Doing Good -

In My Flesh dwelleth no Good Thing

“For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.”

Romans 7:18

Do you have victory over sin in your flesh? Many Christians today live only a moderate quality of life as a Christian. They have been born again but stopped after finding that they could not perform the good that they wanted to do. Whatever bondage held them back from moving forward with God has hindered them. Many have used their own will to achieve the goal of being a good Christian but have fallen back into their old habits. Every Christian will struggle against the indwelling sin until they have surrender it all to God. The burden we carry of unresolved sins sits deep within our heart and we do not understand how to resolve this issue of our own sin.

How to perform that which is good is far from our hands to do. Have we taken it to the Lord in prayer. How can our soul be converted from sin? Many tried to perfect themselves, but in the process, they have denied the fact that they cannot cleanse themselves from their own sins. The law written in the word of God was to show the impossibility of man to reproof himself. We have examples of battles in the Bible where man stood in fear of the Lord not knowing what to do. They prayed like Jehoshaphat’s who sought after the Lord along with the people of Judah and Jerusalem. Let your request be made known unto the Lord. They were about to be invaded by Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir. What happened? God answered Jehoshaphat’s prayer and told him to not be afraid for the battle is not theirs but the Lord God’s [see 2 Chronicles 20:15]. Now you may think this does not apply, but what about the woman taken in adultery? Jesus said, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” [John 8:7].

No one could cast the first stone. Jesus asked,” where are your accusers.” She replied, “no one Lord.” Jesus said, “neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.” God provided a way, and it was not in the hands of men. The law points to sin, but God is saying that the battle belongs to Him. God provided a way, and it is through Christ death on the cross. Most Christians believe that Christ provided victory over sin and death, but they do not know how to apply it to themselves. We are kept by the power of God through faith. Our faith is in Jesus, for He is our sacrifice for our sins. The battle is already won through the cross of Christ. You must believe it to be so. It is done. The victory is in Christ. You must take your position in Christ and walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh.

“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”

John 14:26

Many just do not understand the importance of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who will teach us all things we need to know about Christ, our inheritance, our position in Christ, and the coming of Christ. The Holy Spirit is the anointing that we need to understand the word of God. It is the Holy Spirit who will help us to perform good works in the name of Christ. We must come to the fact that we are a wretched man who can only be saved through the blood of Christ. We must believe that He paid for our sins. The apostle Paul reveled that the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made us free from the law of sin and death. [see Romans 8:2]. We lay down our weaknesses with confession through faith in Christ. It is the denying of our own self-will that we lay down at the cross daily in order to live and walk in the Spirit.

The law of the Spirit gives us the power over the law of sin. [see Romans 8:2].

To perform that which is good is done by the power of God through the Holy Spirit. Total surrender of our will is the only way we can allow the Spirit to work through our bodies and mind to that of Christ. Whatever we cannot do, it is possible with God. [see Luke 18:27]. By grace we are saved. And we have been raised up together and made to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, [Ephesians 2:6]. We have been grafted into the Vine of Christ and any branch that is in us that bears no fruit will be purged in fire. We are cleansed through the word of God. God has made us able to do His will. It is Christ who made the way and said, “go and sin no more.” It is through Christ that the power of God through the Spirit that gives us life and forgiveness.

“Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever.” Amen

Live Peaceably with all Men

Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
Romans 12:17-18

Is it possible to live peaceably with all men? The answer is yes, but at times it takes effort on everyone involved to keep that peace. An agreement must be made for peace to be sustained. During the 60’s the peace symbol was displayed against the war in Vietnam. It is still used today to speak against violence. For a Christian, honesty and integrity go hand in hand because of the light of Jesus shining within their hearts. The apostle Paul learned from the Gospel of Jesus the true meaning of love and living in peace with all men. He wrote about it in the book of Romans. As Christians we may forget that we were called out of darkness and brought into His marvelous light [see 1 Peter 2:9]. It is by faith that Christians walk in the Spirit of Christ and not in the flesh of mere man. When Christians walk in the Spirit there will be no jealousy, strife, envy, or hatred, for these things are dead through the cross of Christ. However, at times it may flare up again in a Christian’s life, but we must realize that this was part of the old nature of man. That is why the apostle Paul stated to the Colossians that they ” have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him,” [see Colossians 3:10], which is Christ Jesus. We pray that anger, jealousy, strife, envy, and hatred to die in our being so that the Spirit of Christ may rule instead.

To be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Romans 8:6

For a Christian, the desire is to live a life in peace, and not be waging war, or have hatred against another human being. Carnally minded is physical and emotional desires that flare up in our life. In a Christian’s life the old nature is put to death to continue living in the new life of Jesus. Paul states to “mortify the deeds of the body,” [see Romans 8:13]. The Greek word for mortify means to put to death. Any negative action that is contrary to love, joy, and peace must be put to death in order for the new nature to come through. The new nature is the Spirit of Christ that now reigns in a believer’s life. The believer’s mind should be on spiritual things and not on strife, jealousy, and vengeance. In fact, if we read pass Romans chapter 12:8 to verse 19, it states that” vengeance is the Lord’s.” We put to death the things of the flesh by taking up the Cross of Christ, which is the power of God.

It is through Christ that we are victorious. The power of God comes from the cross of Christ. The resurrection power is what we need in our life. There is nothing that we have done within our-self to bring victory for overcoming negative characteristics. We put on the Lord Jesus Christ because victory is at the cross where all sins are forgiven, and bondage broken because of the sacrifice of Christ to bring deliverance of the old nature of man. We do not overcome evil by doing evil [such as to get even], but we overcome evil by doing good [see Romans 12:21]. We go back to the place of presenting our body to the Lord, for this is sanctification, to know the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and to be obedient in allowing His will to reveal the truth of who we are in Christ. We yield our life to God for the working of Christ’s character to come forth in love and peace. This is surrendering to God by repenting in order that we might live the life of peace.

This is the Spirit of adoption whereby we can come to God through prayer because we have been grafted into the vine. That vine is Jesus. Our focus is on Jesus and doing good works.

These things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.
Titus 3:8

Maintain good works – Have you maintained good works? Paul tells us in Titus 3:8 that if we believe in God, we are to maintain good works, for it is profitable unto men. We should be mindful of our everyday actions as to not allow another person to stumble. Many times, we do not fully know or understand those who live around us. We are so consumed about our own needs that we forget those around us. This happens a lot in families. Sometimes mom and dad work so hard to keep the family going that it becomes overwhelming, and children may be neglected. Take time to have a break and refocus. Think it through and ask God to help you through whatever you are struggling with. Talk to those in the family to solicit help. The stress is less when we refocus our everyday actions to perform a good deed. It brings a smile upon someone’s face. It also allows a moment of happiness when we have satisfied a basic human need. Take time to refocus and help someone out today and let the peace of God rule your heart. Ask for forgiveness of the person you have been upset with. Ask in prayer for God’s spirit to intervene upon the situation to bring peace to all involved. These are simple steps to take and grow daily in His love. With Christ in our heart, we will learn to live in peace with all men.

The Heart of Man

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord pondereth the hearts.”
Proverbs 21:2

Have you ever questioned if the heart of man is his path? What is the heart of man? Is not the heart of man full of emotions and desires that motivates him to actions in life? Is it not the path he chooses to walk and live in? What path have you chosen? When we are born into this world, we had nothing, not even clothing on our bodies. An infant’s survival is based upon the care if its mother. Every mother has a strong maternal instinct for caring for their children. This is one reason why it is so hard for a mother to give up her child for adoption at birth. However, the road or path in taking care of an infant may not always be blissful, for it takes a certain amount of energy to care for the child. Depending upon the environment of the mother and if she is able financially bear the cost, the care of an infant is based upon human actions. We do not always think about the cost of caring for a child. It is not only the child, but the mother who also needs to have basic needs met in order to care for the child.

Man does not always understand this maternal instinct and may think this is an easy job that a woman has, but they are wrong in thinking this is an easy job. Men have broken down when it comes to taking care of an infant with feeding every 2 to 4 hours around the clock and changing diapers. Some men shudder at the thought of even changing diapers. Just think of all the emotions a mother and father go through when a child is born. Balloons and cigars were handed out right after the birth of a child, up to the mid 20th century. Now, we have no smoking in public places including hospitals. Why, because of the health risk. We have learned about how breathing in smoke can deprive us of oxygen. In 2018 USA TODAY reported on top 10 health conditions affecting Americans. The top seven on the list is High Blood Pressure, Depression, High Cholesterol, Coronary Artery Disease, Type 2 Diabetes, Substance Disorder, and Alcohol Disorder. By now you may wonder what this has to do with the heart of man or woman? These health conditions within society have a lot to do with what you believe is the optimal health conditions for your own body. It is what you believe in your heart that determines your path in life. You may have heard that out of the heart comes the issues of life. This is the path we follow that brings the issues in life to the forefront. This is the unveiling of truth in everything we do.

The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a vanity tossed to and fro of those who seek death. The robbery of the wicked shall destroy them, because they refuse to do justice.”
Proverbs 21:6-7

When it comes to getting gain/money, the way of a man is right in his own eyes, they are not concerned with doing justice. In fact, they are far away from doing justice. It is true that you cannot change another’s man’s mind when it has already been made up. The decision to follow its own path is what is on his mind. There are all kinds of philosophies being taught today that may seem right, but they only have a part of a truth, not the whole truth. Take for instance, Friedrich Nietzsche phrase, “you have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.” Wow! It does not exist; I would beg to differ and say it does exist. Remember Thomas the tax collector who asked Jesus “how can we know the way?” Have you asked that question? Jesus answered and said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” [see John 14:5-6]. There is a way that is right and wrong. We learn about it and try it out as children. That is why nurturing a child is so important.

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”
Colossians 2:8

The apostle Paul tells us to be aware of philosophy and vain deceit. Philosophy and vain deceit that are empty deception of fraud and trickery. We see this happening every day on the internet and in real circumstances in life where someone is trying to get what you have. False impression is a failure to understand correctly. Can we admit to our own failures as human beings? Can we examine the precepts we live by personally? The answer is yes, we must examine ourselves and what we are doing. It is how we think and act that can make the difference in our life. We must choose how we are to act in any situation in life. If it is not after Christ, then it is after another philosophy of men that we are following. We must be concerned first about our own actions and behavior. That is why in Proverbs 22:6, it states, “train up a child in the way he or she should go and, when he is old, he will not depart from it.” The whole point is how are we training up our children. Are we honest with ourselves and our children?

Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.”
Proverbs 20:11

The child will follow the parents even if the parents try to hide their own faults. The child soon learns the truth of what was hidden. A parent can be compromised by their own acceptable standards that are lower than is desirable. God weighs the heart of a man whether it is honest or not. Do you weigh what is in your own heart? What we think is right may not be right, and ignorance is not bliss, for “there is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death,” states Proverbs 14:12. Just as our lifestyle that we are living, we may think is good, but the end result is actually death. Take into consideration what causes High Blood Pressure, Depression, High Cholesterol, Coronary Artery Disease, Type 2 Diabetes, Substance Disorder, and Alcohol Disorder. Is it not our lifestyles? Is it not the habits we have formed that may cause those results? We must learn to be wise and not be tossed around by lying tongues. Even those who are arrogant and self-sufficient need to examine their own ways and see that they follow their own rules instead of God’s word.

Proverbs 14:14 states that “the backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways.” This is a known fact for those who do not follow any rules, or only follow rules when they have to. Where is the wisdom in following after death instead of life? We must trust in the Lord with all our heart and lean not unto our own understanding. We may not know at the moment the whole truth, but if we follow after Christ’s love, God’s wisdom will be revealed. There is wisdom when we ask questions. We must ask God to help us change the path we are on to the path of Christ’s love. We must ask for wisdom for “the Lord giveth wisdom; out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding,” [Proverbs 2:6]. Christ is our example for the way a Christian should live, and He is the way, truth, and the life. Let us weigh carefully in our own heart what precepts we follow, for it will become the path you follow even your very own health. We must ask God to reveal his wisdom in regard to the path we follow. We must ask God for our own health to help us to change our habits and behavior to one that will bring life and not death.