Day 265 - The Flesh Is Fixed In Stone!

Lee McDowell Christian Ministries                         LMCM

Nacogdoches, Texas                                                           Gal. 2:20  KJV

Thoughts on Michael Wells’ teachings in My Weakness for His Strength - # 19

         

Michael’s book is available through:

Abiding Life Ministries International

Littleton, Colorado

(303) 972-0859       almi@abidinglife.com

Michael writes a lot about the “flesh.”  This is just one of the “days” that we will look at somewhere along this journey.  In all my years of pastoring, I have found it to be one of the most neglected and mistaught issues in Christianity and the Church…and, therefore, one of the most misunderstood issues.  So…far too many Saints live in “darkness” with the Truth “hid” from them as if they were “blind.”  And, worse, live disillusioned lives that the Truth could set them free from!  Ah…this is a most freeing “day” of Truth.  Hallelujah!

DAY 265

The Flesh Is Fixed In Stone! It Can Be Added To But Not Subtracted From

And those who are in the flesh cannot please God. --Romans 8:8

To me, acknowledging the flesh is a cornerstone in understanding how the Christian life is lived in a practical way. The old man, the Adam life, the old nature is dead. Something was crucified with Christ, and that “something” is the old man, or the Adam life, or the old nature. A Christian does not have two natures; that teaching merely reflects a type of Christian “Buddhism.” Dual-nature teaching is nothing more than the teaching of yin and yang. There is no battle between good and evil, which come from the same tree. If you know that which is good, you will know evil. Christ’s life in me (good) is not battling the old nature (bad). The old nature has no power; it is dead. It does cause frustration as we trust in or try to improve something that is dead, but be assured it is dead. Victory does not come from our helping the Jesus inside us win over the old nature. If this were true, then when we introduce someone to the option of Christ’s coming in them by faith, we are introducing them to a nightmarish lifetime of struggle, something the Bible does not teach. A believer’s old nature, Adam life, old man is dead, and he has only one life within, the life of Christ. So how does that explain the struggle? As Scripture reveals, we do have flesh. Man comprises spirit, soul, and body. When the spirit is disconnected from the body and soul (mind, will, emotions), whether through the death Adam introduced (in an unbeliever) or by the choice of a believer, that person (believer or unbeliever) will live in the flesh. Flesh, then, is being under the direction or influence of something other than the Holy Spirit from God. An animal has a mind, will, emotions, a body, and a world environment; his life’s expression is determined by how he moves in those without any influence from the spirit. Hence man, without the control of the spirit (an unbeliever dead in the spirit or a believer blocking the spirit), is called carnal or animal. Flesh is unique in every animal and in every individual. By nature we are born cut off from God. Through nurture the flesh is shaped into something unique. This is accomplished by the events that come to mind, will, emotions, and body through both the inner circumstances (a mind, will, and emotions not controlled) and outer circumstances (a world and the body, mind, will, and emotions of others out of control). Once the flesh is shaped, it is fixed in concrete, and this is the most important point. Once developed, the flesh will not change.

The flesh can, however, receive additions. An example might be a boy who looks to his father for security, and the father abandons the boy. The boy’s flesh is now developed into something insecure. Then one day the boy receives a new life that replaces the old nature, the Adam life, or the old life; he receives the life of Jesus and is attached to the Vine. Christ’s life is secure, and the boy recognizes a security that is in Him, Christ’s security. It is a mistake to think that this newfound security is the boy’s; it is Christ’s security flowing in him, and he is a partaker. However, his insecure flesh has not changed. Any moment, as a branch on the Vine, the boy can simply, in a prayer of recognition, say, “Jesus, Your security is welcome here. Thank You that I can partake of it.” If he will do this, he need never experience the insecurity of his flesh. However, if the boy takes his eyes off of Jesus, stops abiding in the moment, and blocks the Holy Spirit of Jesus by choice, he will discover that the flesh, the developing of his being when he did not have Jesus, has not changed one bit. He will feel insecure, because the flesh is flesh. At this point, he can even add to his flesh by letting the chaos that is without and within rule over him. Many, after accepting Christ and walking moment by moment with Him, have closed the door--through choice--to Him and added to their flesh. Twenty years ago I never talked to a Christian who was struggling with Internet pornography. Now it is common. It is a new addition, but the root is the same; the flesh was blocking the Spirit and looking to something else to feed the mind, emotions, and body. The remedy is easy. “Put your eyes back on Jesus.” The life of the Vine that is free from pornography will flow into the branch, and the believer will experience a freedom that is not his but is now his. However, close the door to the Vine (it closes when pride says, “I can”; it opens in humility by saying, “I cannot”), and the Christian will discover that not only is the flesh feeling insecure, but it is also craving pornography.

The flesh can be added to but never subtracted from. This is so important that I cannot emphasize it enough. It is deception to believe that the flesh will change. The enemy uses this deception in many ways. First, he has believers following one program after the other to change the flesh, when they could simply abide. Second, the enemy uses carnal believers with strong flesh to make comparisons between themselves and others and put the sincere believers’ minds on the flesh. I call those who constantly tell what is good and what is bad and who make comparisons “Christian Buddhists.” They make people worse. Always. Third, the enemy has the believers trying to undo what they see as bad flesh by doing good. This is an incredible deception because of the insidious nature of the flesh. If someone people-pleases all day long, he will hate people at night. If a person jams his head with positive thoughts all day, he will be overwhelmed with negative thoughts at night. An individual who controls his appetite all day will gorge at night. Good feeds evil. I had a white horse; I also had a black horse that never wanted to be ridden and stayed far from the gate; the white one liked me and always came close to the gate. However, whenever I opened the gate for the white horse, the black one would race like mad, seizing the opportunity to escape past the white horse and me. The black horse used the white one. But the point is that if a person lets his “good” flesh out for a romp, bad flesh will come out, as well. Walking in the flesh is never the answer. Fourth, the enemy tells us that as Christians there is no room for failure, but the truth is that we must accept that our flesh never changes. In becoming Christians, our flesh never did improve. It can be a depressing revelation (for the self-righteous) or the most freeing thing in the world if we will abide, if Jesus is our focus. The most famous Christian ever written about had ugly flesh until the day he died. If it were not so, how could the Apostle Paul say with such conviction, “In my flesh dwells nothing good”? That is something he would have said until the day he died. In some ways I would like to ban books about the “great” Christians that subtly draw comparisons between them and us on the grounds of their strong, well adjusted, demanding, and risk-taking flesh. That is just wrong. There are no great men of God; there are weak men with a big God. Remember, when we are listening or looking to a Christian and being ministered to, it is Jesus that we are seeing. That person, when not abiding, is not any better than a drunk or the worst person we know. He has not brought himself to a place of improvement through years of “Christian” discipline.

Now, this revelation is one of the most beautiful that I have ever had. It is the awareness of weakness that keeps me near, keeps me handcuffed moment by moment to Jesus. Some would complain and call it a thorn in the flesh, but if the awareness that apart from Him I can do nothing keeps me near to perfect love and participation in perfect victory, why complain? Do not get discouraged if you find yourself exactly as you were, or worse than you were, before becoming a believer. It is the flesh, and it has not changed; it is not going to change. God gave it to you so you would be miserable without Him in the moment. He knew you had flesh, and He is not fighting it but using it. Give yourself and those around you some grace. Do not be so shocked when the pastor is seen cursing, the evangelist is angry, the Christian co-worker got drunk, or a friend was caught viewing Internet pornography. It is the flesh, and because the old man is dead, they, just like you, can choose to move back into the abiding relationship of the Vine. Do it, and in that moment, His victory is yours. But remember, self will be subdued with your flesh. It is God’s stronghold to keep you near.

A brother asked me an honest, heartfelt question: “Michael, if you fell, how would it affect all those who pray for you?” Immediately I responded, “It would not affect them, except that they would be concerned for me. Brother, if you wanted to walk away from Christ, my behavior would not keep you near Him or drive you away from Him. You have already been tested, and if you were going to leave Christ, you would have gone by now. There are cynical Christians, Christians who press on, and Christians in carnality. After the fall of any pastor or evangelist, the cynical remain so, those wanting to move on keep moving on, and carnal believers continue in carnality.” I went on to explain that my motive for serving God could not be to prevent others from stumbling. I serve God for His fellowship, not for ulterior motives.

(bold print & underlining…my emphasis)

One of the biggest struggles for Pastors and Bible Teachers, as well as all Christians, is to give a reason as to why Christians sin.  Some go so far as telling the flock that IF there is sin in their life, they MUST not be born again.  So much for Christianity then…

I suppose that you, like me, were astounded at the great AMOUNT of Truth in this day’s discourse.  Amen.  It takes three or four readings to just get the magnitude of what has been said, and to begin to digest the victory or defeat that Christians are experiencing because of what we are understanding, or not understanding, about the “flesh.”  Dig, and come up with the victory you so desire!  I think most who are experiencing defeat are doing so because of a wrong definition and idea of what the “flesh” really is.  Most think “flesh” and “body” are one and the same.  Not so.  Therein lies the path to defeat so quickly followed and dealt with.

And then, of course, there are the self-righteous (who don’t “happen” to have the “wrong” flesh, like someone else) who are constantly “judging” the others and casting fear and doubt around like Pharisees.

I have known some Saints who had the ugliest flesh at times, who spouted out of their mouths the most profound spiritual truths…led more people to Jesus…were the quickest to minister to someone in dire need…  Amen!  And, I might add, we are the best of friends.  Their flesh, or mine, is not a distraction to what Jesus is doing through us.  Do we want to change?  Absolutely.  Can we “change”?  Not the flesh, but the walk.  And therein is where we know and move:  There is nothing the nearness of Christ can’t overcome!

Yellow – VIP, Very Important Point               Red – GP, Greatest Promises

Turquoise – UR, Unfathomable Riches           Pink – PV, Priceless Victory

Lee McDowell Christian Ministries

P. O. Box 633244    Nacogdoches, Tx 75963                              936-559-5696