Nugget 16
The Spirit Indeed is Willing
January 1984
"THE SPIRIT INDEED IS WILLING but the flesh is weak." Matthew 26:41b.
Some weeks ago, during prayer for some dear brethren, the word came, "the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" - with this came also a much deeper understanding of these words.
Flesh is not only man's body, but man's whole being, including sense and reason when it is destitute of God, because the seat of sin is in the soul.
"Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of HIS OWN lust, and enticed." James 1:13-14.
God does not tempt man. Romans 8 speaks in absolutely plain language of the MIND OF THE FLESH; how it works contrary to the will of God. Man's only hope of overcoming the flesh is through the Spirit, by which security is provided by God's love. The Spirit gives life in place of death. The Old Testament brethren could not have the magnitude of OVERCOMING grace which we have received, because a set of laws or legal codes could not bring righteousness; only a life controlled by the Spirit, on the basis of THAT NEW LAW WRITTEN NOT ON TABLES OF STONE, but ON THE HEART, could produce such qualities in us as peace, joy, hope and love.
The flesh is constantly at war with the Spirit. The desires of the flesh are ever present, but the provision for overcoming is through the Spirit, therefore, the following seven steps are absolutely necessary to the overcomer.
- The believer should, at some time after accepting Jesus as Saviour, receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
- The believer should be aware of the Holy Spirit as being a part of the Godhead.
- The believer should want to be no longer in charge of his own life, but desire the Life of Christ to be lived out in him.
- Be sensitive to the voice of the Spirit. (He is always speaking, but we are not always listening.)
- Be exercised in the operations of the Spirit through obedience.
- Most important - be willing and ready to submit to the chastening and cleansing of the Spirit as He makes known deep-hidden or simple-surface weaknesses - because "He will not always chide."
- Bear in mind, that when we come together in worship, the move of the Spirit in the midst is different than in any other place - prophecies and all the gifts of the Spirit can be practiced, and the believer has the type of growth that is necessary to his overall spiritual advancement.
THE CARNAL MIND: The carnal mind is that which is not under the control of the Holy Spirit. Because of this, it can conceive and bring forth evil, since Satan is the prince of evil.
There are some innocent desires (might not be evil) which can eventually become the occasion of sin. The CARNAL MIND cannot please God.
Scripture states:
"Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry." Colossians 3:5.
We should see to it that these members of ours do not resist the restraint of Divine Law. Human life, therefore, would be brought under subjection to the purpose for which it was ordained.
God made man to live in beauty and strength according to His Divine laws. Sin made an inroad and left a roadway. Man was defiled. God in His plan of restoration has to redeem man spirit, soul and body, but this cannot be achieved without the willingness and total submission to God's Divine plan. As the Spirit is allowed to work in the inward parts, He is able to turn bitterness to sweetness, rage to peace, hate and animosity to love, rough to smooth, sorrow to joy and heaviness to praise, delivering the soul from envy, jealousy, malice (and) pride, causing a true spirit to pervade which can stand the LIGHT OF HIS COUNTENANCE.
So many times, it seems easier to give way to the flesh in anger, malice, strife, hatred, (and) mistrust of the brethren, or on the other hand deceiving the brethren, giving false witness, using a false balance and others too many to mention (whatsoever does not edify the individual or the Body of Christ, or glorify Jesus is not of God). Some things are seen out in the open - others are not very obvious; then some left only to the honesty of one's conscience before God; "To thine own self be true." (Shakespeare). Trust and be trusted.
Taking a look at the Old Testament, there appears much evidence of the weakness of the flesh, like...
DAVID - chosen of God, courageous, a champion, a good soldier, but was led by passion to violate the law; (to) yield to gross sin. When the Spirit of the Lord anointed him, he did mightily; outside of that, he was an ordinary man subject to the weaknesses of the flesh.
MOSES - leader and law-giver of Israel; was as God to the people; spoke with God's personality; moved mightily under the anointing, but manifested as an ordinary man when provoked.
SAMSON - Showed such supernatural power and might, yet there was the expression of the carnal appetites; weak in resisting temptations.
The plotting, planning, cunning, scheming JACOB (could have been a familiar spirit; mother deceived Isaac, Laban her brother deceived Jacob) had a bout with the angel all night, but thank God he had the tenacity to hang on for the blessing or measure of deliverance which he received towards morning. The Jacob nature must be dealt with by the Spirit before any possession of the Land. No one is going to conquer those giants in the land, but the one who owns the land. The Land is OURSELVES. Each individual is well acquainted with the giants that rise up in his or her own soul to challenge the Spirit. Some have been there so long, that they appear to be part of the person. The individual may even be afraid to lose that spirit which might well be a controlling spirit. Anything that cannot be identified with the gift of the Holy Spirit and righteousness (Christ's nature) is of the carnal, evil spirit, and must be driven out of the land.
There are so many examples in the Old Testament proving the weakness of man, that it is virtually impossible to deny the fact that "in man dwells no good thing." Without the Spirit there is bound to be failure.
Take Peter as an example. In the New Testament, Peter had been with Jesus for three and a half years, and seen and shared in all that Jesus manifested; yet, in his humanness, he denied Him before the people, and returned to fishing after Jesus left. No wonder Jesus said to him, "Peter, lovest thou me?" - asking the same question three times and receiving the same answer from Peter, even with a little disgust at the last. Then Jesus said, "Feed my lambs." At one time, Jesus told Peter, "Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat, but I have prayed for thee."
Peter, as well as all of us, have to be fortified by the Holy Spirit's indwelling, or there is no overcoming of the flesh (the world, the flesh, and the devil). Peter's impulsiveness and all other weaknesses of the flesh, as well as all of us, have to come under the effectual working of the Spirit if we are to be transformed to HIS IMAGE.
It is not because these characters mentioned in the Bible were bad or evil that they fell short of the expressed image of God, but because in the Old Testament, (or in other words under the old covenant), the Spirit of God was not yet come to indwell the believer (John 7:39), and in (the) three and a half years that Jesus was on the earth with His disciples, the Holy Spirit was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified. Therefore, Peter was without strength. Jesus said, "when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren." When the Spirit fell at Pentecost, Peter rose up in the midst and proclaimed the wonders of salvation.
The willingness to the Spirit anointing was not enough for the Old Testament believers. Some did mightily in spite of their limitations, yet they were judged.
God expects greater overcoming from those to whom He has given not an overshadowing of the Spirit only, but an indwelling portion to all who will receive.
To this FORTY-SECOND GENERATION, therefore, He says, "Thou art inexcusable, O man," (Romans 2:1), in that God has, through Jesus, laid the way wide open to redeem man from the bondage of corruption (bondage of human nature), and raised us through the Spirit to overcome the weaknesses of the flesh.
"...Not by might, nor by power (in the natural), but by my SPIRIT, saith the Lord of hosts." Zechariah 4:6.
There is no sin nor weakness that the blood of Jesus, the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit cannot overcome.
Walking in the Spirit destroys or retards the weaknesses of the flesh, (and) builds spiritual character, thus the true nature of Christ is formed in the believer.
The Holy Ghost is given and is always willing and ready to purge the dross, that the gold (which is the nature of God) may come forth; that the world may see Christ Jesus living in His temple. As the temple of God, we should allow the Spirit to deal with the weaknesses of the flesh, so that the Divine Nature might destroy the evil nature, and take full control of the man for Christ's sake. Amen.
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