Welcome back. Great is His faithfulness.
1 Corinthians 13:4
Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not [a]puffed up;
Let's talk about the battle between the flesh and the Spirit.
I will read from Romans 8:5-21 and break it down during the video lesson.
Romans 8:5-8
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who liveaccording to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be [a]carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the [b]carnal mind isenmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
THE MIND mentioned here in these verse in Greek "nous", is the highest knowing faculty of the soul even surpassing intellectual capacity because that does matter here. Because it is the Spirit and understanding that is behind all we think and do. This follows repentance which is "change of mind" the change is all of our being. CARNALLY MINDED v. 6 means to choose to live in sin and be controlled by the flesh and its passions.
Romans 8:13: For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
The gift of the new life requires reception and cooperation, meaning we need discipline, obedience, self denial and this also includes struggle, we must align ourselves to the Will of God. By Choi the way of the Holy Spirit we become followers, not the leader, we put to death all sinful passions when choosing the way of the Holy Spirit.
I will also read from Matthew 26:36-46 and also break that down in my video lesson, and will we will also talk about Cain, so we will also cover Genesis 4 and tie this altogether.
Matthew 26:40-41
40 Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? 41 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh isweak.”
WATCH AND PRAY: These are key and ingredients to Christian spirituality and spiritual maturity and it's our struggle against temptation. This strengthens our Lord's soul, He is both fully human and fully divine, and He was facing death with His divine courage so beautiful. Our Lord was vigilant while His disciples slept. Both the body and soul are united, the Spirit was paralyzed by a weak body. A willing Spirit, recognizing the weakness of the flesh, and struggles against its weakness, teaching us to rely on God's presence and power. Our Lord was giving us an example on how to go to spiritual war and how to be successful in the midst of weakness.
John 3:5
Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
THE BIRTH of WATER and The SPIRIT is a direct reference to both baptism and the receiving of the gift of the Holy Spirit which is given at chrismation.
I also covered Genesis 4 talking about Cain
Cain was a twisted guy. God sought for him to repent and still his heart, but Cain was envious not of his brother Abel per se. Cain killed his brother because of Abel's obedience to God, let this sink in real good. Cain refused to deal with his passions of the flesh and he rejected God's grace because of his excuses meaning he used guilt as the reason he refused to seek repentance. Cain allowed his anger to lead hi, to hate which led him to rise up against his brother Abel killing him, because Cain was actually angry with God for not accepting his sacrifice, but truth is Cain was not right in his heart.
See my video for the Prayer focus and moving forward questions from the devotional.
I ended with a reading from John 10
John 10:1-5
Jesus the True Shepherd
10 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.5 Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”
In Christ Jared
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