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From The Archives Of
From The Pastor's Desk
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T
here are times that I think that some verses in the Bible were written for someone else. You know what I mean… "rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS!" and "in EVERYTHING give thanks…" There are indeed times that I do rejoice and I do give thanks, but not always and in everything. How about you?
There is a real battle going on inside all believers who seek to live a life pleasing to the Lord. The war is sometimes calm, but never far away. The continued combat going on inside of this inner man is a life long war. That war is summed up in one word, "obedience". Who will we obey, the Lord and His Word or the power of our flesh. Some may think of the power of Satan, but I do not mention him, not because of his lack of power. He is very powerful, and someone that even Michael the Archangel would not speak with. (Jude 9) But I am afraid that I do more battle with my flesh than with him. My flesh in all of its habits, desires, longing lusts, is the real enemy of my sanctification. Paul said "For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other; so that ye cannot do the things that ye would." (Galatians 5:10)
So what is the answer? Paul gives it in the same book of Galatians that he gave us the battle. In verse 25 he says, "If we live in the Spirit, let us walk in the Spirit." Walking in the Spirit is walking in obedience to His Word. Are we willing to lay aside our fleshly desires to walk in obedience to the Spirit of God? Are we obedient to the one who gives us the Word of God that we might be pleasing to God?
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- Associate Pastor Eric Johnson
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