The Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak...

"Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." - Matthew 26:41

If anyone can attest to the truthfulness of that statement, I can. I was speaking with a brother this past weekend, and he said it was amazing how he could be so caught up in the Holy Ghost one minute and deep in his flesh the next. One minute basking in the presense of God, the next upset and irritated. After reflecting on some events earlier today, I can easily say the same thing myself. This morning dwelling in the presence of God writing the blog you read below, this afternoon finding myself in an emotional rut ready to break down crying.

When I decided to pick this blog back up I revisited some old posts and what I read amazed me. Reading some I knew I was in my flesh dealing with carnal situations, others I was in the Spirit dead on. Posts as early back as 2007 I saw myself in a similar place as I'm in today. I've grown in wisdom and knowledge, but a lot of the same issues plague me. It's like I have all the answers, I just have to apply them to my life. I've had seasons where I was strong in the LORD, and others where I've been weak. As a great woman of God told me earlier today, I'm lazy and need to start doing what I know to do!

My focus now is getting to the point where I make the right decisions even during moments in the flesh. It's in that moment of frustration, that moment of emotionalism that we have to step back and be wise in our choices. God has given us the answer in the verse above, when temptation comes we have to watch and pray. To watch means to identify the temptation and see it before it comes so that when it does try to attack us we can pray our way through it victoriously.

I praise God that we serve a God that knows how to redeem the time, that is all merciful and willing to forgive. Sometimes we all need to understand that God cares and can change things if we would only let him. The old saying goes that we are one bad decision away from dying, but as I was recently reminded it goes both ways as we are also one good decision away from living.

Change must come from within. When your in your right spirit you laugh at the thought of sinning, but as soon as your mind enters into its fleshly realm, like Paul in Romans 7, those things you don't want to do you find yourself doing, and those things you want to do you find yourself not doing. How many times have we found ourselves in this position? Paul goes on to say that He thanks God through Christ Jesus who is able to deliver us from this ungodly mindset.

We don't have to continue in the flesh, in fact now is the time to make your mind up. There is a battle and there are spiritual forces as well as internal forces that want you to stay bound up in your flesh so that you do not soar in the Spirit of God. We have the weapons, we're armed and dangerous, so let us (and let me!) put what God has given us into action and walk in the Spirit!

"This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh." - Galatians 5:16

"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." - Romans 8:1-6

Life and peace awaits you. Walk in the Spirit.