I hate flesh (Full Version)

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PopsiLufsJesus -> I hate flesh (9/6/2008 6:36:44 PM)

I hate flesh

Change has been on my mind for the last few days. What's awesome is that I went in to listen to one of my Pastor's previous sermons and I selected the one entitled "Conform." I don't really know what I was expecting it to be about, but I know that I wasn't expecting it to be about change. Must of been a God-thing. I LOVE God-moments!

I think the first reason it has been on my mind is all the religious propaganda that I see here in North Carolina. At least half of the bumpers in my county alone have to have some sort of Jesus propaganda on them. There is nothing wrong with most of this propaganda, but it makes me wonder how many people with this type of propaganda are actually living their lives for Jesus Christ. It reminds me of this Steven Curtis Chapman song...

Well I got myself a T-shirt that says what I believe
I got letters on my bracelet to serve as my ID
I got the necklace and the key chain
And almost everything a good Christian needs, yeah
I got the little Bible magnets on my refrigerator door
And a welcome mat to bless you before you walk across my floor
I got a Jesus bumper sticker
And the outline of a fish stuck on my car
And even though this stuff's all well and good, yeah
I cannot help but ask myself ...

you can find the rest of that song by google: The Change, SSC

What about the change? Romans 8:29 says this:

"For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethern."

Conform in the Hebrew Greek means to joinly form or to be fashioned like unto. God wants to be joined together with Jesus Christ. You know how if you spend ample amounts of time around certain people you begin to "look" like them. That is what needs to happen with us and Jesus. We need to assume the qualities and the characteristics of Christ. I know that sometimes that is difficult, but He has given us a Helper. The Spirit is our Helper.

Romans 6:26-27:

"Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings that can not be uttered. Now He who searches the heart knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the Will of God."

Our flesh is naturally weak, but the Spirit helps us deal with the weaknesses of the flesh. The Spirit personally makes intercession for us. He makes intercession with things that we don't know about. He KNOWS us!

As read previously. It is the Will of God that we transform into the image of His Son. That we become like Jesus. This change and this conforming happens through the renewing of our minds.

Romans 12:2 says this, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." The Will of God being that we be transformed into the image of Jesus.

I believe we need to actively renew our minds with the Word of God. We need to be open to what the Holy Spirit has to teach because without His help their will be no conformation. When we came to Jesus Christ He began making ALL things new, but MAKING is the key. It is a process. Transformation to the image of Jesus Christ is a process. If we read the Word and we spend time with Jesus Christ and listen to His Spirit inside of us we will become more and more like Him.

This is good news. To me anyways. There are things in my life that I know need changed. I'm learning these last few days and few weeks about how when I get closer to Him. As John 3:30 says, when He increases and I decrease...that that is where changes happens, that that is where opportunity opens for growth, that that is where healing happens, and that that is when I begin to look more like Jesus.

Sorry if this is somewhat confusing. Sometimes I have a difficult time getting my thoughts organized...

Take Care,

Pops



AboundinginHisGrace -> RE: I hate flesh (9/6/2008 10:39:04 PM)

I heard a preacher say one time referring to the verse about making us fisher of men, that we have all the equipment: Fishing pole, lures, shirt, boots, vest, hat, etc but we never go fishing, we never cast our lures into the water.....



colliefan -> RE: I hate flesh (9/6/2008 10:46:12 PM)

Pospsi,

Welcome to what it means to be a follower of Christ, The closer we get to God, the more we see the flesh in ourselves. While NC is in the Bible Belt, the more I see the church it is a part of culture rather than a transforming agent in the world.

My church's bible study at Women's Prison is on Monday nights and it is difficult to get individuals to come with us b/c BSF and other womens bible
studies fall on that night. Despite the fact on of BSF's goals is to train individuals to lead a bible study.

But consider Paul's struggles

Rom 7:13 - 25 (HCSB) 13Therefore, did what is good cause my death?£ Absolutely not!£ On the contrary, sin, in order to be recognized as sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that through the commandment sin might become sinful beyond measure. 14For we know that the law is spiritual;£ but I am made out of flesh,£ sold£ into sin’s power.£

15For I do not understand what I am doing,£ because I do not practice what I want to do,£ but I do what I hate. 16And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree with the law that it is good. 17So now I am no longer the one doing it, but it is sin living in me. 18For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh.£ For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it.

19For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do. 20Now if I do what I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but it is the sin that lives in me. 21So I discover this principle:£ £ when I want to do good, evil is with me. 22For in my inner self£ I joyfully agree with God’s law.£ 23But I see a different law in the parts of my body,£ £ waging war against the law of my mind and taking me prisoner to the law of sin in the parts of my body.£ 24What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body£ of death?£ 25I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord!£ £ So then, with my mind I myself am a slave to the law of God, but with my flesh, to the law of sin.


and then comes Romans Chapter 8



PopsiLufsJesus -> RE: I hate flesh (9/6/2008 10:49:10 PM)

Yep Abounding!

Thanks Collie!



sparkleingsnow -> RE: I hate flesh (9/8/2008 2:03:51 PM)

Popsi, I think you said it great. I asume your young (if that's a picture of you), and I couldn't help thinking, "what wisdom for one so young".

Funny thing, on the verse you quoted, i had just quoted it on another thread a few minutes ago. [:D]

I agree, more HIM, less us.
God Bless.



PopsiLufsJesus -> RE: I hate flesh (9/8/2008 5:25:51 PM)

thanks :)

Yea, you like that verse too! :)

I am young. Not as young as most people think though. I am 21, believe it?



PureLight -> RE: I hate flesh (9/8/2008 6:19:42 PM)

Certainly not, I thought you were like, younger than I was from that picture. I'm 19.



PopsiLufsJesus -> RE: I hate flesh (9/8/2008 6:21:33 PM)

Sometimes I think I am still 19. My head stopped adding years after 19...

Most people think I am 16.



PureLight -> RE: I hate flesh (9/8/2008 6:31:12 PM)

I agree with that assumption of 16. [:D]



PopsiLufsJesus -> RE: I hate flesh (9/8/2008 6:34:26 PM)

thanks. thanks. I suppose it will be a GREAT thing when I get older!



jesuschick247 -> RE: I hate flesh (9/9/2008 1:50:10 PM)

quote:

Well I got myself a T-shirt that says what I believe
I got letters on my bracelet to serve as my ID
I got the necklace and the key chain
And almost everything a good Christian needs, yeah
I got the little Bible magnets on my refrigerator door
And a welcome mat to bless you before you walk across my floor
I got a Jesus bumper sticker
And the outline of a fish stuck on my car
And even though this stuff's all well and good, yeah
I cannot help but ask myself ...

you can find the rest of that song by google: The Change, SSC

What about the change? Romans 8:29 says this:

"For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethern."


This is one of my favorite songs and also a subject that rolls around in my life often, we say love Jesus, but when the rubber hits the road, do we really?
My true character was tested a few months back when a boy who was really messed up on drugs and other bad stuff started going to our youth group. I am one of those people who can strike up a conversation with just about anyone so my youth pastor asked me to go talk to him. I did, but very reluctantly! He kind of scared me, he was Emo so he had the black fingernails, chains, eyeliner, the works! But, I did it and I continued to walk up to him every single wednesday night and one week when I invited him to go eat with the rest of us after service, he actually went! That has been about three months ago now, he got saved at church camp(I got to be one of the people who prayed with him, SO AWESOME!) and he has become a completely different person inside and out! He has a joy and awe to him that he never had before. Anyway, back on subject, he was talking to me the other day and he said the best way for christians to witness or what caught his attention, was when they did it without saying a word.
So, are we really showing people our change or are we just following the trends of what is cool in the church? I think this is a question that deserves some thought!



PopsiLufsJesus -> RE: I hate flesh (9/9/2008 5:06:50 PM)

Yep. I totally agree and I am glad you were there for him! :)



jesuschick247 -> RE: I hate flesh (9/9/2008 5:13:36 PM)

I'm glad I got the chance to let God work through me, without Jesus in my life I really am NOTHING AT ALL!!



PopsiLufsJesus -> RE: I hate flesh (9/9/2008 5:16:18 PM)

AMEN! that is SO true for us all...



jesuschick247 -> RE: I hate flesh (9/9/2008 5:18:28 PM)

Yeah, I would have to agree with that!!



sparkleingsnow -> RE: I hate flesh (9/9/2008 6:14:16 PM)

I would have guessed 16, too. But thats a good thing. :)

As a grandmother who is 60, 21 is still very young. lol

God Bless.



PopsiLufsJesus -> RE: I hate flesh (9/9/2008 6:15:55 PM)

Awhh a grandmother! How many grand-babies you have?



sparkleingsnow -> RE: I hate flesh (9/9/2008 9:28:05 PM)

Two boys. They just turned 8 and 9. And they both know the Lord.
Of course I'm not proud of them or any thing. [:D] lol.



PopsiLufsJesus -> RE: I hate flesh (9/9/2008 9:42:29 PM)

I bet you are!!!!!!!! I bet you are a wonderful Grand-momma



RJR_fan -> RE: I hate flesh (9/9/2008 10:24:47 PM)

quote:

I hate flesh


If God meanta for us to be vegetarians, then why did He make animals out of tasty meat?



PopsiLufsJesus -> RE: I hate flesh (9/9/2008 10:27:34 PM)

lol is that supposed to be a funny?

I do have answer tho. He gave us meat because we weren't satisfied and we begged for it. I think perhaps for the same reason He let us divorce...



RJR_fan -> RE: I hate flesh (9/9/2008 10:28:22 PM)

quote:

I believe we need to actively renew our minds with the Word of God. We need to be open to what the Holy Spirit has to teach because without His help their will be no conformation.


The next generation of leaders in this country will, I believe, emerge from Christian home schooling families that have said a polite "no, thank you" to the Ultimate Conformity Machine, the system designed to transform small people made in God's image into docile factory hands and cannon fodder. Kids raised by their parents, rather than agents of the self-deifying State, have a much better chance of experiencing transformation, rather than external crushing into pre-designed molds.



PopsiLufsJesus -> RE: I hate flesh (9/9/2008 10:31:59 PM)

You are confusing me!



RJR_fan -> RE: I hate flesh (9/12/2008 5:06:48 AM)

quote:

You are confusing me!


Why do American Christians preach the crazy doctrine of "missing heaven by 18 inches" and create the notion that "head" and "heart" are different entities? What (or who) has made their minds the perceived enemies of their faith?



PopsiLufsJesus -> RE: I hate flesh (9/12/2008 10:13:21 AM)

to me it just makes sense and I never thought about considering what you said until you just said it, I will think on that...

the "heart" and the "mind" are two different things, but I will think on it...



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