I will die to my flesh and live in the Spirit, I am a warrior and have everything to gain

From: February 10-16, 2009

Pastor: Edith Cruz

Study: # 578

Topic: “I will die to my flesh and live in the Spirit, I am a warrior and have everything to gain” 1 Peter 4:1-5; Isaiah 40:6 All flesh is as grass. We forget that everything passes, youth, the good days, the bad days, the union, the separation; there is a time for everything. Everything in life is a constant movement; that is why we can’t hold on to anything. The flesh seizes to things without thinking that everything passes. We think everything is eternal, but nothing here on Earth is eternal. If temptation comes or the day of trial and we’re in the flesh, it will be difficult to get by, but if we’re in the Spirit, it will be just like any other day. If temptation comes and we are not in the Spirit, failure will come because the flesh will surrender us. Sometimes we think we’re capable of conquering and resisting, but when the difficult day comes, there is nothing that can hold us except God in us, the Holy Spirit. The flesh is our enemy. God made us from dust and to dust we will return, then why so much arrogance and why live offended by everything. Sometimes we give this casket which is our body too much attention. We give more attention to the flesh than to the Spirit. The more we discipline our flesh our Spirit will develop more and we become spiritual persons, because there is a need for spiritual people in God’s House. Nowadays the church in the U.S. has given the flesh so much importance, because resistance has not become a part of the believer but rather more attention has been given to the casket of the body than to the Spirit. The flesh is flesh and it is like the flower of the field that exists today and tomorrow ceases to exist. The flesh in us must die so that we can be forgiven. When we live in the flesh it is because we have not died, we haven’t repented. But if we have had repentance, we have forgiveness. We have to be born again in the Spirit. When we live more for the flesh we cannot persevere, because our battles are spiritual and how are we going to struggle while in the flesh? Our battles are against rulers and authorities that our eyes cannot see, but the Spirit can and will fight with whatever it has to fight with. When we begin to live in the Spirit we are capacitated for the future, which is uncertain because we do not know what it will bring. If we have not conquered the flesh it will take us by surprise. If there is something the devil doesn’t like is the future of those who convert to Christ, because they will have the Father’s will in their life. The devil does not want us to be spiritual so that we won’t be able to do the Father’s will in the House of God. The devil will laugh if we do not do God’s will. We cannot struggle with our own strength but in the Spirit. The one who lives in the Spirit is a warrior and has everything to gain, but for this we have to die to the flesh. No one can deceive those who are spiritual because they receive God’s revelation and understand everything. When we live in the Spirit nothing takes us by surprise because we have a lot of sobriety. John 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life; there is no advantage in the flesh. The Word is life. The flesh cannot do any good but destroy us and then, who can help us? Those who live in the Spirit live happy, peacefully. The flesh is a matter ready for death. Those who live in the Spirit conserve their flesh so that when Christ comes they will resuscitate to unite with the Spirit. The eye is flesh, our hands, feet; everything that we seek in this body in the end is flesh. The body becomes ill but the spirit doesn’t. The flesh cannot do anything for us, but when we allow this to happen we will live disturbed. It is a casket of our body; God has given it to us to carry our spirit. Will we be able to begin to live as persons totally spiritual? It is the Spirit who conquers the flesh.

Romans 8:1-5 Life is given by the Spirit. All that is human is trivial. Those who don’t live in the Spirit live according to the flesh. Those who are in Christ and live according to the Spirit understand that the law of the Spirit of life in Jesus Christ has liberated us from the law of sin and death. God sent His Son because the law was weak and did not work for those who were weak in the flesh, and because of the Son the Spirit is in us. The law was weak, but Christ is not weak, then we can understand this more by living in the Spirit. Jesus who came in the image of flesh of sin and because of sin He condemned the sin in His flesh. In His flesh He took our curse so that we could be spiritual and not live in the flesh. The mind of the flesh was dead because it is God’s enemy. A conversation in the Spirit is for the well-being of our lives. When one lives in the flesh one obeys the impulses of the flesh. It is to gratify the desires of the corrupted nature. We must be careful because in the moment when we are pleasing the flesh there is no problem, but later we will feel horrible. When the flesh is gratified it is ugly. Those who are truthful overcome the things of the flesh and live for what is eternal. To engage in the flesh is death, but to engage in the Spirit is life and peace. We are eternal. The Spirit of God is the guarantee of life; it is to be in peace with God and to have a life with serenity. When we do not have peace our lives are not serene but restless, desperate. The life that is dominated by the human nature in which the center is “I”, who’s only law is his own desire that takes possession of what he wants when he wants, is dominated by lasciviousness. If Christ died in the cross so that we could die to the flesh, also in Him we do not have our own mind. 1 Corinthians 2:16 Our law is the will of Christ. We are centered completely in God and governed by the Holy Spirit. If we are not controlled by Christ, our flesh will destroy us and then we are centered in Satan and in the impure. The day we converted we abandoned the world of paganism, we took the cross; we entered the spiritual process leaving paganism behind. Jesus suffered in His flesh and ended the sin that was in us to turn us into spiritual persons and live the way God wants us to live. The more spiritual we are the more God sees us and listens to us. If we are followers of Christ we should love Him with all our minds. Let us suffer the persecution and not follow the flesh, we decide. When one lives in the flesh this world become easy, but not in Hell. It is better to receive persecution because a clean and moral life convicts the sinner. How are we to live in the flesh and not in the Lord who called us to live in the Spirit? The rules are in the Word of God. Enough of what God hates. If we detest evil the Holy Spirit will dominate us. We choose either the Spirit or the flesh. Living in the flesh destroys God’s work, but living in the Spirit edifies, that is why it is better to live in the Spirit. As long as we live a clean and moral life all those who watch us feel condemned by us. Even if we are insulted for living in the Spirit, let us not worry because they will be accountable before the one who will judge the living and the dead, God. To live in the Spirit is good for us. Amen.