Study – Grow – Know

Your Flesh or God’s Word?

Audio for this article here: SermonAudio.com/StudyGrowKnow

Do you ever find yourself totally frustrated with the way you handle a situation that life hands you (and God allows)? Whether you give into the anxiety, frustration or anger, it weighs on you simply because you wanted to do better, to rise above it. Unfortunately, you felt overwhelmed and powerless so you were crushed.

You find yourself relying on other Christians to step in for you, as if you have no relationship with God at all. We’ve all been there at some point and during those times, it is certainly nice to know that you can go to other Christians and ask them to support you through prayer when you feel as though your prayers don’t rise above the ceiling, much less reach heaven. Yet, each Christian needs to know and understand that the flesh lies to you and seeks your failure, but there is a choice to accept or reject those lies.

As we approach the end of this current age, Jesus warned us several thousand years ago of the types of things we would encounter now and that appears to be occurring. He warned us so we would not be surprised. In Matthew 24, Jesus warned us of the proliferation of deceivers – false prophets, apostles and teachers that would appear at the end of the age. Their goal would be to sidetrack people, especially Christians whenever possible, into accepting lies as truth. There are so many lies and deceivers circulating within Christendom now it is difficult to keep track of them all. Too many Christians believe too many of them.

Years before the Internet was invented and became an integral part of the world’s economy, truth was often difficult to find. In fact, few questioned things. We trusted our news sources. My dad watched Walter Cronkite every night. To most Americans, Walter Cronkite was a trusted voice for news. People didn’t question him.

Decades later, we’ve learned that all was not what we originally thought and much of it can now be proven. In fact, it has become exceedingly obvious to many that what the world is often told by “official” sources, is not truth at all, but spin, subterfuge and outright lies. While there are plenty of “conspiracy” sites on the ‘Net, as one example it is interesting to note just how many “conspiracy theories” in 2022 turned out to be true, as Kim Iversen points out. [1]

What used to be extremely difficult if not impossible for the average person to discover is made much easier because of the Internet, which, while neither good or bad, like many things, can be used for good or bad. Powerfully rich people want to use it to increase illegal surveillance and control of global society, while people seeking truth can use it for discovering what’s often really going on.

There are many honest, intelligent independent journalists doing their research to find and get the truth out quickly via Internet channels, which causes globalists to react in alarm, having to do whatever they can to squelch or counteract that truth. This is often done via mislabeling someone as a “bigot,” “conspiracy theorist,” or censoring them outright, etc.

A recent example of this are the Twitter files released by Elon Musk dealing with the behind-the-scenes censorship of certain people who spoke against an accepted government narrative. [2] Turns out government agencies were actually involved in censoring what was labeled “misinformation,” whether it had to do with Hunter Biden’s laptop (now confirmed to be real), or anything to do with COVID. This was possible because of the Internet. Musk has promised to release more Twitter files on Fauci’s communications so we’ll see proof of his lies. Of course, the MSM will step in and spin it to discredit those files.

Off Grid with Doug and Stacy published a video that includes a segment from the UK’s Katie Hopkins about “15 Minute Cities.” I’ve talked about those briefly before, but she goes into more detail and also points out the ways in which globalists direct things throughout society by countering those trying to resist concepts like “15 Minute Cities.” In essence, Hopkins knows that the global elite have to pull out all the stops to ensure that they can get done what they need to get done. She says they want us all focused on the minutiae of numerous situations so that we will be kept from derailing globalists’ plans or making our own lives better. It’s a segment worth watching (starts at the 1:23 minute mark. [3]

So the struggle is real and it is ongoing. If you are a Christian, you hopefully understand this struggle. It is not fun. It’s not pretty, but it is the result of our flesh attempting to dominate you. Christians have to deal with these attempts to overcome us on a daily basis and more often than not, it doesn’t feel good at all because our flesh uses our emotions against us and it can be emotionally unbearable at times.

We might say Job’s case was extreme but we all go through some of these things, including Jesus. The huge difference between Jesus and us is that not for one second did Jesus ever believe He was overcome, nor did He give into those thoughts. He pushed on through the struggle and became the Overcomer. He knew what He was up against, unlike Job and often, unlike us. Jesus knew it and took temptation to the nth degree never giving into it. He literally went from strength to strength (Psalm 84:7; cf Ephesians 6:10–11 and Philippians 4:11–13). In Him we can do the same, but only in Him.

But what also makes this day and age difficult is the very real delusion that God Himself said He will send that will overwhelm society so that many will make decisions based on lies and out of fear. This delusion God sends is because the majority of people don’t want to receive the Gospel of Jesus (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12). This delusion can impact the lives of immature or weak Christians too.

10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, 12 in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Christ was never deceived. He was never overcome. However, Christians can and do experience both. We can be deceived to a point and are not exempt from experiencing emotional problems and difficulties, which also aid in deception. We can also be overtaken by lies. At times, life can seem very overwhelming, making us feel as though we are up against a powerful enemy with no resources at our disposal. When that happens, we can easily think there are no solutions and God is extremely far away. During those times, we reach out to any other Christian we can find asking them for prayers. There’s certainly nothing wrong with that, but if that is the way you handle every conflict or bad situation that comes into your life, you might want to rethink that biblically. Your relationship with God via Christ is an actual relationship and it is direct with no one having to be mediator (1 Timothy 2:5). So often we seem to fall prey to thinking that God won’t hear me so I have to ask you to pray for me. Then He’ll listen, but each Christian can and should go directly to God!

While it is certainly good and helpful to bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2), if we consider the context, it appears that Paul is talking about someone who has committed sin because of their weakness. Paul says that those who are spiritually mature should help restore that person to right relationship with God and others. Interestingly enough, Galatians 6:5 says that “…each will have to bear his own load.” According to Got Questions, the word “load” there is translated from the Greek and means an individual burden that is not transferable (phortion). [4] In other words, I cannot literally deal with a burden that is affecting someone else. What I can do is come alongside them and in essence, try to minister to them, encouraging them with biblical truth, while also praying for them that God would help them understand that they possess the strength in Him to push on through whatever situation they’re facing.

While Jesus’ suffering was so emotionally great to the point where He sweat drops of blood from His forehead, note that an angel strengthened Him but could not remove the burden that was uniquely our Lord’s (Luke 22:43). When Jesus faced Satan in the wilderness (Matthew 4), an angel also came to Him after the trial to strengthen Him by ministering to Him. Nonetheless, Jesus still went through those dark and difficult days and because of it, He learned to exercise His faith in His heavenly Father. This is what we are called and expected to do as well. Sometimes, we need the help of other Christians but we need to know that they cannot really share our burden(s). The best they can do is offer comfort and pray. But the Christian who is going through the situation is obligated to pray as well and obligated to resist the enemy and press on (Philippians 3:14).

We share burdens with fellow Christians by coming alongside them, encouraging them, praying for them, etc., to serve them in Christ. The goal for each Christian though is to become mature enough in Christ so that we understand the nature of our relationship with Him and that we can go directly to Him trusting Him for His outcome. What makes this often extremely difficult is the level of unwanted noise our emotions make, which can be deafening at times.

Our fallen flesh loves to grab and keep our attention. Once it has it, it sets us off down a path of defeat after defeat, making us believe that we are worthless and someone whom God has cast off and won’t hear. This lie is the furthest thing from biblical truth. What will you choose to believe, your flesh or God’s Word?

God wants to help and strengthen us. In fact, He has provided the necessary tools for us to successfully fight off the intended blows of our flesh. We also need to remember and realize that our flesh is something Satan uses often way too successfully to defeat us. It is a terrible thing to fall prey to our flesh, but it happens too often and we Christians are tasked with either rising above that (because of the provision and strength of Jesus in and through us), to actually be overcomers, or we will sink to very low depths and live completely defeated lives, constantly believing whatever our flesh tells us.

And do you know what? The choice is OURS. Each Christian has to make that choice each and every day. It’s not something you can address once and be done. Each new day we need to make a renewed commitment to fight against our flesh, which seeks to convince us we have no victory, we have no promises we can lean on and we must be fearful of the many things in life that may change our lives forever. Deliberately turn your back on your flesh and your face toward God. Resist the flesh.

Who does not at times worry about their kids, their wife or husband, their job, their mortgage, other loved ones, the economy or something else? These things are part of life, but it is how we react to those things that creates either defeat or victory for us. It would be nice if we could do this once and be done. There will come a day in the next life where our flesh will not exist, but for now, it is the cross we bear daily.

An obvious example of how people worry and are defeated is with COVID. When it was first announced, the fearmongering used to impose lock-downs, masking and social distancing was off the charts. We were told that millions would die from it so everything needed to be done to mitigate it. Things that were never done in society became the new normal. We were promised these things would keep people safe until a (warp speed) vaccine could be created and released. We were also told there were no existing drugs that would have any power over CV, which was such a horrendous illness that a person could have it and not know it and therefore, spread it to others while being completely asymptomatic.

People, including many Christians, bought what now appear to have been lies. Two and a half to three years after the onset, excessive deaths are off the charts, along with severe adverse reactions. Sudden deaths, myocarditis/pericarditis, strokes and a host of other adverse reactions are being normalized but absolutely no connection is made to the mRNA component of the CV jab. It’s not even considered.

People who cave into the pressures promoted by the flesh lose wisdom and discernment. Fear and anxiety chase those things away. That is the real tragedy and too many Christians have succumbed to those fleshly pressures. So what do we do? How do we mitigate the effects of the lies and delusions that are occurring in society? Here’s a short list.

Abiding in Christ

• Practice a regular quiet time and look forward to that time with Christ
• When making choices, seek Christ’s guidance first
• Ensure that your relationship with Christ is motivated more by love than by duty or fear
• Worship God throughout the day to impact your outlook and experience
• When God makes you aware of His specific will in an area of your life, follow His leading
• Believe that Jesus provides the only way for a relationship with God
• Ensure that your thoughts and actions demonstrate a desire to please God rather than Self
• Prayerfully seek peace, contentment and joy and reject worry and anxiety
  • the above is often done through the memorization and repetition of Scripture
• Learn to trust Christ to help you through any problems you face
• Remind yourself of God’s love and provision during difficult times

Failure to do the above will result in being tossed to and fro (Ephesians 4:13). If we do not have a basic biblical understanding of who God is and how much He actually loves us (you), we will flounder and be tossed around by our emotions constantly.

God actually wants you to win. He has provided the tools to do so through Christ our Lord. Failure should not be an option, but if it happens, pick yourself back up and keep going. Ignore (resist) the enemy and he will flee from you! (James 4:7)

[1] https://rumble.com/v23meja-the-kim-iversen-show-episode-001-the-top-10-msm-lies-who-is-ray-epps-endles.html

[2] https://search.brave.com/search?q=twitter+files

[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KO2B_cftoI

[4] https://www.gotquestions.org/bear-one-anothers-burdens.html

January 4, 2023 at 1:13 PM 2 comments