Either Or!

Either or, but never both at the same time! Can light and darkness share the same space, can they co-exist? Not unless there are other obstacles in the same space that obscure the light causing shadows. Only then I suppose the shadow could create a dark corner. But remove all impediments and darkness will instinctively flee from the light! We can draw from this example “in type” as a principle when considering our walks before God.

Can the flesh and the Spirit co-exist? We know that we have our treasure in an earthen vessel; we have Christ’s Spirit living in our very own bodies, if in fact we have been called by God, if we have truly repented and been born again of the Spirit. Look how the Apostle Paul stresses this point; “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. 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.” (Romans 8:9-13)

Note:-

It is obvious that we are still alive and live like every other person, we eat, sleep and breathe air like all flesh, but something happens at salvation, God’s Spirit enters the believer and the body is reckoned to be dead because of sin. Christ lives in every believer; this is how we now are able to understand spiritual truths that were once hidden from us. Our spiritual eyes have been opened. This is not something we can be taught, it is a miracle. It is a free gift from God which encompasses His grace, which in some way is attached to repentance. Our physical bodies are reckoned to be dead; they live by the power generated by the Spirit. We must now understand and learn to live by faith, it must become a banner to our daily existence, and we must walk in newness of life. We must learn to flip the light switch of the Spirit as it were and all the rot will be forced to flee, in the same way darkness is force to flee from light. The flesh and the Spirit cannot share the same room, the way we conduct ourselves will be EITHER OR, never both at the same time! It is obvious that we can move between the flesh and the Spirit. But when we live by the rules of the flesh we can only ever produce fruits that bring death, we have all been called to live in the Spirit and in so doing something wonderful will begin to happen, we will start to kill off all the works of our flesh, that is a given, God has so ordained it! No ifs and buts! And by so applying ourselves to this understanding we will live with an abundance of God’s fruit of the Spirit ruling and reigning in our lives. This is what it will look like; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. An amazing prospect for every believer; why then do we at times lose sight of this reality? It is simple to understand if we would just ask God to show us what we need to do and here it is; “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.” (Galatians 5:16-17)   

We must learn to trust our Father in every area of our lives with this application, and we must stop hedging our bets by putting faith on the mantel piece as we make alternative arrangements for our lives. When we live with that kind of mindset we have not learnt to walk by the Spirit, you fill in the blanks.

Wherever we go, whatever we do, God not only witnesses it but shares in our actuality; look at this strong rebuke which I have most certainly been guilty of, I am sorry my Lord and King for my lack of understanding in this area of my life but thank you for your forgiveness, may even the hint of this kind of thought never ever enter my mind again; “Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” (1Corinthians 6:18-20) – The only way we will ever achieve glorifying God in our body is to walk in the Spirit. May God open our eyes to the truth and may we grow from strength to strength with our application, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone