Leading of the Spirit

That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  (John 3:6)

The obvious is the division of what is clean from the unclean, but the Lord would have us know also the separation of that which is Holy (Lev 10:10). If we start to do things because it pleases someone and if it is a good idea, it is clean. Well meaning actions not birth out of intimacy with our Savior is of the flesh. We can be saved and sin having no dominion over us, but the flesh can still move us to perform things which are the enemy of God’s best. The best that flesh can offer is good and clean.

And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.  (1Co 13:13)

Our best and not God’s best can be result of self driven motivation which faces the danger of self righteousness. Jesus didn’t condemn the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, but said that our righteousness of right being and right doing have to transcend theirs (Matt 5:20). The former is of the letter, the latter of the Spirit. It takes a second birth to be led by the Spirit, but it also takes the dying of the self. Jesus died to forgive our sins, He gave us the cross to put the death the self. The latter is a life time pilgrimage. A sign of a Spirit led life is not just based on faith, but the reduction of self and maturing to selfless love (2 Pet 1:5-7)....'the greatest of these is love'.

Authority to Cleanse Ourselves

Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.  (2Co 7:1)

There are sins that we humbly ask for forgiveness and cleansing and by faith comes the experience of freedom (1 John 1:9). And yet there are sins that we have to discover victory for ourselves. It is not that God is not able to but we have to know for ourselves that we want to forsake the sinful past for the life of Christ (Rom 6:11). Not just letting go of sin, but dead to that. Having the faculty with the propensity to sin dead, what can stir it up again (Rom 6:6)?

And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.  (1 John 3:3)

Are not ‘these promises’ that we shall be His people, we will be received by Him and we shall be His sons and daughters (2 Cor 6:16-18)? The one who made them is the Lord Almighty (vs. 18) and will He not together with ‘these promises’ give us the power to cleanse ourselves, executing and completing holiness in the fear of God. As long as we carry a secret desire for that thing that doesn’t please God, we will continue to be slaves of sin. That power to cleanse ourselves freely avails to us, it is up to us to take the step of faith and experience what it means to live the gift of eternal life on this side of heaven.

Falling into Deception

These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.  (1Jn 2:26)

Those who think they cannot be deceived are candidates themselves of deception (Prov 27:1). The warning have been issued and there ought to be watchfulness; the world and our surrounding is in dire need of a ‘messiah’ that will wave his hand and bring instant relief (2 Kings 5:11, Luke 21:8). The fact that one is looking for an instant solution shows that he is ripe for deception because once an ‘answer’ is provided, that one will immediate hop onto the band wagon.

We are told to wait on the Lord, and many will find this waiting unnerving. This is a discipline that the Lord would have us go through. Issues and problems not meant to be circumvented (Rom 5:3) lest we deal and look for a way out by our own cleverness. The Lord never desired cleverness but faith (Heb 11:6). The opposite of faith is to trust in a counsel that is not from Him (Psa 1:1), this opens to alternative answers which lead to deception. There is only One Way that we have to recognize and follow, though humanly speaking totally illogical (John 14:6). Take everything else with a pinch of salt and trust Him to teach us (1 John 2:27).

Dealing With the Root of Sin

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these.....  (Gal 5:19)

True victory over sin.... habits, poor character, addictions etc is not to deal with the symptoms. We can deal with a symptom (sins) today and another will prop up to frustrate us, even worst is that the particular issue rears its ugly head returning later with greater vengeance. The tragedy is that we give up and settle to continue in sin, never having the joy of freedom from sin. Let us not have a conscience that is seared (1 Tim 4:2) for the assurance is that the seed of the holiness of God remains in us (1 John 3:9). Don’t allow sin to be viewed as a non issue otherwise we are deceived (1 John 1:8).

The hope of freedom from sin and not keep on justifying ourselves is that God has a solution to destroy its root. If the source is dealt with, there is no longer any need to neither suppress nor struggle in sin. The tree of sin can be destroyed that the fruitfulness in Christ may abound. It is whether we believe what the Word says and conclude that we have died to sin (Rom 6:11). Believe that the work of Jesus Christ is complete and that was His purpose in coming the first time (1 John 3:8). Believing is important because it is to have confidence in the Truth. It is to trust in the reliability of what He said and done on the cross.

There could be some who chose not to believe due to the lack of desire to depart from the pleasures of sin, refusing to accept that it is temporal (Heb 11:25). Don’t accept the lesser when there is the greater.  Believe that sin’s gratification is but for a moment when Christ our righteousness is eternal. To deal with the root of sin is to firstly believe, take the next step by fleeing and looking for His mercy unto everlasting life. Stave off the body of sin (Rom 6:6) by denying and carry on what Christ has appointed for us… the cross. Jesus died losing everything, even His clothes. Buried in a borrowed tomb and the only thing He had was His cross.  Jesus committed His spirit to the Father (Luke 23:46), the cross deals with the flesh but the spirit lives on unto God. Can we be greater than our Master (Matt 10:24)?