Day Twenty
The Battle for Your Belonging
“For this is why the good news (the Gospel) was preached [in their lifetime] even to the dead, that though judged in fleshly bodies as men are, they might live in the spirit as God does.”
1Pet 4:6 Amp
Every day, every hour you live a battle rages. You don’t necessarily feel it, although you might become aware of the pull as the struggle increases. If you are not a believer in Jesus Christ – this struggle doesn’t exist for you yet. But for the believer, it is all out warfare. It is the battle for who you belong to!
There are two choices. If as a believer you are following your natural self, your own ideas, feelings and preferences – you still belong to the flesh. You are still carnal – and what predominates in you is the flesh even though you are saved. But if you have surrendered your flesh to the Lord, daily for crucifixion, and are instead following the leading of the spirit – then according to Watchman Nee you belong to the spirit and are increasingly becoming a spiritual man.
This is the will of God for you; this living in the spirit. It is what is referred to in the Scripture above. As believers, our flesh is judged already. It is condemned and dead by virtue of its sin and guilt. Thus, if we agree and live not according to the dictates of the flesh but according to the spirit – the cross has been applied to ourselves by the Holy Spirit and we begin to then walk according to the word of God. Now the promises of God, and the life of the spirit predominates in us and our lives become testimonies of the overcoming power and victory of Jesus Christ. Though we are dead – we walk in the resurrection power of a living God! Though we still live in the world – He has overcome the world – even our faith!
As we obey the spirit – we become spiritual. Our affiliation with God increases and our affiliation with the world and all of its draw and attraction decreases. This is what is meant by 1Peter 4:1-2 in the amplified Bible:
“So since Christ suffered in the flesh for us, for you, arm yourselves with the same thought and purpose [patiently to suffer rather than fail to please God].
For whoever has suffered in the flesh [having the mind of Christ] is done with [intentional] sin [has stopped pleasing himself and the world, and pleases God], So that he can no longer spend the rest of his natural life living by [his] human appetites and desires, but [he lives] for what God wills.”
Do you seriously hunger to be a spiritual being? As a believer in Christ there is only one way – belong to the Holy Spirit! This is the place where the power of God can begin to be manifested through you for the glory of God! But it is not for the carnal, the selfish, or the fainthearted — for it will cost you everything! But for the willing – it will open the destiny of God in your life. Are you willing?
Be-loved!
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