For those who identify with their old nature set their minds on the things of the old nature, but those who identify with the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. Having one’s mind controlled by the old nature is death, but having one’s mind controlled by the Spirit is life and shalom. For the mind controlled by the old nature is hostile to God, because it does not submit itself to God’s Torah — indeed, it cannot. Thus, those who identify with their old nature cannot please God. Romans 8:5-8
Once again the wording is a little different with the Jewish version of the bible, an original translation. ANd it paints a much more clear picture of what Paul was writing. So the “christian” religions will never use this bible as it would destroy their doctrine of grace the way they teach it. The verses above clearly state the difference between a man who remains in the flesh and a man who dies unto himself and has the Spirit. In verse 9 Paul continues and says “provided the Spirit of God is living inside you.” He is making a point that many people think they have the Spirit and do not, so that is why they act out their lives in the same way they always did.
The Spirit instructs and teaches and leads us into all righteousness. And he will keep on teaching you if you keep seeking him. I spend time with the Lord everyday, seeking his wisdom and peace. His way is peace. The way of the world is dysfunction and problems. The world’s problems will affect a man of God also, and in many ways at a deeper level. In verse 18 Paul writes “I don’t think the sufferings we are going through now are even worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed to us in the future.”
It is not a matter of if we will suffer, it is a question of what will you suffer from? Will you suffer and cause suffering for others because of your own decisions? Because the decisions made in the flesh, or human nature cause suffering we do not need to suffer.
The suffering that comes from knowing God is different because it is produced as a byproduct from others’ decisions. And those decisions can get all the way to the point of torture and death to a true believer. The people of the world who really have no fear of God whatsoever. They hate the message and way a man of God does things, and want to get rid of the message. This is the suffering Yeshua and the disciples and many other early messians experienced. And it still goes on in parts of this world.
After reading these things, and in meditation the Lord put one word on my mind, complacent. The main source of suffering for the normal man is complacency. In all areas of our life we allow things to come in that keep us down. They affect all areas of life, our physical, mental, financial and mostly our Spiritual lives. We are lazy in even listening to the truth and way to do things right, more or less even attempting to carry them out. As written a lot lately, we are to be not only hearers of the word, but doers also. I personally do not know anyone who spends time alone with God, listen to him teach him like I do. I know people who spend a lot of time reading their bibles, but that is not the same. Just reading the bible allows you to come to your own conclusion of what it is saying. Listening to the Spirit of God does not leave any room for any interpretation except God’s. And this is a big part of what Paul was writing when he was contrasting the man in the flesh and a man in the Spirit.
The normal person thinks they are good with God because of their religious beliefs, and remain complacent because of it. Your religious beliefs and doctrine are one in the same, so it is the main problem with the men teachers we heap up to tell us what our itching ears want to hear, instead of the truth.
It has always been this way, men have always been seeking anyway except obedience to God as a way to live. The flesh is the most evil thing there is because it is always seeking to fulfill itself. We do not understand selfishness the way God sees it because we judge it in other ways. As long as we give to the church with money and time, and help out the beggar in the streets… We are not selfish. But God does not see it that way, he sees selfishness as you doing things your own way, no matter how generous that may be.
And again this relates back to complacency, because we are good with being OK with our sin and our beliefs and what the men teachers tell us. These same men also cry with us when we have big problems which were caused by our own complacency.
The outcome of complacency is being poor, fat, unhealthy both physically and mentally, and not being saved. Look around the church system these days and it is full of complacency and sin because of it. Yet somehow we do not see it and think we are good and different, yet they are the same.
A few years back a “prophet” came to the church I was at, he actually had something. Two events of his visit stand out to me. The first is when he got to me, he asked me to close my eyes so I did, and asked if I wanted him to tell me in Spanish or English, so I said English. After a long moment, he said to me, “you have found favor with God…” And a few other things along the same line, to which all I could say is I know. But I also know why I have favoritism with God, and it is because I seek him and his will in all I do. I listen for his voice and then am not only a hearer of his word (voice) but also a doer. And again I do not know anyone else who does this. Not that theri are not other people in this world like me, I know there has to be some, but I do not know them. Not even in my one family.
The second thing he did which stuck with me was he had the kids (teenageers) come into the church. And he asked how many are thinking of killing themselves? It really surprised me to see so many hands go up. It was like 1/3rd. As far as I know none of them ever did commit suicide, but the point is how men of the flesh who practice religious views and doctrine, have the same issues as the normal man. When I look around the church system I see all kinds of signs of this, mostly the way the people look. More than half are fat just like the rest of the world. Actually the number is probably higher in the deceived so called believers. The teachings keep men in sin because of their grace message. It causes complacency.