John 14: 12 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
Matthew 4:24 Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.
1 Chronicles 29:
12 Both riches and honor come from You, And You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; In Your hand it is to make great And to give strength to all.
28 So he died in a good old age, full of days and riches and honor; and Solomon his son reigned in his place.
It is a fact that it's only our ideas, concepts and judgments that impose a limitation to what is possible....once those are removed and we put our faith in God, all things are possible. It is also a fact that through Christ Jesus all of heaven’s riches and resources are available to us as believers! It is we alone who determine what we get or don’t get in life! We alone restrict what God’s miracle working power can do in our lives and the lives of our loved ones. Yes we can have a billions volts of God's power in our lives and ministry! God’s word is true:
I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. 1 Corinthians 2:3-5
And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelation, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:7-8
Nowhere did Jesus Christ tell us that Apostle Paul was to be our role model for the Christian life or that his suffering were to be the pattern for our lives? Now we can profit and learn from everything that is written in the scriptures and we are not to make the same mistakes that others did? But all of this doesn’t change the fact that our faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God or that our speech and our preaching are not to be with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power!
Unfortunately what we see in most of Christian live and ministry is not the power of God but the power of the flesh!
"Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. John 5:14-19
In order for us to do the works of Jesus we must do what Jesus did? Nothing! Jesus told us clearly "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. If Jesus said, 'I do nothing,' then in doing nothing, we do the works Jesus did.
Yes we need the wind of the Holy Spirit to touch and revive us and help us to rely on the Holy Spirit to do the work of God through us. We need to have a walk of the Spirit and not a self-walk where we do all the pushing and shoving to get something done and are constantly stressed out. The Holy Spirit needs to be the Chairman of the Board in our lives to tell us what to do and we just obey Him just like Jesus did. God’s word is unchanging:
"I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me. John 5:30
Then Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. "And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him." John 8:28-29
In order for us to do the works of Jesus we must do what Jesus did? Nothing! Jesus told us clearly "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. If Jesus said, 'I do nothing,' then in doing nothing, we do the works Jesus did. Yes we need the wind of the Holy Spirit to touch and revive us and help us to rely on the Holy Spirit to do the work of God through us. We need to have a walk of the Spirit and not a self-walk where we do all the pushing and shoving to get something done and are constantly stressed out. The Holy Spirit needs to be the Chairman of the Board in our lives to tell us what to do and we just obey Him just like Jesus did. God’s word is unchanging:
"I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me. John 5:30
Then Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. "And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him." John 8:28-29
If we will really be like Jesus, we will live a life of crucifixion and humility. Other Christians and ministers, who seem very religious and useful, may push themselves, pull wires, and work schemes to carry out their plans, but we cannot do it, and if we attempt it, we will meet with such failure and rebuke from the Lord as to make us sorely penitent. Others may boast of themselves, of their work, of their successes, of their writings, but the Holy Spirit will not allow us to do any such thing. Others may be allowed to succeed in making money, or may have a legacy left to them, but God wants us to have something far better than gold, namely, a helpless dependence upon Him, that He may have the privilege of supplying our needs day by day out of an unseen treasury. Others may be honored and put forward, but we will be kept hidden in obscurity, because God wants to produce some choice, fragrant fruit for His coming glory, which can only be produced in the shade. Others may do a work for God and get the credit for it, but we work and toil on and make our reward ten times greater when Jesus comes.
Yes, we have settled in our hearts to deal directly with the Holy Spirit, and that He has the right to tie our tongue, or chain our hand, or close our eyes, in ways that He does not seem to use with others. We have chosen to be so possessed with the living God that we are, in our secret heart, pleased and delighted over this peculiar, personal, private, jealous guardianship and management of the Holy Spirit over our life in that we have found the vestibule of Heaven. We have chosen to live in the Spirit and not in the flesh. The flesh is not a friend of ours but our enemy.
Dr. Basil Frasure in his article Training The Flesh wrote an excellent thesis on “The Impossible Mission!” [i]
God did not create us to live the spiritual life with physical strength or soul power. When we try to do so, the result is death, opposed to life and peace. The carnal mind stands against God. It is not under the authority of the law of God. It can never be trained to perform. Many people want to train their flesh, trying to break various habits. They want to train their bodies not to overeat. They want to train their minds to think the right thoughts, their wills to make strong positive decisions, and their emotions to feel good at the right time. Those in authority teach us some method of training the flesh. We are taught to train the flesh at home, school, work, and sometimes even at church. The problem is that we can not train the flesh to live the Christian life. Why? The Flesh can not please God. "For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God" (Romans 8:5-8).
The flesh not only stands against the Spirit, it enters into conflict with the Spirit. The Flesh wars against the Spirit. "Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul" (I Peter 2:11). The flesh is in contention with and even is an enemy of the Spirit. Furthermore, it brings hurt to the soul. The world says, "Have a few drinks. It will do you good." However, in reality, it destroys our ability to think clearly. The world says, "Get even. Someone needs to put him in his place." The problem is that bitterness is like cancer destroying our emotions.
God did not mean for us to complete in spiritual battles in the flesh. Our flesh can not fight the spiritual war. "(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" (II Corinthians 10:4-5). Do you remember what happened to the sons of Sceva (Acts 19:15)? The went into a house to cast out a demon from a man. The demon said, "Jesus, I know and Paul, I know, but who are you?" The men ran out of the house naked! It does no good to try to counsel with a demon.
They are twelve spiritual weapons that to deal with demons: (1) The Word of God (Ephesians 6:17), (2) mediation (Isaiah 26:3), (3) revelation knowledge (Daniel 11:32), (4) the prayer of faith (Ephesians 6:16), (5) praise (Psalm 149:6-9), (6) the name of Jesus (Mark 16:17-18), (7) the blood of Jesus (Revelation 12:11), (8) a submitted life to God (James 4:7), (9) obedience to God (Deuteronomy 28:1, 7), (10) a pure conscience (I Timothy 1:18), (11) unity of Believers (I Timothy 1:18), and (12) the fullness of the Spirit (Zechariah 4:6). These are all spiritual in nature.
There are always consequences for trying to live the spiritual life in the flesh. There will be both outward (social) and inward (within the soul) struggles that will often lead to fatigue and ultimate spiritual failure, followed by moral failures and addictions. Some people become spiritual dropouts, while others become floaters, moving from one church to another. Still other people get into a fringe spiritual group that emphasizes fanatical thinking with some opening the door for demonic control. Some people become anger, bitter, depressed, and even suicidal. These will often exhibit antisocial behavior. Other people move into deep self-deception. Some pick up drug, sex, or work addictions to cover their feelings of failure and rejection. Some people even withdraw from society because of the fear of failure. Many will wrestle with anxiety.
Since we can not train the flesh, what are to do? First, we are to make no provision for the flesh. "But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof" (Romans 13:14). When we stop to think about it, we plan for most sin. We plan to buy the extra food that we should not eat. We plan to watch the movie that causes us to think lustful thoughts. We plan to say things to hurt others. We plan ways to hurt others who have hurt us. You may ask a friend to come to church. His response may be, "Well, I will have to see about it." What is he saying? He is trying, most likely, to plan a way that he does not have to be in church. "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death" (Proverbs 14 12). We set ourselves on one road or another. Then we start walking down that road. We may go farther down the road than we thought that we would, but we set ourselves on whichever road we are walking. We must remember the words of Paul to Timothy, the young minister, "For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come." (I Timothy 4:8).
Second, we are to bring the flesh under subjection. This means that we are to make the flesh a slave to God. Paul wrote to the carnal church of Corinth, "But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway" (I Corinthians 9:27). We should see that we are either serving God or we are serving the flesh (self). Jesus therefore said, "No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon" (Luke 16:13). We can't walk down two roads at the same time.
Furthermore, we, as Believers, don't have to be a slave to sin. "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?" (Romans 6:12-16). The question is, "To whom have I made myself a slave?" We are either a slave to self, the devil, or to God.
It is as if there is an executive board meeting. At that meeting is the flesh that says, "I desire such and such." The mind (intellect) says, "I think such and such." The will says, "I will do it, I can do it, I will not do it, or I just can't do it." The emotions say, "I feel such and such." The Spirit is also there. The Spirit says, "You should do such and such." Now the will is the chairman of the board and can take charge itself (I will) or it can yield to any other party that is there (the flesh, mind, emotions or the Spirit). The will should do this! It should yield to the Spirit. We should say, "Not my will, but Thy will be done." "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). We should make our will the servant of the will of God and do His work by His power.
Third, we are to take off the old man and put on the new. Paul wrote to the Ephesian church, "That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness" (Ephesians 4:22-24). Have you ever tried to put two coats, the same size, on at the same time? It doesn't work very well. Jesus illustrated the point when he said, "But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell" (Matthew 5:28-30). We must take off the coat of the old man before we put on the coat of the new man in Christ. "A" must come before "B".
Fourth, we are to deny the flesh. Listen to the words of Jesus. "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew 16:24-26). We all know people that have lost control of their mind, will, and emotions. However, if we hold on to self, we lose self. The reason secular psychologists have such a booming business is that they try to help people find themselves. "And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Mark 8:34-37). We are not to go about trying to find ourselves! First, we are to put self on the shelf. We are to lay it aside. We are to put self behind us. Then, second, we are to take up our cross. This is a picture of dying to self. Then, third, we are free to follow Jesus and should follow him. Steps one and two must come before step three. Otherwise, there will be World War III between self and following after Jesus.
Fifth, we are to mortify the members of the flesh. "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry" (Colossians 3:1-5). We are to focus our attention on what God would have us do, and we are to put to death those things that lead to death. We are not to allow fornication (sex outside of marriage) live in us. We are not to allow burning lust to live within us. We are not to allow our minds to be turned over to evil thoughts. We are not to allow covetousness to remain alive within us. Paul again says, "For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live" (Romans 8:13). One way that we put to death the members of the flesh is to focus our attention on what God would have us to do.
Sixth, we are to reckon the flesh crucified. Paul wrote to the performance oriented, Corinthian church, "And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit" (Galatians 5:24-25). We are to consider it a past experience. When we, as Believers, committed our lives to Jesus, we were spiritually united with Jesus. Therefore, when Jesus died, we died. When Jesus was raised from the dead, we were also raised from the dead. Paul explains, "Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:6-11). We should know that we have been crucified! We should understand this, acknowledge this, believe this, and confess this truth. We can see a two sided coin. On one side is our death with Christ, but on the other side is a resurrection to a righteous new life in Him.
Seventh, we are to live an exchanged life. We are not to prop up the old man and try to fix the flesh, but we are to exchange our old life for the new life in Christ. "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20). The new life is to replace the old life. Paul further said, "This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh" (Galatians 5:16). Again, we can't be doing two things at the same time. You have see the picture of a little angel sitting on one shoulder and a little demon sitting on the other. When one obeys the one (either the angel or the devil), he will be disobey the other. We are to obey the Spirit so that we will not obey the flesh.
Finally, we need to understand that we must give up everything to follow Jesus. This is the condition for discipleship. Look at the words of Jesus, "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:26-27). We should understand that one can be a born again Believer without being a disciple. The word "disciple" means a "disciplined one". Jesus makes his point clear when he said, "So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:33). Being a disciple is more than just being a Christian. There may be many Christians, but few disciples. There may be many carnal Believers, but few Believers walk in the Spirit. To be a disciple, we must lay down everything that pertains to our lives. Furthermore, we must be willing to do this every day. Are you willing to do that right now?
Yes, we are to purpose to make no provision for the flesh, to bring the flesh under subjection, to take off the old man and put on the new, to deny the flesh, to mortify the members of the flesh, to reckon the flesh crucified, and to live an exchanged life. God’s word is unchanging:
"It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. John 6:63
Circumcision of the heart becomes a reality as we allow the Holy Spirit do a deeper work by the cross. "For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh" (Philippians 3:1). Confidence in the flesh destroys the victorious life in Jesus. If we allow the Holy Spirit to humble the flesh He will glorify Jesus through us.
We have to discern between flesh and spirit so that we can worship in the spirit. We must patiently seek the truth (impatience is fleshly). We must pray and trust the Lord to lead us into truth. Not lose perseverance and try different "methods" of obtaining spirituality. The only method is death and resurrection. We have to distrust the flesh completely. Assigning the flesh to the curse of death and humbly co-operating with the Holy Spirit will strip it from all its power.
We have to watch for the unconscious stirring of the flesh that will try to make us believe that the victory brought about by the Holy Spirit is of our own doing. Following victory over the flesh, we must be on guard against over confidence. After we've learnt how to and experienced sustained victory we must never forget its malignant nature. The flesh will never give up in its quest to rule the being. Independence from the Holy Spirit will quickly afford the flesh an opportunity to regain power. This is not instantaneous, but left unchecked it can accumulate enough power to take complete control, even to the point of committing the most defiling sins.
We must learn to cultivate an attitude of complete dependency on the Holy Spirit. We have to learn to recognize any form of carnal thinking. Carnal thoughts lead to carnal deeds. We must learn to guard our conversation. Any plans, however commendable, not initiated by the Holy Spirit should be thrown out. The best that the flesh has to offer should immediately be put to death. The basic fact that it comes from the flesh makes it unacceptable. Sin and the righteousness of the flesh should be treated in the same way. We need to repent from the "good" works as much as sin.
When we fail, we examine ourselves, confess the sin and request the cleansing power of the blood. We seek not only to be cleansed from sin but from every deed of the flesh. [ii] God’s word is unchanging:
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors-not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. John 8:5-14
Yes the world desperately needs for Spirit filled Christians to do today what Jesus did and demonstrate a billion volts of God's power!
Matthew 14:14 And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.
Matthew 15:29 Jesus departed from there, skirted the Sea of Galilee, and went up on the mountain and sat down there. 30 Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus' feet, and He healed them.31 So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.
[i] Training The Flesh, Basil Frasure, Ph.D., http://www.wholeperson-counseling.org/doc/train-f.html
[ii] The Believer's Ultimate Attitude toward the Flesh,Watchman Nee
http://billyburke.org/PrayerMinistryRoom/JourneyofYourPrayerRequest/tabid/142/Default.aspx
Free Christian Ebooks http://walthope.tripod.com
http://walthope.wordpress.com
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