FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP
2 Corinthians 10:3 For
though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through Elohim to the pulling down of strongholds;)
5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of Elohim, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Messiah;
4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through Elohim to the pulling down of strongholds;)
5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of Elohim, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Messiah;
Last week’s post ended with this comment:
The fact we even consider the flesh lets us know that we have
stepped out of the Spirit; because when we are walking in the
Spirit, our affections and lusts ARE
crucified.
Last week we described the flesh as a
frozen wasteland where everything within it, including the weather, will kill
us; but it is the only place where we can do what we want to do, make our own
decisions and be the master of our own life.
The cozy lodge, standing out of the midst of this frozen wasteland, was
the realm of the Spirit where we could enjoy fellowship with IAUE and Yahushua
and with other disciples; where we did not need to concern ourselves with the
hardship of the cold or an attack by wild animals, where all our needs were met;
and where we attended to everything the Master of the lodge directed us to do.
Rationally evaluated, no one would ever
be sensible in returning to the snow and ice and the harsh reality of death
working all around us; but then one of the points we have been making over the
past few weeks is that it is not clear thinking that causes us to walk in the
flesh. It is the thinking of “unrenewed”
minds that keeps us returning to this arena of death and destruction.
The flesh, in its affections and lusts,
has no regard for the righteousness of Elohim. Elohim is not a part of
its world. The flesh cares nothing for the character traits of sanctified
living: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
meekness, temperance. It is foreign to any thought of humility and
brokenness. The flesh is purely selfish; and all that proceeds from the
flesh is concerned only with its own works. The flesh is also focused on
immediate gratification. It does not
provide us with a view to its long-term consequences. It just wants what it wants right now…like a
spoiled brat. Even when the flesh offers
to act patiently or to appear to be humble, meek or repentant, it is only
manipulating its environment to serve its own purposes. The flesh can
NEVER be trusted to do the will of Elohim out of love or selflessness. That is not in its skill set. The flesh and
the Spirit…the will of Elohim, are sworn enemies; and when we choose to walk in
the flesh, we side with the enemy of IAUE.
The moment we begin to entertain the
benefits perceived to be associated with the affections and lusts of the flesh;
we are standing outside the lodge on the front porch. We have not yet leaped
out into the snow; nor do we enjoy the protection of the lodge. We are in a very tenuous state; and it is in
that moment we must make a choice. It is
imperative to understand that we DO make a choice. The choice has not been made for us; nor are
we without the ability to decide. Many
feel that when the flesh comes knocking at their door, they must answer and go
away with him. That is not true. It is a lie that the flesh presents to make
you think you cannot choose.
This is the true nature of the flesh; and yet, we still find ourselves loving the flesh, choosing it over the spirit. Why? It is because we do such a poor job of renewing our minds. Paul commanded us as the apostle of the Master Yahushua Messiah, to be TRANSFORMED by the renewing of the mind. He did not say that it would be easy; but then it isn't easy for a caterpillar to break free of the cocoon to become TRANSFORMED into a butterfly. There is an "order of magnitude" higher kind of life to which we have been called, and we cannot attain it if we do not attend to the renewing of the mind.
Our minds often lobby for disobedience against the will of IAUE. Our thoughts run counter to the will of Elohim, because our thought processes are worldly, fleshly. We do not think and reason with the mind of Messiah. The flesh IS at war with Elohim; and the battlefield where the war is waged is the mind. If our mind is not renewed to think with the mind of Messiah...to think with the thoughts of Elohim, our mind will think like the world and will appoint our will to choose disobedience to the will of Elohim. It is really that simple. Let us look at a couple of examples.
1. IAUE has indicated that He wants me to go to a particular restaurant for lunch. My mind recognizes that it is a Mexican restaurant and I am not in the mood for Mexican food. I choose, instead, to go to a steak restaurant for lunch. The person at the Mexican restaurant that IAUE had prepared to hear and respond to my testimony will not be hearing it, today, because in my disobedience, I chose to go to a different restaurant.
2. As I prepare to go to bed, I perceive that Elohim wants me to arise early in the morning. He instructs me to awaken at 5:00 A.M. and spend time with Him. I set my alarm for 5:00 A.M., then go to sleep. At 5:00 A.M., the alarm clock awakens me. I make the conscious choice to reset the alarm for 7:00 A.M., and go back to sleep to get two more much-needed hours of sleep. At 7:00 A.M., I get out of bed, but have no time for bible study or prayer. I have missed out on the things Elohim wanted to reveal to me, and I have no particular guidance for my day. Why is this? It is because I disobeyed Elohim; because my flesh wanted more rest.
These are just two common illustrations that demonstrate how the flesh, almost subconsciously, controls our lives leaving us hardly aware of or own disobedience.
2 Corinthians 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
We should never allow our enemy to dictate the "rules of engagement." If we allow our enemy to define for us how we shall make war, we have already lost.
Over 40 years ago, a well-known comedian performed a routine called "Toss of the Coin." In it he showed what it might be like if battle scenarios were determined by the winner of a coin toss. He imagined a coin toss between the colonial settlers and the British army. The settlers won the toss and set forth the following rules: The settlers could wear whatever they want. They could hide behind rocks and trees and could fire at will. The British had to wear bright red uniforms and march in a straight line.
Whoever is able to set the rules of engagement will surely define them in a way that insures their victory. The flesh is committed to setting the rules of engagement, especially when we are not even aware that is what it is doing. Paul understood this and declared that despite the fact we have to continue our time on this earth within "earthen vessels" of flesh, we do not make our combat in the same way that the flesh makes its combat.
2 Corinthians 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through Elohim to the pulling down of strongholds;)
In this verse we discover some valuable insights. First, we have weapons for this war that are effective against the flesh. Second, those weapons are empowered by Elohim Himself. Third, their objective is to pull down strongholds.
This is probably not the way we would have thought of the flesh as an enemy...that we should combat it by targeting "strongholds." (Gk: ochuroma - fortress, castle, fortification) However, if we consider it for a moment, it becomes evident that the flesh would protect its vulnerability by building walls behind which to hide.
Where are those walls built? Like any enemy, the flesh tries to infiltrate its opponent and establish sympathizers wherever it can, in order to undermine its enemy's war effort. The flesh builds its walls in the mind and in the heart. The walls in the mind are the thought processes we possess that run counter to the mind of Messiah; our reasoning and systems of thought by which we evaluate any given thing. The walls in the heart are the fortifications we have erected to protect our hearts from further emotional wounding, the pain of rejection, and the loss of control. By effectively establishing these fortresses in the heart, the flesh denies us accurate perception of the will of Elohim; because it is through the heart that we receive guidance from the Master. Should the walls in our heart fail to accomplish their objective; and we do actually perceive/hear the will of Elohim, the second line of defense (a mind that thinks contrary to Elohim's ways) "lobbies" the will to disobey.
2 Corinthians 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of Elohim, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Messiah;
Here, we see identified what the flesh uses to build its strongholds: “imaginations” that are allowed to run freely without the constraints of the wisdom of IAUE. They erect "high things" (strongholds) that are set in opposition to the knowledge of Elohim. All human philosophies are high things built upon imaginations that run counter to the will of IAUE. All internally-erected “policies” based upon our reactions to events in life are high things. The flesh absolutely revels in helping us to react to unpleasant life-events; because through them, the flesh builds these strongholds and maintains its footing even in the life of would-be disciples. For example:
:
Bill begins to date Jane. The two become very close and emotional attachments are made. Bill can see Jane as “the one,” and begins to plan his life around her becoming his wife, when Jane announces that she is leaving for someone else. Bill is deeply wounded emotionally. After having been so hurt by the broken relationship, his imagination runs wild, and by them he decides that he is never going to allow himself to get that close to anyone again. Bill’s own will has established a “policy” that was determined without consideration for the will of IAUE. It has become a “high thing” exalting itself against the knowledge of IAUE. If the knowledge of IAUE had been considered, his thoughts could not have gotten very far in developing this programming.
Bill has erected a wall, a stronghold in his heart. This fortress will affect all of his future relationships, preventing him from being able to hear and obey the will of Elohim in those relationships.
We make
many such wall-building declarations, like Bill:
"I will never be like my father."
"I will never spank my children like my parents spanked me."
"I will never allow people to hurt me again."
"I will never spank my children like my parents spanked me."
"I will never allow people to hurt me again."
“I will never trust him/her again.”
Any
time we say "I will never," we immediately reclaim the mastery of our
life away from Messiah; because if we say we will “never,” then we will not
obey Him when he tells us to do otherwise. With such fortifications programmed within us,
we can never become genuine disciples; because we can never give ourselves
fully to the Master. We cannot be so
yielded to him that he can control even these protected areas of our life.
Can you see how such fortifications are effective methods of warfare for the
flesh to protect its interests?
Kingdom heart: a heart that offers no resistance to the performance
of the will of IAUE.
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