Inspirational Thought of the Day:
The biggest influence on us is unseen.
Scripture of the Day:
1 Corinthians 3:3
“For you are still influenced by the flesh. For since there is still jealousy and dissension among you, are you to influenced by the flesh and behaving like unregenerate people?”
It’s all unicorns and roses when we become a Christian, right? We walk through the doors of church and know, we just know – that we will never encounter things such as bitter envy, jealousy, anger . . . nope, not in church. God’s people are too sanctified for that.
What’s that? You have? So sorry to start off today’s blog with a hint of sarcasm. And to burst your perfect bubble if you still have one.
Why are we surprised when we see fleshly behavior in church? Because salvation should mean perfection? No, but we hope that when someone has become a Christian they have put to death the deeds of the flesh.
Paul spoke about this battle with the flesh, but even way back at the very beginning in Genesis, God told Cain of His need to overcome the flesh rather than being mastered by it.
So, this is not a new problem. Our flesh leads us astray. Sometimes it is obvious when we are tempted to give into the flesh. But perhaps the biggest influence on us is unseen. The subtle influence of the flesh is woven into our thought patterns, our culture and behavior. Do we perceive it?
It is this unseen influence of the flesh that is insidious. It pervades our mind and soul almost undetected, affecting our emotions and opinions. People have perceptions about other people based on feelings which are fleeting and constantly changing. Or maybe someone spoke negatively about another individual and that has altered our view of that person. All of this banter in our brains is unspiritual, of the devil – and it can become a constant barrage that affects our outlook if left unchecked.
But there is another influence whispering in our ears, if we are willing to listen. We might have to turn down the noise of our flesh to be able to hear the Holy Spirit. For those of us who have accepted Christ as our Savior, He left us the Holy Spirit as a deposit for our salvation. What a gift. God within beckons us toward righteousness and to step away from evil.
The Holy Spirit illumines God’s precious word to help us when we are getting confused by our flesh or by the attack of other people being affected by their flesh. In a moment we can get wisdom from God to be able to see the reality of the spiritual world all around us and say no to the flesh.
If we take a step back and look at our lives and honestly ask God to examine us, we can begin to see clearly and remove the fog that veils our eyes. The flesh is convincing and we think we have freedom when we give in to the flesh, but true freedom is walking in the Spirit. God wants to set us free from being enslaved to the demands of our flesh.
Thank You, LORD, that You have set us free to no longer listen to the flesh or be affected by the actions of others who are. Help us to rise above the flesh and to live worthy of Your great sacrifice given so we would no longer be slaves to the flesh.
This is a great reminder. Sometimes we are so shocked to see a fault in someone that we see as the great super-Christian, that it can make us question too many things. However, as you said, if we really look at ourselves, we will see our flesh creep in at times. Everyone of us are a work in progress. Each one at a different level. I need to allow God’s Holy Spirit to lead and guide me and not allow me to be lead wrong. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you, Tom! I love what you said – everyone of us are a work in progress – so true. This humbles us to never judge another. We are all at the foot of the cross, desperate for God. Having compassion and praying for one another’s faults is such a better response than judgement. Thank you for reading and commenting!
Great devotional, Denise! This struggle with our flesh and the influence of the flesh within the church is why Paul wrote so much about carnal (fleshly) Christians to the church in Corinth (much of which could be written about the church in America, unfortunately). I love the teaching by the late, great, Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru) about how to live the Spirit-filled (instead of carnal/fleshly) life. This is some of the most profound and yet simple teaching and yet how many Christians in our churches have never been taught this and don’t know how to live a Spirit-filled life? Check out this teaching at https://www.cru.org/train-and-grow/spiritual-growth/the-spirit-filled-life.html
Thanks for your Godly teaching and sharing your heart through your devotionals, Denise!
Thank you, Jeff! Great article by Bill Bright. I agree with you – this teaching is so elemental to the Christian faith, yet many are blinded to the reality of it. May God open our eyes so we can live worthy lives for His glory!