Holiness, Godliness, Usefulness
09/20/2013, by John Kincaid
Lesson 42: Expect Your Flesh to Attack, Part 2
Your priorities: the flesh will say, “If you pray & meditate, people will think that you’re not a hard worker, or that you’re a hermit (not concerned about others), or that you’re some kind of strange religious fanatic.”
Our flesh uses twisted logic, but it sounds reasonable, and it is very subtle (it wouldn’t work if the trap was obvious).
The flesh would rather you did nothing to please God. But it will use your work, your friends – anything to prevent communion with God.
Would God ask you to do something, and not give you time? Of course not. So if your schedule is too full to do your work, love your family and friends, pray and meditate, it simply means you are doing more than God intended.
Something has to give; the flesh wants you to stop the activities that hurt the flesh. But God’s provision is always enough, if we manage it as wise stewards.
About This Series
The goal of this series is to become more useful in serving the Lord Jesus Christ, as an instrument in the Redeemer's hand. The theme verses for the series are Ephesians 4:22-24, Philemon 11, 2 Timothy 2:21
- to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,
- and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
- Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.
- Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.