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Re: Bulletin Board [message #9036 is a reply to message #9031]

Sat, 21 July 2012 21:26

james
Messages: 2137
Registered: April 2008
Location: Birmingham, AL

Senior Member

Fight or Flight...

Throughout scripture we're instructed to "fight" the good fight, that we're in a spiritual warfare, that we're to put on armour, to war in the spirit. Yet at the same time we're instructed to "flee" certain things as well. We must know what to fight and what to flee from.

Charles Spurgeon said this:

"The devil I am to resist and he will flee from me; but the lust of the flesh, I must flee, or they will surely overcome me."

The first example of fleeing that comes to mind is Joseph in Genesis 39:7-12 when Joseph's master's wife tried to seduce him, Joseph fled. In the NT we're told to flee fornication in I Corinthians 6:18 and in chapter 10 verse 14 we're told to flee idolatry. II Timothy 2:22 says flee youthful lust.

But there's times and situations where we're instructed to fight, we're to put on the whole armour of God daily, Ephesians 6:11. James tells us to resist the devil and he will "flee" from us, James 4:7. There's times to take the offensive, that's what the sword (Word of God) is for. We're told that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. But we're to take the shield of faith to use to deflect firey darts of Satan, more defensive.

We as followers of Christ must learn to discern what we're up against in whatever situation, whether or not it's a battle with the devil and his demons or if it's a fleshly lust. The demonic we fight, take authority over in Jesus's Name, cast out in Jesus's Name; lust of the flesh must be fled from and the flesh crucified. I heard this saying many years ago and it certainly is true; "You can't cast out the flesh, and you sure can't crucify the devil."

How many times do Christians spend all their energy and time seeking deliverance and rebuking Satan when the problem is the flesh isn't dead and keep rising up in pride, lust, anger, lying, glutony, uncleaness, self-righteousness, and various other fleshy sins. Yes, a demon can be behind this as well, we know there are spirits of lust, pride, lying, religious spirits, ect.ect.; but often people haven't willing dealt with their flesh to bring it into subjection to the will of GOD, the daily summiting to the Cross. If the sin/problem doesn't go away with deliverance then there's a good chance the problem/sin lies with the uncrucified flesh(self-will, self-centered, self-absorbed, me, me, me...FLESH.) The Word tells us to walk in the Spirit and we won't fulfill the lust of the Flesh.

We're in a battle daily, we're to be diligent 24/7, yet there's times where we're to exercise wisdom and flee a sitution...why stand and fight when it's not something we can defeat through that means, especially when there's a door of escape waiting...Joseph left his garment in her hand and 'hit the door', ran, fled, turned his back on the situation and removed any opportunity for to sin against his master or his God.

“But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us,”

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