—This is a word I received yesterday evening, 9/1/2015—
“The entire theme of the Renewed Covenant is dying to the flesh. If there is no dying to the flesh, we are no different than the world and our belief in Messiah is in vain.”
After the initial being taken back by this word, I began to ponder on its meaning. If we do not identify with Messiah in His death and burial, we will not walk in newness of life according to His resurrection. If we do not look like the Son, the Father will not recognize us. This is the strong word for His people today, His remnant. Trying to be ‘good’ in our flesh, in an attempt to please Him, is the operation of the law of sin and death. We cannot earn our redemption but simply receive it as a gift. We cannot hold onto our redemption without having the power to do so. And what is that power? The same power that raised Messiah from the dead – the power of the Spirit of Father Yahuweh.
From the early beginnings, we who are called to be His chosen people are also called to be set-apart as He is set-apart. Without set-apartness, we will never see Him. Set-apartness is the mark that we belong to Him. This is why we set-apart the Sabbath; to identify ourselves that we belong to Yahuweh Elohim, our Creator.
If we live just like the world, living out of our flesh, how are we any different? What then was the purpose of Messiah’s death and resurrection? What then is the purpose of Him sending His Father’s Spirit to “help” us? Messiah’s condemnation of sin upon the stake would not have been possible without the help of the Spirit. If we think we can put to death the misdeeds of the flesh in our own strength, we are in for a rude awakening. Are we able to do something that Messiah Himself could not do?
In the Tenach (Old Testament), the representation of the battle of the flesh is revealed. We read about the literal battles Israel fought in order to settle in the Promised Land of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The original covenant (Tenach) is the ‘seen’, while the Renewed Covenant (New Testament) is the ‘unseen’.
The Old is represented by doing battle in the “seen” dimension, while the New is doing battle in the “unseen” dimension. Both have their purpose, yet they cannot be separated.
In 2 Corinthians 10:3-6, we read:
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not fight according to the flesh. For the weapons we fight with are not fleshly but mighty in Elohim for overthrowing strongholds, overthrowing reasonings and every high matter that exalts itself against the knowledge of Elohim, taking captive every thought to make it obedient to the Messiah, and being ready to punish all disobedience, when your obedience is complete.”
The Spirit is the One Who gives us the power over the things that have power over us in the spirit realm (dimension.) The workings (misdeeds) of the flesh (seen) begin in the unseen (our thoughts). We can never take control of our flesh by battling it in the flesh. That just means were trying to be good. This was the plight of the rich young ruler in Matthew 19. He went away sad because though he said he kept all of the Commandments, he lacked one thing; to put to death his love for money and possessions. He was still being ruled by his fleshly desires. He soon found out that truly none is good except One – Elohim.
By the Spirit, Whom Messiah sent to us, we have the ability to overcome the flesh because we do the warfare in the spirit realm. Because of this, we are able to take captive every thought and make it obedient unto Messiah. Why couldn’t this be done in the original covenant? Because Messiah had not come yet to exhibit the standard by which we also should walk according to that same standard. He is our example of overcoming by the Spirit! Messiah did nothing on His own, but only what His Father did and said.
The real battle is in the unseen (the spirit realm) so that what is unseen may manifest itself in the seen (flesh). Meaning, that if we condemn sin in the flesh by what is unseen (the Spirit of Elohim), then what we see, including others around us, is a person who lives and acts in the same nature as Messiah…and this…is what the world is looking for.
Why should they follow a new Master when the ones who claim to follow that Master are actually serving the same master they serve?
If our nature (our flesh), still lives, there is no distinction between us and the servants of darkness. By all means, I haven’t arrived, yet I will make it through to the end. If there is no willingness to arrive, we will not arrive. We will continue to fight an enemy that will never be overcome; our flesh. If we could beat the workings of sinful flesh on our own, then why did Messiah have to come? Oh yes, He did come to give eternal life, but if we do not act like people who have been given eternal life, how will He know who to resurrect and who to leave in the earth at His coming?
What makes us different than the world is not in possessing a belief system; knowing about Messiah, but is in our identification with Him in His death and burial. Only then, will we stand resurrected from the shackles of the world’s system. We were made free to make others desirous of our freedom; not repel them by acting in the same nature as they. Where then, is the incentive of being set free for the world to have a desire to follow a new Master, when all they see is the same hypocritical nature in us as it is in them? Why change if the grass is just as dead on the other side as it is on this side?
“And the servant of the man of Elohim rose early and went out, and saw an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, “Oh, my master! What do we do?”
And he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
And Elisha prayed, and said, “Yahuweh, I pray, open his eyes and let him see.” And Yahuweh opened the eyes of the young man, and he looked and saw the mountain covered with horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” 2 Kings 6:15-17.
This is the real work of the Spirit; to open our eyes and reveal to us that we are not alone. We cannot fight and overcome the armies of the flesh; for clearly, we are outnumbered. Without the Spirit, we will be defeated time and time again. The sad part is that we do not have to be. The true battle is in the unseen. And without the Spirit, we have no hope.
As followers of the risen Messiah, we are commanded to look and act just like Him. How else will we shine in the darkness if we too are overcome by the same influences of the world?
As I scour and search and dig through His Word, not skimming it, but diving in deep; I find that no where can we win the battle of the flesh on our own. It is too powerful. If it could be done, Messiah would not have had to be sacrificed, and we would all be living in the Promised Land now. Why would there be a need to believe unto righteousness if our works of righteousness were enough to be saved? Salvation is not mere deliverance from hell, but deliverance from what will send us to hell; a nature alive unto sin (our flesh).
If we are to put to death the nature of sin in our lives, it is not enough to believe in Messiah alone. We absolutely have to receive the Spirit of Father into our lives in order for the battle to be won. We cannot “wish” hard enough, be good enough, to overcome what is ‘seen’. Because what is seen (our fleshly nature), can either remain alive or die by what we feed it, or don’t feed it. We cannot war in the flesh against our thoughts, but by the Spirit, we take captive every thought and make it obedient to Messiah; the One who has already paved the way for righteous living in a body dead to serving sin. Read Romans. Read Romans 6.
For those of you who have not received the precious gift of the Spirit, ask Him now to fill you up. If you struggle in sin, and in observing your life you see that it is no different than the world’s standard of living; ask the Spirit to help you. He will come gently and fill you up with His power, strength and a prayer language entirely unknown to the enemy. By this Gift, we can overcome.
Messiah Yahushua came to reconcile us to His Father, but also to give us His Father’s Spirit so that we can build upon that reconciliation. Without the power of the Spirit, we will continue to live a defeated life of trying to ‘curb’ our sinful ways. If this is you, ask the Spirit of Father Yahuweh to come and bring you fire, zeal and a freshness to overcome all sin in your life. If you have already received His Spirit, even some years ago, it is ok to ask Him to breath upon you anew and revive your spirit. In both cases; it is imperative that repentance be the foundation of your asking. The Spirit will not dwell inside an unclean house.
Some may ask, “I already believe in Messiah, isn’t that enough?” Ask yourself, are you able to keep all of the Commandments? Are you free from the lusts of the flesh? If the answer is no, then you need to receive the Gift that Messiah gave to all who believes in Him; the Spirit of His Father. Messiah overcame the lusts of the flesh, and was able to keep (fulfill) all of the Commandments by yielding His own spirit to the Spirit of His Father. How much more do we need this precious Gift if we are to walk in like nature?
Remember, we war against the unseen forces of Lucifer by the power that comes from yielding our spirit to the Spirit of Father. Without His Spirit living within us, we will never exhibit the nature of Messiah the Son, nor overcome the temptations of the evil one. Read Romans 8 carefully! It will explain much.
With love for His people, and for the freedom they should be walking in…I share this word – from Yahuweh to you.
“For if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you shall live.” Romans 8:13