Activating Sin

This month, we are covering a seemingly simple concept that has powerful, revelatory, and wide ranging applications: Right-Right vs Right-Wrong...Right WHAT-Right HOW/WHY vs. Right WHAT-Wrong (or NO) HOW/WHY.

The overview for the rest of this Series is that God wants our brain to have Profitable Thought Processes. The enemy and our flesh wants our brain to have Unprofitable Thought Processes.

In the previous post, we covered "What is Sin?". It is a long and important post that looks at the role of sin according to the Bible before, during, and after the Law.

Before the Law, the individual first learned what was sin AFTER they committed the sin and experienced guilt.

During the Law, the individual had an objective standard list of what sin consisted of according to the Law.

After the Law, sin is whatsoever is done apart from faith.

Actually, when we look at the entire Bible, we find that sin ALWAYS was that which was done apart from faith! However, there are people who want to believe we are still under the Law.

The reason we looked at sin in the previous post is that the post before "What is Sin?" dealt with HOW the flesh actively participates in Spiritual Warfare. We saw Romans 7 says:

"21 I find then the law, that, to me who would do good, evil is present.
22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
23 but I see a different law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity under the law of sin which is in my members."

This sounds like Spiritual Warfare. Look closely at the language. The law of his mind is warring against the flesh! Paul's mind IS HIM. Paul's brain is the battlefield.

Paul's mind and the law of God are on one side. Paul's flesh is warring against the "good guys" and bringing him into captivity. This is Spiritual Warfare!

"24 Wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me out of the body of this death?
25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then I of myself with the mind, indeed, serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin."

Paul's conclusion is that "through Jesus Christ our Lord" he is able to be delivered out of the body of this death. He is able to overcome this Unprofitable attack.

Paul's concludes that with his MIND he will serve God...but his flesh is going to serve SIN. CLEARLY, the mind is NOT the battlefield...the brain is the battlefield.

HOW does the flesh actually participate in Spiritual Warfare?

The flesh uses a stimulus...any stimulus...to activate SIN.

Today's post draws the conclusion from the previous two posts. It is short and straightforward...and considering the length of the last post, it still gives you time to review the previous post...


ACTIVATING SIN
Our flesh has sin in it.

We are NOT our flesh...we are our MIND.

Our flesh is actively looking for an excuse to do something that is apart from our faith...apart from what our understanding and experience know is right...something that is short-term...something that does NOT look at Long Term implications.

If we choose NOT to think intentionally (with our mind), then our flesh (brain) is thinking...and ALL the thoughts of our flesh is to sin...to act immediately according to the short-term.

So the answer is quite easy...

How does the flesh actually participate in Spiritual Warfare?

Our flesh takes EVERY opportunity it is given to think on how to sin.

The solution? Don't give your flesh the opportunity to think!

You can't do nothing...this is letting your flesh think!

Your can't stop sinning by just stop sinning...this makes sin the focus of your thoughts!

You stop sinning by doing the opposite of thinking with the flesh...you intentionally choose to think with your mind.

Jesus did this perfectly ALL of the time because He is God in His Nature...He was able to ALWAYS choose to let God do it through Him while He walked on earth.

"28 Jesus therefore said, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself, but as the Father taught me, I speak these things." (John 8:28)

It is POSSIBLE for us to do this perfectly all of the time, because it is POSSIBLE to always choose to let God direct our actions...however, since we are NOT God in our nature, we are going to fail...and it will be OUR fault because it was POSSIBLE to always let God guide our actions.


SUMMARY
You intentionally choose to let God influence your heart and reflect in your life through the Holy Spirit. Notice, this is the ULTIMATE Spiritual answer to the flesh' participating on Spiritual Warfare! This ability is grace! The ONLY reason we are able to have grace is because of Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection.

Remember, I Corinthians 2:16?

"16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ."

Who shall deliver me from the influence of the flesh?

I thank God through Jesus Christ my Lord! So I myself (mind) serve the law of God written on my heart through the Holy Spirit which is grace even though my flesh is going to serve the law of sin.

Tomorrow, we will begin looking how the enemy participates in Spiritual Warfare...

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