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Posts Tagged ‘evil’

Day Ten, Under-the-Influence

Posted in Under-the-Influence, Devo Shorts 2011, tagged , , , , , on March 16, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Day Ten

Heed the Call to Simplicity

“But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”  NKJV 2Cor 11:3

In the Garden of Eden, Satan baited Eve to doubt and disbelieve God’s intentions by posing questions to her.  Watchman Nee describes with great detail this attack in The Spiritual Man, and how this tactic was used to cause Eve to employ her mind to answer his questions.  Though we may not see it, the attack was a malicious and deliberate attempt to get Eve to stir up her soul (specifically her mind), so her soul would expand in its efforts of thinking and depart from under the rule of the spirit within her.  The spirit was the part of her, and Adam, that could commune with God.  To destroy the rule of their spirits was to destroy this fellowship with God.

Now, here, the Apostle Paul presents a warning so that a similar evil will be averted today by believers who possess a regenerated spirit in Christ.  He is warning that our minds may lead us into the very same corruption as Eve experienced, a corruption characterized by fleshly thinking and doing, and a dependence on our soul vice the spirit as it is moved and led by Christ.

If you are a believer in Christ you actually have two minds.  You have your natural mind that you were born with.  But through your regenerated spirit you also have the mind of Christ.  Romans chapter eight discusses this duality, especially verses 1-18.  May you study them and receive revelation!  But in very simple terms, imagine you are a dog-sled and that there are two different dogs that like to lead you (the sled).  One dog is the flesh dog, one is the spirit dog.  Depending on which dog is allowed to lead – that is the nature of the things he pursues.  The flesh dog pursues the things of the flesh and seeks to gratify those desires.  The spirit dog seeks those things of the spirit and seeks to gratify the desires of the spirit.

So essentially Paul is warning us to let the spirit dog always be the lead dog, and let the flesh dog die of boredom and non-use!  The importance of this is not to be minimized!  Your flesh dog – can never please God (Rom 8:8), and it will always lead you astray.  The profoundness of this notion is underscored by the meaning of “simplicity” in 2Cor 11:3.

This word simplicity is haplotes (#572) in the Strong’s Greek.  It means singleness, without dissimilation or self-seeking.  The word is also derived from (#573) haplous, which adds the aspect of a particle of union, and being folded together.

Our flesh is “self-seeking.”  Our spirit is Christ-seeking.  Paul’s admonition to pursue simplicity in effect means never be self-seeking, thus never flesh-led!  Further, to have union in Christ – to be folded together implies we seek the same things, have similar perspective, and have the same goal as Christ Jesus – thus be spirit-led, following the dictates of the spirit.  This is having the simplicity in Christ Jesus!  It is singular devotion that is pure and of one substance with Him.  It is uncorrupted.

The point is – once the enemy finds a strategy that works, he generally keeps running with it.  Getting Eve to rely on her mind (flesh) rather than remain dependent on the spirit worked in the Garden – so he sees no reason to change his playbook.  He believes it will cause you also to fall.  But for you – hear the words of Paul and do not allow the enemy’s tactics to succeed again!  Let the flesh dog die – surrender and renounce the use of your flesh.  Reckon yourselves as being dead to sin but alive to Him.  And yield/offer “yourselves” (all of your faculties and members – all of your soul) to Him as instruments of righteousness (Rom 6:13).  Be-loved …

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Day Eight, Under-the-Influence

Posted in Under-the-Influence, Devo Shorts 2011, tagged , , , , on March 9, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Day Eight

Two Wisdoms

“This is not the wisdom which comes down from above, but earthly, natural, devilish.” Darby Jas 3:15

There is a wisdom that you should not be looking for – and should never yield to!  This wisdom is your soulish natural wisdom – stuff that belongs to your old nature.  It is what you were born with.  But it is the stuff which the Lord will not operate out of – for it is flesh!  The wisdom you want – is from above, from your second nature – that is the redemptive nature of Jesus Christ.  You can only walk in it when you are saved, and continuously yield all of “yourself” to Jesus as a living sacrifice, reckoning yourself as “dead to sin, but alive to Him.”

If you are already saved, the potential to operate in the wisdom from above is always there, ready – and waiting.  You must first yield and surrender your old nature and your natural wisdom – it must be handed over to the Lord, daily!  It is a continuous process – renouncing that old nature so that you may walk in the new redemptive nature of Christ.  It is in-fact a conscious refusal to operate outside of the life of Christ which dwells in us.  The moment we fail to do this, that old nature, and our old wisdom stands ready to be the “fall back” posture – literally!  However, it is indeed earthly — (it is of the flesh – and therefore profits nothing)!  It is natural, and even devilish!  Why?  Because the closest thing in us to Satan is our old reprobate, rebellious, fleshly nature, which includes even the wisdom of our soul.  And yet many of us are unfortunately ignorant of this.

How do we know what wisdom we are operating in – that from our earthly nature, or that from Christ which is from above?  We know it by the result.  If we use our “natural” wisdom – then there will be produced jealousy, envy, contention, rivalry, confusion, unrest, disharmony, rebellion, and all sorts of evil and vile practices (Amp Jas 3:16).  However, true wisdom from Christ and His nature operating in us yields unobtrusive humility! (Jas 3:13)  That is because the wisdom from above is a perfect representation of the nature of Christ Himself.  Indeed it IS Christ in us – the hope of glory!  His wisdom is first of all PURE (it is not defiled but of a single substance).  It is also peace-loving, courteous, considerate, and gentle.  (Are you seeing Jesus yet?)  It is willing to yield to reason (reason prompted and led by the Holy Spirit).  It is also full of compassion and good fruits.  It is whole-hearted (not divided in interests serving more than one master), and it is straight-forward, impartial, and unfeigned (free from doubts, wavering, and insincerity).

In any given moment, you and I (if we are believers) have the opportunity to walk in our earthly wisdom (which becomes an incubator for great evil), or in the wisdom from above (which produces great blessing and life).  Look around you.  Either you will see carcasses of death, contention, jealousy, and every evil thing, or you will see fruits of righteousness and peace.  These are the warning lights on the dashboard of our lives.  Pay attention!  Do not be deceived!  Before you unfolds the choice to walk out a life: full of life (from Christ’s wisdom); or full of death (from our earthly wisdom) — of blessings or cursings.  Choose LIFE!

Be-loved.

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