My Flesh is Negative, Is Yours?

This is my first post here since Christmas. At that time I felt prompted to take a break from writing. Perhaps it was becoming too much like work! I don't know if I'm back or not but I know I felt a stirring in me to write this for myself if for no one else, after a statement on Jenily's blog on MyChurch grabbed my attention. (I'd put a link to the article but her site is closed to non-friends). She said something like this:

When I choose to rule over my flesh, I immediately exalt my spirit.

She then referenced Philemon 6. In the King James Version of the Bible, it reads like this:

That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.

If you are wondering what "communicating" my faith has to do with overcoming my flesh, Jenily's main point was that many Christians think there is nothing good inside them and that Philemon 6 disproves that way of thinking because it clearly states that our faith becomes effectual (starts working) by knowing the good things present in our spirit. If we turn the verse around, it says that if we don't know what is in our spirit man, our faith won't work.

ABIDE IN CHRIST

Graham Cooke just taught at my home church on overcoming negativity through resting in Christ. A main point was that any kind of negative action or thought, even toward myself attracts negative things to me. What Jenily wrote was a continuation of the larger theme the Holy Spirit has been speaking to me about guarding against negativity of any kind. If your flesh is like mine, it is very negative! For my immediate need, I am going to think of it this way:

When I choose to rule over negativity, I exalt my spirit.

or

I strengthen my spirit by ruling over negativity.

PHILEMON 6

As I normally do, I looked at several versions and paid special attention to the Amplified Version as I crafted this prayer for myself:

I pray that the practice of participating in and sharing my faith will produce and promote full recognition, appreciation, understanding and precise knowledge of every good thing that is mine because of my identification with Christ, for his glory.

Graham Cooke's Interactive Journal Crafted Prayer is available here.

BILL JOHNSON ON HAPPINESS

Bill Johnson recently spoke at Impact Christian Fellowship in Kerrville, TX. The crowd was often silent as we listened with great respect to what he had to say.

Now, most of us havel heard that we are supposed to think positively and biblically, so the first sentence of the following excerpt probably sounds familiar. It's the last part, which contains the consequences of negative thinking that impressed me as being noteworthy ... and extremely practical.

The biggest secret I've found is keeping my attention on what God is doing and has done and not on what he hasn't done. If you feed constantly on what he hasn't done, you build a case to support your unbelief. This legitimizes difficulties and problems and makes you feel like a martyr instead of being positioned to see the breakthrough that you hunger for.

HOW TO BE FILLED WITH GOD'S FULLNESS

…that he would grant you,
according to the riches of his glory,
that you may be strengthened with power
through his Spirit in the inward man;

that Messiah may dwell in your hearts through faith;
to the end that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

may be strengthened to comprehend with all the holy ones
what is the breadth and length and height and depth,

and to know Messiah's love which surpasses knowledge,
that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Ephesians 3:16-19 HNV

BEGIN BY TRUSTING JESUS

Look at the first verse of this scripture passage as an introduction, as if Paul is saying, "this is how you become strengthened with the Spirit's power:" Everything that follows describes the process that leads us to walking in God's fullness. It is a progression that begins with trusting Jesus, then experiencing his love and then being immersed in it. For this to happen, we must have a mindset of submitting ourselves to God, letting Him live through us rather than our living (and doing) for God apart from submission.

BECOME IMMERSED IN HIS LOVE

Being filled with God's fullness is the result of being progressive strengthened with the Spirit’s power. As we become stronger and stronger in the Spirit and his revelation of Jesus' love, we experience that love to such a degree that we are immersed in it. We become aware that his love is above us, below us, in front of us, behind us, and on each side of us.

INVITE JESUS IN

These verses are a bit complicated but the foundational truth is that this process of strengthening and being filled with God's fullness occurs as we invite Jesus into our lives day-by-day, moment by moment. This is done by faith, not feelings. Faith rises in our hearts as we choose to trust Him one problem and one issue at a time.

Photo by fahed_awan