Tag: flesh vs spirit

Walk by the Spirit

Old Testament: 2 Samuel 1 & 2

Poetry: Psalm 70

New Testament: Galatians 5:16-21

I can understand why the scriptures describe David as a man after God’s own heart. We read all about how Saul had relentlessly pursued David with the intent of killing him. What we know about human nature would tell us that David would breathe a sigh of relief upon learning that Saul was dead, but that’s not how the story went. The young Amalekite man describes that when he came upon Saul, Saul was leaning on his spear and he carried out Saul’s request to kill him since he was in the “throes of death.” When David learns that the young Amalekite man killed Saul upon Saul’s request, his reaction in 2 Samuel 1 is always a bit surprising to me.

11 Then David and all the men with him took hold of their clothes and tore them. 12 They mourned and wept and fasted till evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the army of the Lord and for the nation of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.

He was clearly distraught for the death of both Saul and Jonathan—so much so that he had the young Amalekite man put to death.

14 David asked him, “Why weren’t you afraid to lift your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?”

15 Then David called one of his men and said, “Go, strike him down!” So he struck him down, and he died. 16 For David had said to him, “Your blood be on your own head. Your own mouth testified against you when you said, ‘I killed the Lord’s anointed.’”

Because David was pursuing God’s heart, he didn’t rejoice in Saul’s death—even though he was an enemy to him. Saul terrorized him for a long time and the Psalms are full of David’s pleas to God to help him in the midst of Saul’s pursuit of him. We read about David’s state of mind during this time in verses 1 and 5 of Psalms chapter 70.

 1 Hasten, O God, to save me;

    come quickly, Lord, to help me.

5 But as for me, I am poor and needy;

    come quickly to me, O God.

You are my help and my deliverer;

    Lord, do not delay. (NIV)

If we pursue God’s heart and walk in His Spirit as referenced in Galatians 5, we are not driven by our desires of the flesh and ruled by our human nature. Instead, we are compelled to pursue what matters to God. 

Galatians 5:16-18

16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. (NASB 1995).

Of course, walking by the Spirit is not a “one and done” endeavor. Each day we are faced with the choice if we will be ruled by our flesh or if we will humble ourselves and be led by the Spirit. I think the key to doing so is to cultivate a deep relationship with our Heavenly Father and to abide in Christ. If we love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength as we are commanded to do, it is so much easier to find the conviction to let His Spirit lead our lives. Keep in mind all relationships require ongoing work. How are you nourishing your relationship with God and Jesus Christ on a daily basis?

-Kristy Cisneros

Reflection Questions

  1. What does it look like to pursue God’s heart? Can you think of a time when you, or someone you know, acted in such a way (like David’s response to Saul’s death) that was totally against human nature/flesh/sin and perfectly in line with God’s heart and walking by His Spirit?
  2. How are you nourishing your relationship with God and Jesus Christ on a daily basis?
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Which Game Are You Playing?

John 3

March 31

If you ever wondered what an authentic and calm discussion between a Pharisee and Jesus would have looked liked, you’re in luck. That is exactly what we see here in John chapter 3. This Pharisee, named Nicodemus, thought that perhaps there truly was something special about Jesus from Nazareth and wanted to sit down to chat with him. Nicodemus was still concerned about his reputation and status with others, so he made sure he did it at night so that no one else saw him speaking to Jesus. 

Jesus had a particularly notable response when Nicodemus mentioned that he believed Jesus truly did come from God, “I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” This is a confusing statement to Nicodemus. Jesus clarifies, “Unless one is born of water and spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit.” Jesus is making a hard line in dirt that distinguishes between those who are in God’s family and those who are not. What is that line? The status of your rebirth. Are you living the life of the “flesh” or are you living the life of the “spirit”? If you’re living in the ways of sin, there is no way you can receive the kingdom of the spirit and vice versa.

I want you to imagine with me for a moment. Let’s say you’re at a track and field event full of varying sports. As you might know, there is a 1st place medal, 2nd place medal, and 3rd place medal for each event. Would you be surprised to see the first place medalist for the 400 meter dash ended up being a discus thrower? It doesn’t make sense that someone would win the medal for a game they have never played would it? Wouldn’t they receive the reward given for their specific event? 

The same goes for our eternal reward and destination. There are only two “games to play” in this event called life. We can either dedicate our lives to the ways of this world or we can dedicate our lives to the ways of God’s kingdom. Jesus gives us the warning here that we should not expect to receive the “1st place medal” of God’s kingdom if we are still playing the game “of the flesh.” Why would we ever expect for God to give his kingdom to those who reject it? He wouldn’t. We all sin and we all make mistakes, but the difference here is what game we are practicing. To be born of the spirit is to be playing a completely different game from those who are only born in the flesh.

So in these years that you have right here and right now, you have a choice to make—what game will I play and practice? Will I be born again in the spirit, pursue God, and in the end receive His kingdom? Or, will I stay in the flesh, pursue the enemy, and in the end receive eternal death? I encourage you to make the conscious and daily choice to die to yourself in order to be born of the spirit. 

-Isaac Cain

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

  1. Have you ever tried playing both the flesh and the spirit game at the same time? Explain what that might look like. What happens?
  2. What is one way you can challenge yourself to die to the flesh today? And how will you replace that with following the spirit and pursuing God?
  3. Also in this chapter, both Jesus and John say one must believe in whom to receive eternal life? What will happen to those who reject the Son? What might that look like?
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