As I have noted - we all have this duality inside of us, this old man and new. The question is one of suffering. Someone had to suffer in order for you to be born. Someone also had to suffer for you to be born again. When we are born into this world, we're born of flesh and blood. When we are born again into the next world, we're born of spirit and blood. We now have "dual citizenship" in earth and in Heaven. Both are competing to become our permanent citizenship Both are competing for our soul, which is caught between our flesh and our spirit. Put another way - our flesh is our "old man", our spirit is our "new man". Our soul hangs in the balance, between Heaven and earth. Both vying for our soul's affections and attention. Who will win the war?
Each and every day the battle is fought. Some days the Spirit wins. Some days the flesh wins and some days the battle rages back and forth, one or the other gaining ground multiple times in the same day. Our actions determine who has the upper hand at any given moment. We should not act on the man of sin - The Old man's suggestions. He may taunt us and tempt us from the Cross we've put him on, but do not take heed. Do not let him off the Cross. The two thieves crucified on either side of Christ represent our old man and our new - one mocking Christ, the other humbly reverencing Him. Let's act on the man of righteousness' lead, the new man. They are both constantly vying for our attention. They both want to be the one to set our course, to determine the path we walk each day. Narrow or wide road, up or down.
How do we win this battle? How do we "put on the new man?" How do we "walk after the Spirit and not after the flesh?" Our hearts are the key to victory. Who does your heart belong to? Who are you really in love with? Who sits on the throne of your heart? For many of us, we've invited Jesus into our hearts and we've given Him a seat of honor - seated next to our right hand, while we've remained on the throne or our hearts. It's not enough to invite Him into our hearts, we must surrender our hearts to Him completely. We must give Him the throne of our hearts and as He sits there, we must bow before Him within ourselves in constant worship. Our actions will show the truth - Are we "lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God?" Daily we must 1) Die. We must crucify the old man with the affections and lusts thereof. We must pierce him through with the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. Starve him, and he will get weaker. 2) Eat our Manna fro Heaven, our Bread of Life, Jesus. We must commune with Him in our hearts daily, fellowship with Him, talk with Him. 3) Be forgiven our sins as we daily forgive the sins of others who have sinned against us. 4) Put on the New man. If we "put off" the old man it will avail us naught if we do not put on the new man, by daily inviting Jesus to possess our hearts anew. We need a daily cleansing from His presence within us, amen.
The New man can perform miracles, the Old man cannot. Have you ever prayed for someone to be healed and nothing happened? Perhaps it was your "Old man" praying - who honors Christ intellectually with his lips but denies His power, who believes Christ can heal but not through his hands. Peter did not say "In Jesus name be healed". He did not pray "Jesus heal this man". No, when the cripple was healed it was Peter who healed him but he did it through the power of the Holy Spirit coursing within him, which is the same way Jesus healed people. Peter said "Silver and gold have I none but SUCH AS I HAVE GIVE I THEE." The crippled man was looking for money when what he needed was Jesus. The Old man would offer money to a cripple instead of what he really needs, to be healed (and he would feel good about it, proud that he gave "alms to the poor"). The New man, however, offers what he has - Christ in him, the hope of glory. What the world needs is Christ, not more money. Prosperity teachers, by the way, would probably like to strike that verse from the Bible (silver and gold have I none). The New man can do all things through Christ who enables him - it does not say that Christ can do all things through us, it says "I CAN DO ALL THINGS through Christ which strengtheneth me." Now that's the New man talking! The Old man can do nothing of spiritual worth or consequence. PS: Not only will OUR Old man mock us and taunt us to try to get us to let him off the Cross, but everyone else's Old man will despise us and mock us too....people we meet who have not the Old man crucified will hate us if we have put on the New man.....
Each and every day the battle is fought. Some days the Spirit wins. Some days the flesh wins and some days the battle rages back and forth, one or the other gaining ground multiple times in the same day. Our actions determine who has the upper hand at any given moment. We should not act on the man of sin - The Old man's suggestions. He may taunt us and tempt us from the Cross we've put him on, but do not take heed. Do not let him off the Cross. The two thieves crucified on either side of Christ represent our old man and our new - one mocking Christ, the other humbly reverencing Him. Let's act on the man of righteousness' lead, the new man. They are both constantly vying for our attention. They both want to be the one to set our course, to determine the path we walk each day. Narrow or wide road, up or down.
How do we win this battle? How do we "put on the new man?" How do we "walk after the Spirit and not after the flesh?" Our hearts are the key to victory. Who does your heart belong to? Who are you really in love with? Who sits on the throne of your heart? For many of us, we've invited Jesus into our hearts and we've given Him a seat of honor - seated next to our right hand, while we've remained on the throne or our hearts. It's not enough to invite Him into our hearts, we must surrender our hearts to Him completely. We must give Him the throne of our hearts and as He sits there, we must bow before Him within ourselves in constant worship. Our actions will show the truth - Are we "lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God?" Daily we must 1) Die. We must crucify the old man with the affections and lusts thereof. We must pierce him through with the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. Starve him, and he will get weaker. 2) Eat our Manna fro Heaven, our Bread of Life, Jesus. We must commune with Him in our hearts daily, fellowship with Him, talk with Him. 3) Be forgiven our sins as we daily forgive the sins of others who have sinned against us. 4) Put on the New man. If we "put off" the old man it will avail us naught if we do not put on the new man, by daily inviting Jesus to possess our hearts anew. We need a daily cleansing from His presence within us, amen.
The New man can perform miracles, the Old man cannot. Have you ever prayed for someone to be healed and nothing happened? Perhaps it was your "Old man" praying - who honors Christ intellectually with his lips but denies His power, who believes Christ can heal but not through his hands. Peter did not say "In Jesus name be healed". He did not pray "Jesus heal this man". No, when the cripple was healed it was Peter who healed him but he did it through the power of the Holy Spirit coursing within him, which is the same way Jesus healed people. Peter said "Silver and gold have I none but SUCH AS I HAVE GIVE I THEE." The crippled man was looking for money when what he needed was Jesus. The Old man would offer money to a cripple instead of what he really needs, to be healed (and he would feel good about it, proud that he gave "alms to the poor"). The New man, however, offers what he has - Christ in him, the hope of glory. What the world needs is Christ, not more money. Prosperity teachers, by the way, would probably like to strike that verse from the Bible (silver and gold have I none). The New man can do all things through Christ who enables him - it does not say that Christ can do all things through us, it says "I CAN DO ALL THINGS through Christ which strengtheneth me." Now that's the New man talking! The Old man can do nothing of spiritual worth or consequence. PS: Not only will OUR Old man mock us and taunt us to try to get us to let him off the Cross, but everyone else's Old man will despise us and mock us too....people we meet who have not the Old man crucified will hate us if we have put on the New man.....
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