flesh.
I don't know if I'm the only one, but for some reason, I've always had the idea that there are two separate definitions of flesh. I thought one was the muscle of the body and one was the "natural man" or "old nature".
This faulty mindset has been reconciled to God by the Spirit, and whoa, it is helpful in letting the Spirit crucify the flesh.
Through the physical appetite, Satan convinced Eve she could receive God's full wisdom. When she ate of the fruit, the flesh became the enemy, giving her orders to defy God and instead, become her own authority. There is something vulnerable about the sense of taste, and the need of the belly, and the snake knew it.
Last post, I wrote about submitting to the authority of Jesus. For as long as I've been around, my physical appetite and tastes have been fully separate from my faith. I'm not sure how the church got here, since the two are extremely connected all throughout scripture. No, judgement from one human to another wasn't the correct answer, because that makes it religion...however, eating is God's business, since He grows everything that sustains us, heals us using it, and regenerates cells by the minute using the nourishment He grows from the earth. Of course if we reject what He's offering, the world is happy to delude, disease and malnourish. But that is our choice. This is why we are still trying to manipulate the flesh into obedience and proper form...but love is the only answer.
This morning, my husband says "Man, I kind of hate it when the Spirit convicts me about the amount of butter I'm about to add to my oats". We laugh about these things, but really, we agree it is such a Good Thing. Over the last few months, as my attention has been drawn to the life in the Spirit, I have received an incredible amount of benefit from laying down my pride about knowledge and letting Him lead my cooking, eating, serving my family, grocery shopping, hospitality.
One of the things He has been training is the ability to perceive temptations, and temptation set-ups by way of the taste. What? Satan still does that? I thought my bad eating habits were my job to fix?
AHHHH this is such good news for anyone who has difficulty with self-control in eating and every other thing mentioned in Galatians 5!
First, Galatians 5 is a diagnosis. Not a directive. He (Paul) is not directing us to stop bowing down to statues and start being patient. That is old law, religious thinking. You're not going to be able to stop the bad things and get the good things without letting the Spirit take over the cleansing. The washing of regeneration. The renewing of the Holy Spirit. I've experienced repeated washings and it's so good.
The appetite. Nephesh.
The Word had me in 1 Samuel 2 this morning. Eli's sons, "worthless men", had "no regard for the Lord". This is what they did: They demanded to eat the meat of sacrifices while it was not fully rendered to the Lord, taking for themselves what their flesh desired. Further, they slept with the women who served at the tent of the meeting.
Even though I have been witnessing this in myself and in alignment and empowerment of the nurture and admonition of the Lord, discipling my children for a while now to watch for it, I hadn't felt ready to release it. today hearing it again and that, along with Hearing 1 Samuel & my husband's comment, followed by being led through the Word by rhema, the Spirit nudged me to move my fingers and my mind. My spirit is also experiencing the holy shivers and I love it.
Taking. Demanding. Aligning with pleasure instead of faith.
He took me to Galatians 5 and walked me through the Greek words. I was pretty shocked by some of the root words.
Galatians 5:19-20
I was surprised by the roots of the words immorality, sensuality and sorcery. Thanks to proper old white men translating the Bible for us, we have the least obnoxious sounding of the definitions.
"No, we will go to Egypt for help!" -please, find isaiah 29, 30 & 31. open eyes, Holy Spirit. Come.
Here is why I continued to have so much difficulty with my flesh.
Sensuality. Rejects restraint. "And if the man said to him, 'Let them burn the fat first, and then take as much as you wish,' he would say, 'No, you must give it now, and if not, I will take it by force.'"
1 Samuel 2:16
For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot.
Romans 8:7
If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
Romans 8:11
In ancient Greece, the philosophers had trouble with "the mind-body problem". The fruit of this lack of wisdom was western medicine. In Greek, pharmakeia. Fascinatingly, the widely used "cadeuceus" is sourced in Greek idolatry (commonly referred to as mythology, which is a language dilution of what it actually was. Unsurprising what manifested out of many gods.), amusingly, somewhere along the line the actual medical symbol (also serpentine) was confused with the rod of Hermes, the messenger of the gods, worshiped by thieves and businessmen! The original, the Rod of Asclepius, is no less idolatrous in origin. (the word just before pharmakeia in Galatians 5:19).
Here's the freaky part. Almost everyone I know has bought into this model of idolatry, and look down on eastern counterparts, simply because we white people are of European descent! Of course chakra cleansing is devious, as is western medicine!
Here is what the Spirit is saying: We say "Jesus, you are enough!" but then seek our "healing" from people made in His image.
The reason western medicine and well-being are not in accordance is simply because "indeed, it cannot". "What accord has Christ with Belial?"
"The mind controlled by the flesh is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace."
Brothers and sisters. We are trusting the wrong authority with the sarks. That's why food is "confusing". (It's not a knowledge problem. It's an authority of the mind, willingness to lay down desires problem) Health is missing. Self-control is absent.
Somewhere along the line the deceiver (likely using the other flesh-fruit of dissensions and factions) convinced us that the appetite and eating is totally unrelated to our worship, and made it fully awkward to address this.
The interesting thing about sarks is that it is the vessel in which obedience is carried out. Where faith is manifested.
"Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves"
"Whatever is not of faith is sin" -Romans 14
"so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil."
-2 Corinthians 5
In the time we live, somehow we are in denial that well-being has very much to do with what we take into the body. We don't want to admit any fault so we are messing with genetics, drugs, and many other things so we don't have to simply eat actual food and not "delicacies".
Romans 16:18. Driven by their own appetites. The word "rivalry" and "ambition" describes the founders of these false thoughts--they sought followers. The word factions also describes the philosophers at the root: "self-chosen opinions-religious or philosophical sect". These are things which distinguish a person who is being driven by the flesh.
Wow.
Yes. At the root of "modern medicine" is a batch of self-important thinkers obsessed with notoriety, not God, who is Truth and Wisdom and Life. Therefore, healing and physical wellness are not there. They didn't know because they weren't asking the One God, they were asking and manipulating their statues for healing and protection.
THIS IS NOT WHO WE ARE.
"When you sit down to eat with a ruler,
observe carefully what is before you,
and put a knife to your throat
if you are given to appetite.
Do not desire his delicacies,
for they are deceptive food."
-1 cor 10:14-15
I don't know if I'm the only one, but for some reason, I've always had the idea that there are two separate definitions of flesh. I thought one was the muscle of the body and one was the "natural man" or "old nature".
This faulty mindset has been reconciled to God by the Spirit, and whoa, it is helpful in letting the Spirit crucify the flesh.
Through the physical appetite, Satan convinced Eve she could receive God's full wisdom. When she ate of the fruit, the flesh became the enemy, giving her orders to defy God and instead, become her own authority. There is something vulnerable about the sense of taste, and the need of the belly, and the snake knew it.
Last post, I wrote about submitting to the authority of Jesus. For as long as I've been around, my physical appetite and tastes have been fully separate from my faith. I'm not sure how the church got here, since the two are extremely connected all throughout scripture. No, judgement from one human to another wasn't the correct answer, because that makes it religion...however, eating is God's business, since He grows everything that sustains us, heals us using it, and regenerates cells by the minute using the nourishment He grows from the earth. Of course if we reject what He's offering, the world is happy to delude, disease and malnourish. But that is our choice. This is why we are still trying to manipulate the flesh into obedience and proper form...but love is the only answer.
This morning, my husband says "Man, I kind of hate it when the Spirit convicts me about the amount of butter I'm about to add to my oats". We laugh about these things, but really, we agree it is such a Good Thing. Over the last few months, as my attention has been drawn to the life in the Spirit, I have received an incredible amount of benefit from laying down my pride about knowledge and letting Him lead my cooking, eating, serving my family, grocery shopping, hospitality.
One of the things He has been training is the ability to perceive temptations, and temptation set-ups by way of the taste. What? Satan still does that? I thought my bad eating habits were my job to fix?
AHHHH this is such good news for anyone who has difficulty with self-control in eating and every other thing mentioned in Galatians 5!
First, Galatians 5 is a diagnosis. Not a directive. He (Paul) is not directing us to stop bowing down to statues and start being patient. That is old law, religious thinking. You're not going to be able to stop the bad things and get the good things without letting the Spirit take over the cleansing. The washing of regeneration. The renewing of the Holy Spirit. I've experienced repeated washings and it's so good.
The appetite. Nephesh.
The Word had me in 1 Samuel 2 this morning. Eli's sons, "worthless men", had "no regard for the Lord". This is what they did: They demanded to eat the meat of sacrifices while it was not fully rendered to the Lord, taking for themselves what their flesh desired. Further, they slept with the women who served at the tent of the meeting.
Even though I have been witnessing this in myself and in alignment and empowerment of the nurture and admonition of the Lord, discipling my children for a while now to watch for it, I hadn't felt ready to release it. today hearing it again and that, along with Hearing 1 Samuel & my husband's comment, followed by being led through the Word by rhema, the Spirit nudged me to move my fingers and my mind. My spirit is also experiencing the holy shivers and I love it.
Taking. Demanding. Aligning with pleasure instead of faith.
He took me to Galatians 5 and walked me through the Greek words. I was pretty shocked by some of the root words.
Galatians 5:19-20
I was surprised by the roots of the words immorality, sensuality and sorcery. Thanks to proper old white men translating the Bible for us, we have the least obnoxious sounding of the definitions.
"No, we will go to Egypt for help!" -please, find isaiah 29, 30 & 31. open eyes, Holy Spirit. Come.
Here is why I continued to have so much difficulty with my flesh.
Sensuality. Rejects restraint. "And if the man said to him, 'Let them burn the fat first, and then take as much as you wish,' he would say, 'No, you must give it now, and if not, I will take it by force.'"
1 Samuel 2:16
For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot.
Romans 8:7
If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
Romans 8:11
In ancient Greece, the philosophers had trouble with "the mind-body problem". The fruit of this lack of wisdom was western medicine. In Greek, pharmakeia. Fascinatingly, the widely used "cadeuceus" is sourced in Greek idolatry (commonly referred to as mythology, which is a language dilution of what it actually was. Unsurprising what manifested out of many gods.), amusingly, somewhere along the line the actual medical symbol (also serpentine) was confused with the rod of Hermes, the messenger of the gods, worshiped by thieves and businessmen! The original, the Rod of Asclepius, is no less idolatrous in origin. (the word just before pharmakeia in Galatians 5:19).
Here's the freaky part. Almost everyone I know has bought into this model of idolatry, and look down on eastern counterparts, simply because we white people are of European descent! Of course chakra cleansing is devious, as is western medicine!
Here is what the Spirit is saying: We say "Jesus, you are enough!" but then seek our "healing" from people made in His image.
The reason western medicine and well-being are not in accordance is simply because "indeed, it cannot". "What accord has Christ with Belial?"
"We should not test Christ, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes."1 Corinthians 10:9The problem is withheld mortal flesh.
Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. -Romans 6:12-13What if the appetite and all true physical healing is a spiritual issue with spiritual answers? I affirm and agree this is true, although I know quite an unpopular and ridiculed position.
"The mind controlled by the flesh is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace."
Brothers and sisters. We are trusting the wrong authority with the sarks. That's why food is "confusing". (It's not a knowledge problem. It's an authority of the mind, willingness to lay down desires problem) Health is missing. Self-control is absent.
Somewhere along the line the deceiver (likely using the other flesh-fruit of dissensions and factions) convinced us that the appetite and eating is totally unrelated to our worship, and made it fully awkward to address this.
The interesting thing about sarks is that it is the vessel in which obedience is carried out. Where faith is manifested.
"Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves"
"Whatever is not of faith is sin" -Romans 14
"so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil."
-2 Corinthians 5
In the time we live, somehow we are in denial that well-being has very much to do with what we take into the body. We don't want to admit any fault so we are messing with genetics, drugs, and many other things so we don't have to simply eat actual food and not "delicacies".
Romans 16:18. Driven by their own appetites. The word "rivalry" and "ambition" describes the founders of these false thoughts--they sought followers. The word factions also describes the philosophers at the root: "self-chosen opinions-religious or philosophical sect". These are things which distinguish a person who is being driven by the flesh.
Wow.
Yes. At the root of "modern medicine" is a batch of self-important thinkers obsessed with notoriety, not God, who is Truth and Wisdom and Life. Therefore, healing and physical wellness are not there. They didn't know because they weren't asking the One God, they were asking and manipulating their statues for healing and protection.
THIS IS NOT WHO WE ARE.
"When you sit down to eat with a ruler,
observe carefully what is before you,
and put a knife to your throat
if you are given to appetite.
Do not desire his delicacies,
for they are deceptive food."
proverbs 23:1-3
Beware, and do not desire deceptive food.
Every time I give attention (worship) to the One True God, He reveals many things that totally floor me. Splitting allegiance, I was confused how it all connected but He is so faithful and generous with wisdom when I fully accept and agree: The Lord our God, The Lord is One.
Noticing desires. The Holy Spirit has not said to me that meat, sugar and fat are "bad", but that they are designed to offer pleasure, firmly established in context with gratitude, thanksgiving..."This is a Good Thing". But you can see how they caused many to stumble throughout the Word.
If your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out.
Both I and my husband, upon giving attention to the desires for pleasure in the mouth, have witnessed interesting relationships between physical indulgence and sin.
The authority of the mind is weakened.
"“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything."
1 Corinthians 6:12
"No one should seek their own good, but the good of others."
1 Corinthians 10:24
"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.
Galatians 5:17
"you cannot share the Lord's table and the table of demons. Or are we provoking the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?" -1 cor 10:21-22
What I witness in myself is the path of Eli's sons. If I begin to permit myself indulgence of the flesh (distinctly different from partaking in a gift of pleasure from the Father, which is an acknowledged Good Thing), I can either say yes (Everything is permissible. Choosing to ignore "do not use freedom in occasion to the flesh"), and know with the eyes of the Spirit when confronting it, that I am not seeking the good of others...I can expect further temptation because selfish actions invite more selfish actions.
There was a time my husband would [often] go to the popsicle place across the street from the shop after work for a cold treat in the summer, or down the street for gelato. I do not think this is sin. However, he told me that in those times, he witnessed increased intensity of temptations of other kinds as well. Satan starts with the mouth. What is fed, will grow. I have experienced MANY instances of sensing selfishness, enabling it through the tastebuds, and then losing the power of my mind to repent, to be humble, to lay down my life for others, or even regard them. Even "good things" which are taken (Prov. 9:17-18) in self-indulgence are a path which leads to further temptation.
This is really good news. Because when the body is fully rendered, and the Spirit's eyes are giving light to what the enemy is up to, I can stop a more devious temptation from overtaking me, just by saying no to "stolen water" or a not fully rendered body, by the power of the Spirit in me.
Modern medicine and "science" has had all of us fooled long enough, the body is not a separate entity from the mind & spirit, and all real healing of ALL THREE comes from full surrender to Jesus Christ. We do not split authority over the body, mind and spirit between Christ and humans made in His image. Only by knowing (intimacy) and offering to God all parts of my being did I begin to access the faith He births within!
Hophni. and. Phinehas.
But we have a merciful God, who provides us His own Spirit, the Spirit who says after 40 days of no food: "man shall not live by bread alone, but every Word proceeding from the mouth of God"
"No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to man. But GOD IS FAITHFUL."
Beware, and do not desire deceptive food.
Every time I give attention (worship) to the One True God, He reveals many things that totally floor me. Splitting allegiance, I was confused how it all connected but He is so faithful and generous with wisdom when I fully accept and agree: The Lord our God, The Lord is One.
Noticing desires. The Holy Spirit has not said to me that meat, sugar and fat are "bad", but that they are designed to offer pleasure, firmly established in context with gratitude, thanksgiving..."This is a Good Thing". But you can see how they caused many to stumble throughout the Word.
If your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out.
Both I and my husband, upon giving attention to the desires for pleasure in the mouth, have witnessed interesting relationships between physical indulgence and sin.
The authority of the mind is weakened.
"“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything."
1 Corinthians 6:12
"No one should seek their own good, but the good of others."
1 Corinthians 10:24
"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.
Galatians 5:17
"you cannot share the Lord's table and the table of demons. Or are we provoking the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?" -1 cor 10:21-22
What I witness in myself is the path of Eli's sons. If I begin to permit myself indulgence of the flesh (distinctly different from partaking in a gift of pleasure from the Father, which is an acknowledged Good Thing), I can either say yes (Everything is permissible. Choosing to ignore "do not use freedom in occasion to the flesh"), and know with the eyes of the Spirit when confronting it, that I am not seeking the good of others...I can expect further temptation because selfish actions invite more selfish actions.
There was a time my husband would [often] go to the popsicle place across the street from the shop after work for a cold treat in the summer, or down the street for gelato. I do not think this is sin. However, he told me that in those times, he witnessed increased intensity of temptations of other kinds as well. Satan starts with the mouth. What is fed, will grow. I have experienced MANY instances of sensing selfishness, enabling it through the tastebuds, and then losing the power of my mind to repent, to be humble, to lay down my life for others, or even regard them. Even "good things" which are taken (Prov. 9:17-18) in self-indulgence are a path which leads to further temptation.
"If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” Genesis 4:7
This is really good news. Because when the body is fully rendered, and the Spirit's eyes are giving light to what the enemy is up to, I can stop a more devious temptation from overtaking me, just by saying no to "stolen water" or a not fully rendered body, by the power of the Spirit in me.
Modern medicine and "science" has had all of us fooled long enough, the body is not a separate entity from the mind & spirit, and all real healing of ALL THREE comes from full surrender to Jesus Christ. We do not split authority over the body, mind and spirit between Christ and humans made in His image. Only by knowing (intimacy) and offering to God all parts of my being did I begin to access the faith He births within!
"Question your knowledge, do not question your Source."What (and how) you eat directly affects the capacity of the will to command the body. I have experienced often enough, this type of scenario:
I grow impatient. My flesh craves something good. I take it. I barely even taste it. Someone does something annoying. My tongue has no restraint. My heart is cold and feels no remorse.
Hophni. and. Phinehas.
But we have a merciful God, who provides us His own Spirit, the Spirit who says after 40 days of no food: "man shall not live by bread alone, but every Word proceeding from the mouth of God"
"No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to man. But GOD IS FAITHFUL."
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