Rom 8:5-8
5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.
8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
(NKJ)
How often we tend to forget the strength of our fallen nature. It's ability to pull us in directions we don't want to go or to keep us bound in ways we can't seem to loosen ourselves from. Sometimes we wrestle for days with this unseen foe in an attempt to either overcome it with internal strength and fortitude. Yet, other times we hold out until it's grip recedes. Either way struggling with our fallen nature will bring us to a point of spiritual and physical exhaustion and overall discouragement. I believe the discouragement is what causes us the most nagging grief. The bible clearly tells us that we are take up our cross daily, to put off the old man, and to bury our carnal man with Christ. But since I have to live in this carnal nature for 80 years it appears that I will have to deal with this bully every once in a while. And that is what it is like. A school yard bully. A kid who is twice your size who waits on the playground to terrorize kids and every once in a while he targets you. I don't know why this bully goes for weeks troubling other kids then all of a sudden you come to school and you are in his sights. That is what the carnal nature is like. You spend your time minding your own business seeking the kingdom of God, feeding your spirit with the word of God and this bully shows up unwanted and unwarranted. No matter why this bully shows up the fact is you are going to have to deal with it. I would like to tell you that taking on the carnal nature is easy but it is not. Why? Because the carnal nature is strong and has the power to destroy me. What I can tell you is that you are not going is you are not going to be able to ignore it either. Instead we must know what it wants and how it will try to get it.
First the carnal nature is going to try and take what you have. If you have peace it will use its strength to project fear. If you have purity it will try to take away your purity. This first struggle usually is quick and packs the hardest punch. If your carnal nature can hit you off guard then it is easier for it to get a feel of your strength and defenses. Once it has taken what it wants from you then it knows that it can take it again. If it can't take what you have then it will move on to the second attack. It will try to manipulate you in to doing something you don't really want to do. This one is very powerful and one not to be overlooked. It is subtle but deadly. Now that you have gained your carnal natures respect it turns the tables and seeks to bring you in as a friend. Not a friend that looks out for your good but one that tries to tell you to do something against your better judgement. With the table turned it forces you to make a decision. If I don't do what it says then I will be back to fighting this bully, but if I just do what it says maybe it will leave me alone. See the power in this play. Again, stand against this bully and if he cannot take from you or get you to do what it wants its only option is to attack you and force its will on you. This is when the fight begins! I didn't pick this fight. I was just was minding my own business. But this is all to common in the life of a believer in Jesus Christ.
One thing we must remember is that our carnal nature is not on our side. It is fallen and corrupted. It is separated from God and can never be conformed. This means that our carnal mind is against God and always will be. Our carnal members is against God. This means that any thought or desire that comes from the carnal mind or our carnal nature is and always will be against your spirit and your new born again spiritual nature. So we must expect that as long as we live in this world and in this body of flesh we will have to deal with this bully. However, you are not your own anymore, you were purchased at a price. This bully no longer has a right to you anymore. And even when your carnal mind fights against you it does not own you anymore. You are Christ and He is yours. This is the hope of glory!
Since we have been born again we no longer are slaves to our carnal nature. As the apostle Paul explains "Oh wretched man that I am. Who can deliver me from this body of death. I thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord!" This is the freedom that Jesus has won for all who come to Him. To free us from the bondage of this Egyptian overlord called our carnal nature. No one enjoys the bully or the fight we must endure with it. The good news is that we have a Lord and Savior who has endured the fight of our bully and won. And in Him we can defeat our bully and live in the new man created in the image of Jesus.
Don't give in to the bully called our carnal mind. It is just a bully an no more. It does not own you anymore. So don't accept anything it throws at you. If you give in it has the power of death!
