The Sin and Danger of Carnality
- PREACHER: Philip Carle
I. The Sin & Danger of Carnality
Our old nature:
- Is of the spirit of this world
- Is subject to the “god of this world”, the devil
Everytime we yield to carnality:
- We open ourselves up to a spirit of this world giving it opportunity to rule our spirit
- We become subject to our old master the devil allowing him to use us to promote his cause
Romans 6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
Every time we yield to carnality, we open ourselves up to and come under the influence of the spirit of this world and the powers of darkness. Every time, while in this condition, we bring others under our influence; whether it be by word or action or simply by exposing them to the spirit we bear; we “offend” them (we hinder them, give them opportunity to sin and expose them to spiritual attack).
It is always our old nature and self that gets irritable, resentful, bitter, critical, worried, discontented complain, discouraged, hard, unyielding in its attitudes toward others, shy, self-conscious, reserved. None of these things are of faith.
The spirit we bear will either be the Spirit of God or a spirit of this world.
Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
Neither give place to the devil.
Ephesians 4:26-27
(Don’t make any room for him to work in your life.)
In Galatians 5, we are given a lengthy list of the works of the flesh, but here in our text, Ephesians 4:26, one is given — anger. Our anger is ungodly, worldly and sinful if it is produced by our human nature that has been defiled by sin. Our human nature is not of faith and so it is impossible for our natural man to produce righteousness or anything acceptable to God. That is why it must be put to death. Our anger can only be righteous when it is produced by the Spirit of God. It will only be produced by Him if we refuse to yield to the old nature and allow the Spirit of God to rule and control our lives. If we have a righteous anger that is inspired by the Spirit of God, do not let it remain long or it will become ungodly. We must become spiritual – ruled and governed by the Spirit of God.
We are commanded not to give any place to the old nature at any time or for any reason.
Those who yield to the old nature:
1. Are in disobedience to the command of God Ephesians 4:27
2. Are no longer walking by faith Romans 14:23 / James 3:15 (faith is obedience to the revealed will of God)
3. Grieve the Spirit of God Ephesians 4:30
4. Make themselves vulnerable to the spirit of this world and the power of the enemy Eph 4:27 / II Tim 2:26 / I Peter 5:8
5. Become a hindrance and a stumbling block to others by bearing a spirit of this world that will fight against them
If there is something in your life that you know did not come from God, if you do not deal with it as you should, if you make an allowance for it in any measure, you open a door giving the devil access to your life. If it continues long enough, spiritual blindness and deception will work its way into your spirit and understanding and you won’t even know it. You will think that you are right, that your understanding is good and that you are doing the will of God and pleasing Him when in reality you are grieving Him, sinning against Him and playing into the hands of the devil. You will become blind to the truth and that to your destruction for “sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death”. James 1:15
My words, actions and motives may be right and good, but if I allow a wrong spirit to influence me, that spirit will work to my destruction and to the destruction of those around me.
The spirit we bear is everything. With a right spirit, our works and words will be righteous and please God.
If we bear a wrong spirit, all the good that we do and say will be defiled, unclean and unacceptable to God. Prov 6:16-19 / Jer 4:4, 14 / Matt 16:19-20
Children of light yielding to darkness
A child of God can take on a spirit of this world
A true Christian can give place to a spirit that is not of God,
that is of this world and of the kingdom of darkness.
That spirit can manifest its power and influence in that Christian’s spirit and emotions.
Proverbs 16:2 All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits.
(He knows which spirit we are yielding to.)
Luke 9:55 But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.
Numbers 14
23 Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it:
24 But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.
Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
James 3
14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
James 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
If the Spirit of God rules your spirit, everything you do will come under His influence and the result will be righteousness and the work of the kingdom of God will be advanced.
If carnality and demon spirits are ruling your spirit (if you yield to carnality, know that demons will get involved sooner or later), then everything you do will come under the influence of the powers of darkness and the result will be unrighteous, wicked, evil and the kingdom of darkness will be advanced.
If carnality is ruling our spirit, it will hurt and wound people and drive them away from God.
If the Spirit of God and the grace of God is ruling our spirit, the Spirit of God in us will draw people to God.
Could it be that God’s own people, the children of light, align themselves with darkness and work to advance the cause of the enemy of mankind?
This is a terrible sin among God’s people. Many are very guilty in the eyes of God and yet seem to be ignorant of their offence. This is especially so among those who do not diligently study and apply the word of God. They do not seek for and welcome the correction of the Word of God by the Spirit of God and so become vulnerable to deception, spiritual blindness and even possession. The Lord said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” Hosea 4:6.
At no time or for any reason are we justified before God in yielding to our old nature.
It is impossible to exercise faith while yielding to carnality. That which is not of faith is sin and makes us liable to the judgment of God (Rom 14:23). We live by faith, but we die without it Heb 10:38. While in this condition, it is impossible to please God, impossible to do righteousness and we make ourselves vulnerable to the enemy. The only way out of this condition is to repent, yield to the Spirit of God and resist the devil.
As long as self is in control, God can do little with us.
Beware of being defiled, deceived and overcome by a spirit of this world
II Corinthians 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Jude 1:23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
Beware lest the Lord find some unseen spot on our “wedding garment” and we be rejected of Him. Search yourself, judge yourself now while you have opportunity to repent and make things right. He said that His bride has “made herself ready” (Rev 19:7) and that He is coming back for a Church that is “without spot or wrinkle or any such thing” (Eph 5:27). He also said, “Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.” (II Peter 3:14).
Hate any and every manifestation of the old nature and seek to be a “man of the Spirit” and a man of the Word, a man who is ruled and governed by the Spirit of God and the Word of God. That is our only safety.
The flesh is the only road the devil has to your soul and if you allow him to mess with your flesh, he’ll kick a door open for possession and bondage. — Brother Powers
If we allow the flesh to manifest in our words, actions and thoughts; darkness & deception will begin to work its way into our lives and we won’t even know it (the inherent nature of blindness & deception is that we cannot see or know what is happening.) Have you ever found yourself saying, “Why didn’t I see that? How could I have been so blind?”. Blindness, deception and darkness had crept into your understanding without you knowing it, but God had allowed you to discover it.
Carnality is sin. Sin is the way of darkness, deception and eventually spiritual death.
Have you ever had times when you thought, how could I have been so blind? Why didn’t I see that? Only sin darkens the understanding. When you become aware of something you had been blind to, something that you should have been able to see with the light God has given you, know that God, in His mercy, has given you a gleam of light that you may be able to see and know that somehow, somewhere, you have made an allowance for sin, the enemy has gained access to your life and blindness and deception has been creeping in, darkening your understanding without you being aware of it. You have already begun to fall. Diligently seek for “light” (understanding, truth) and when it is given, obey it. Sin is spiritual darkness. Disobedience brings darkness, and spiritual darkness blinds the understanding. It’s a critical condition that is wrong, in trouble spiritually and not know it.
There are those we know who seem to have gone off “the deep end”, that have veered radically off the straight and narrow and have gone far out into the broad way of destruction. There seems to be great blindness and deception in their understanding. Somewhere, somehow, they not only opened a door by yielding to their old nature (sin), but they left it open by failing to repent. The devil was able to get in and take them captive, bringing them into bondage.
Sin’s Strongholds
Sins yielded to can become strongholds.
One of the hardest strongholds to conquer is the one that involves an appetite of the flesh and so is able to enlist your desires, affections and will. In order to overcome, one must sever these ties.
Develop a fear and hatred for that sin knowing that it will cost you your soul if it is not overcome.
Watch and pray. Study and obey. Guard your eyes and mind with utmost diligence.
Those who can sin without conviction are in danger of being hardened by the deceitfulness of sin to the point that their conscience is seared. It may not be some “great sin” but merely an attitude that is not Christ-like. If it is not Christ-like and godly, it is worldly & ungodly. To have little concern over sin is a serious offence against the grace and mercy of God. Many say they know God but in many ways are conformed to this world.
There will be no deliverance from a specific sin in one area if your heart is not to obey the Lord in every area. You may seek God with fasting and prayer day and night, but deliverance will not come if there is neglect in other areas such as your time of prayer and study of the word, constant communion with God etc. Be sure you are doing what you know to do.
Here are 6 serious and deadly symptoms of sin in the heart. For these the ordinary means of mortification will not work. An extraordinary means is required.
1. It has been established over a long period of time and has become a habitual practice. Its defiling influence has worked on your heart and affections for a long time. It has become so familiar that it does not seem like a strange thing and no longer disturbs you.
2. When the heart seeks to think of itself as in a good state all the while allowing some sin or lust without striving to mortify it. To think on good qualities to quiet the conscience when we are being convicted of sin is a deceitful devise of the heart that is in love with sin.
3. When sin often succeeds in obtaining the consent of the will. Though we may not do the outward act, yet if we embrace the desire for it, the temptation has succeeded. The will finds delight in or affection for a sin. He chooses ways that lead in the direction of that sin. If sin frequently succeeds in this way, he is in a very dangerous condition.
4. When a man fights against a sin only because of the consequences or penalty of that sin. This is evidence that this sin has a great grip on his will and his heart is full of wickedness. They do not hate the sin, they fear being put to shame before men or they fear the judgment of God. These cannot say that they love God. If a person is under the power of sin to the extent that the only opposition to it is the law, hell and judgment and cannot fight against it with the weapons provided by the gospel, then sin has control over his will and affections and has prevailed and conquered.
5. When it is probable that trouble over a sin is a punishment from God.
6. When your sin has already withstood some of God’s dealings against it. He may have brought affliction or removed His presence from their life and yet the sin remains.
Suppressing conviction and not exercising faith to lay hold of the grace of God in order to overcome this is deadly.
Do not lessen or down play the seriousness and guilt of a sin.
Harbored sin will take away the understanding. It will bring in blindness and deception.
Our sin is much greater if we continue in sin in the light of God’s grace and truth.
The sins of the believer is greater than that of the sinner because of the grace and provision and light they have been given.
Every sin hardens the heart. If it is allowed to continue long enough, it will take a heart that is tender toward God and harden it so that it is unmoved even under the anointed preaching of the word of God, in the presence of God and under His conviction.
Unmortified sin will rob us of peace and strength.
When sin has been allowed to continue long enough and that sin has done its work; you will not be able to pray, the word of God will not speak to you and you will not sense the Spirit of God dealing with you anymore.
Unmortified sin:
1. Grieves the Spirit of God
2. Wounds afresh the Lord Jesus Christ
3. It will take away our usefulness in this generation. We will be barren. He will not walk in the beauty and glory of God.
The captive believer and our attitude toward him
In a cabin on the African plains. Late at night hear the padding of large feet outside. Hear the snuffing and scratching at the door that makes it tremble on its hinges. You know that there is a lion out there looking for opportunity. Though time goes by and you haven’t heard or seen anything for a while, what are the chances that I would open the door to look out, let alone leave the door open in order to let a cool breeze into that stuffy cabin. Zero. Not only would I make sure the door was latched, I would lock that door. Not only would I lock that door, I would bar it. I would slide the refrigerator up against it. I would do all in my power to see that that lion did not gain access to that cabin. If I should become careless and leave that door ajar, even a little bit, sooner or later the lion will discover his opportunity. He would come in and I would be taken out of that “ark of safety” and carried away into the night. I was in control and had power to prevent this, but now, because I allowed it, because I left the “door” open, I made allowance for sin and carnality in some measure, I am a captive, completely in his power with no ability to deliver myself. My only hope, at this point, is that Another, who has the power to deliver, will have mercy on me in spite of my sin, disobedience and divided heart and will deliver me and heal me of my wounds. At that point, God’s mercy will decide my fate. God’s people can and should intercede to Him who has the power to deliver on their behalf. Scriptures show us what our conduct needs to be toward such:
II Timothy 2
24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,
25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
Amplified
24 And the servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome (fighting and contending). Instead, he must be kindly to everyone and mild-tempered [preserving the bond of peace]; he must be a skilled and suitable teacher, patient and forbearing and willing to suffer wrong.
25 He must correct his opponents with courtesy and gentleness, in the hope that God may grant that they will repent and come to know the Truth [that they will perceive and recognize and become accurately acquainted with and acknowledge it],
I Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
The Lord has put a hedge about His people that the devil cannot cross, but he is looking for those who through sin and carnality leave a door open to him giving him access to attack you, deceive you and ultimately to destroy you. The only way you can prevent him from doing this is to “give no place” to him, do not yield to sin and carnality. Obey the command of God to not yield to sin and the flesh but instead obey the command of God to “walk in the Spirit”. To walk in the Spirit is the only way to keep yourselves in the path of life and light and to keep yourself from the paths of the destroyer.
If we would remain on the path of life and reach that land for which we are bound, we must give utmost diligence to see that we give no place to sin and carnality and that we give no place to the devil in so doing.
If there is something in your life that you know isn’t of God, that God didn’t give to you, get rid of it.
Give the Spirit of God full control of your life, let Him rule your spirit. If you do give place to the old nature, immediately repent.
Carnality-sin will produce death &
will not inherit the kingdom of God
Some professing believers often talk about how bad their temper used to be and/or how violent they used to be. They are not that way now because the word of God forbids it, but in their heart, they are in love with their sin and have not repented.
If we are operating in the flesh and especially if we are carrying an ungodly spirit, we will be defiled and everything we say and do will be defiled.
II Thessalonians 2
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Romans 1:32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
Galatians 5
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness every impure word, thought or deed, lasciviousness that which leads to or goes along with uncleanness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance dispute, argue, wrangling, emulations jealousy, wrath, strife conflict, contention, friction, seditions division, heresies,
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
Galatians 6
7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption destruction, ruin; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
It’s not ok to resent someone for something they said or did, to look down on them, to argue or dispute with them, to let your wrath rise up, to be involved with strife, conflict, contention or friction with a brother or sister or to allow anything to come between you and them. If something comes between you and them, then something has come between you and God and God says, they that do such things “shall not inherit the kingdom of God”.
Your relationship with God is only as good as your worst relationship with your brothers and sisters in the Lord. — Steve Rhodes
We have given place to the devil. This is a spiritually dangerous place to be in. We must repent and refuse to give place to our old nature at any time or for any reason. When we are first saved, we must immediately fight against the old nature within, overcome it and by the grace of God, give it no place or part. God is gracious and has protected us, but if the years go by and we are still being ruled and governed by our old nature, our disobedience to the word of God will “open a door” to the enemy allowing him to bring in spiritual blindness and deception. The longer we persist in this, the more power and influence the enemy will have against us until he may eventually be able to take full possession. The divine command is, “Give no place to the devil”.
If the years go by and we we are not overcoming and not allowing the Spirit of God to rule our spirit, we are “on the fence” with one foot on the way of life and one foot in the world. If we don’t get our foot out of the world and crucify our flesh as the word of God commands, then we will lose our footing on the path of life and the end will be destruction.
When we are first saved, the Lord gives us great grace and keeping power as we strive to overcome carnality and to give no place to the devil, but if the years go by and we don’t fight against carnality like we should and allow it to remain in any area, we make ourselves more and more vulnerable to the power and influence of the enemy. If we continue to give place to him by yielding to carnality, his power and influence will eventually produce spiritual blindness and deception. There will be areas where we will think we are doing the work of God and pleasing Him when in reality we will be promoting the cause of the devil, grieving the Spirit of God and sinning against Him. If we give place to the devil too much for too long, we could become not only oppressed, but possessed by him and the Lord would turn us over to strong delusion because we did not love the truth, because we did not diligently hear and obey it II Thess 2:10-12.
Romans 6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
Hebrews 12
14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
A day of judgment
There is a day of reckoning coming for each of us when we will stand before the throne of God and give an account of everything we have done and every word we have said. Every hidden thought, purpose and motive will be revealed. Only that which is covered by the blood of Jesus will not be mentioned. If there are areas of darkness and sin found in us, we will have no opportunity to repent then. We are told in the word of God to judge ourselves now that we be not judged on that day. (I Cor 11:31)
Revelation 20
11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Romans 14:12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
I Corinthians 11:31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
Carnality is robbing the Church of power and anointing. A believer who allows their old nature to rule their spirit will not be a person of the power and presence of God. It may be seen at times like Sampson, but not on a consistent basis. God even used a Balaam for a time. We must never let up our diligence of mortifying the flesh. It never lets up. If we stop destroying it, it will be destroying us. Sin is always active in our old nature so we must always be mortifying. If we let up, we are in trouble. Sin is deceitful. It makes the old nature feel good while it hardens the heart and blinds the understanding to our ruin. When we let up toward sin, we do not see that our heart is drifting away from God. The greatest men and women of God are in danger of falling from grace if they neglect to mortify sin. When we neglect to mortify sin, the grace of God withers while sin gains ground in our lives.
Carnality always fights against holiness and righteousness even when it appears to be fighting against wrong and standing for what is right. Carnality cannot do the work of God, it cannot produce righteousness and it cannot please God any more than sin can because it is sin and because it is not of faith. It has no redeeming value. It must be mortified.
The presence of God, the anointing of the Holy Ghost, the power of God will not increase in our lives or even remain upon us if we continue to make allowances for our old nature. We have been commanded to put it to death, to remove it from our lives. To not do this is disobedience and rebellion (the carnal mind is enmity against God . . . it is not subject to the law of God - Rom 8:7). God will not overlook it indefinitely.
What is the Answer / Remedy?
Repent
Proverbs 28:13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.
II Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
God’s people must repent and turn from their “wicked ways” II Chron. 7:14 or there will be no revival, no moving of the Spirit of God in our lives. The Spirit of God has been grieved. The Lord’s people have yielded themselves to the spirit of this world. Their commitment to God has become divided and their stand for righteousness compromised. They have been unfaithful to Him Js 4:4.
Put off the old man
The new man is not to be a covering for the old man. We have been commanded by God to “Put off the old man with his deeds”.
Every deed produced by the “old man” (flesh / carnality) is a work of darkness (sin & iniquity).
Romans 13:12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.
Ephesians 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
Strip yourselves of your old nature.
Put on the new nature that is created in God’s image and that bears His righteousness and holiness.
Romans 13
11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.
13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
Colossians 3
8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice spite, hatred, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
Put on the new man
Colossians 3
10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
Isaiah 26
3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
4 Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:
Ephesians 4
23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Develop a Godly fear and hatred for sin/carnality
Proverbs 28:14 Happy is the man that feareth alway: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief.
Jude 1:23 . . . hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
As long as we maintain any respect or affection for carnality / sin, there will be no deliverance or overcoming.
Walk in the Spirit
Galatians 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Romans 8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
I Peter 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:
Love and obey the Word of God
Watch out for and flee from that which has caused you to fall and made you vulnerable in the past.
Rise up mightily against the first sign of sin.
We should maintain a conscious awareness of the vileness of our old nature.
When God deals with you about sin, be careful that you do not speak peace to yourself before God does. Listen closely to what He says to your soul and obey it.
Don’t speak peace to yourself until you have seen your sin with the greatest hatred and horror.
There must be repentance before there is peace, quiet and rest.
Be so accustomed to communion with Christ that you instantly know His voice.
The blood and grace of Christ are sufficient to give you victory.
Expect victory. Exercise faith.
Diligently watch for any word or direction the Lord would give you and obey it.
Hebrews 3
12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
Psalm 18:32 It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.
Philippians 4
4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.
5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
6 Be careful anxious for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.
Moderation = mildness, patience, yieldingness, gentleness, unwillingness to litigate or contend; meekness under provocation, readiness to forgive injuries, equity in the management of business, honesty in judging of the characters and actions of others, sweetness of disposition, and the complete government of the passions.”
Rejoice in the Lord, in the excellence of His character and nature, in His perfections, in His salvation and goodness toward us.
“to yield,” “reasonableness of dealing”, that considerateness for others
James 3
17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.
Amplified
17 But the wisdom from above is first of all pure (undefiled); then it is peace-loving, courteous (considerate, gentle). [It is willing to] yield to reason, full of compassion and good fruits; it is wholehearted and straightforward, impartial and unfeigned (free from doubts, wavering, and insincerity).
Ephesians 5
1 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;
2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor.
1 THEREFORE BE imitators of God [copy Him and follow His example], as well-beloved children [imitate their father].
2 And walk in love, [esteeming and delighting in one another] as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a slain offering and sacrifice to God [for you, so that it became] a sweet fragrance.
We take on His character and nature by studying and obeying His Word and by spending time in His presence. Have those times each day where you give Him your undivided attention, but throughout the remainder of the day, let your heart reach out to Him and love Him.
Don’t live this life for self, but live it for Jesus.
If we live it for self, it will result in eternal loss, but if we live it for Him, we will please Him and do His will.
Psalm 139
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Summary
Carnality is of the spirit of this world and in subjection to the devil. Carnality is sin. It is a stain on our wedding garment. It defiles our soul rendering us unclean and guilty before God. We must repent of it and overcome it. There is a day of reckoning coming where every individual will stand before Christ to give an account of everything that they have done, every word they have spoken together with every hidden motive, thought and purpose. Every thought, motive, word and deed that is not covered by the blood, though hidden from the eyes of man, will be revealed before all the inhabitants of heaven and earth and He who is perfect in justice and judgment will judge them. Then we will have no opportunity to repent, to change our ways or to ask for forgiveness. That opportunity is granted to us now. Diligently respond to the Lord’s conviction and dealings now with a tender heart so that those things will not be brought up on that day.
I Corinthians 4:5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.
Luke 12
1 In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
2 For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.
3 Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.
Romans 2:16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
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I Corinthians 11
31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.
Amplified
31 For if we searchingly examined ourselves [detecting our shortcomings and recognizing our own condition], we should not be judged and penalty decreed [by the divine judgment].
32 But when we [fall short and] are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined and chastened, so that we may not [finally] be condemned [to eternal punishment along] with the world.
We call His judgment that He gives us now, conviction and chastening. His chastening is often through circumstances, giving us opportunity to deny our old nature and respond to them correctly. Every little thing in us matters. We must respond to His conviction with a tender heart of repentance and respond to people and circumstances with a meek and quiet spirit. Everything in us that we do not deal with properly in this life will be dealt with in the life to come.
Don’t yield to the old nature. If you do – repent immediately! To continue on without repenting is dangerous. It will cost you your soul!
If I fail to reach that heavenly land for which I am bound, it will be because I yielded to my old nature and in so doing, gave place to the devil. God has put a “hedge” about us that the devil cannot cross unless I give place to him. If the devil is able to destroy me, it won’t be because he is so powerful, it will be because I yielded to my defiled and corrupt nature and in so doing, opened a door in that hedge giving the devil access to my life.
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. — Matthew 5:8
“keep thyself pure.” — I Timothy 5:22
I Corinthians 5:11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.
railer = one who uses abusive language
to rail on others = to reproach or censure in (scornful, contemptuous, reproachful, critical or belittling) terms.
Exodus 22:28 Thou shalt not revile the gods, nor curse the ruler of thy people.
revile = bring into contempt, despise, set light by, defame, rail on, reproach, upbraid, cast in the teeth,
curse = to detest utterly, to abhor, to abominate, to denounce evil against, to imprecate evil on,
Would we love God if He treated us the way we treat Him?
Husbands, would you love God if He treated you the way you treat your wives?
For have we not walked into the house of God, taken the arm of the one who is now our wife and solemnly vowed to God at His altar that we would love and cherish her until death? How is it that we, without so much as a thought, speak to and act towards that one in a way that is anything but respectful and courteous? Is it well that we treat perfect strangers with more courtesy and respect than we do our own family? We who are to protect and defend our wives become the ones that hurt and oppress them. Did not God say that he would plead the cause of the oppressed? How is it then that we are not afraid to wound them and make their lives bitter whom God has placed under our care that we may see to their welfare and cause them to flourish? In so doing do we not constantly break our vows and perjure ourselves in the very ears of God? Beware believer. Examine every part of your life.
Many of God’s people have areas in their lives that they do not think about in which they sin gravely against the Lord and don’t realize it. They wonder why there is no presence and power of God in their lives. We do not want to stand before the Lord on that final day and find that there yet remained some such thing in our lives. Then there will be no opportunity to change. Search those things out now with utmost diligence. Seek God. Ask Him to show us those areas that need to change.
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