The Flesh or the Spirit 7-31-05

Good morning, Lord Jesus. My eyes are on You, Lord. Let everything else fade out of view in these moments of contemplative prayer, as Your Holy Spirit opens my heart and focuses my thoughts on You. ... "For those who live according to the flesh, set their minds of the things of the flesh. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the spirit is life and peace. For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law -- indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh; you are in the spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is life because of righteousness" (Romans 8.5-10). Spirit of God, You are the Spirit of Christ, who dwells in us. You are One with Christ and One with the Father; and You are the Spirit of Christ living in us, "the hope of glory" (Colossians 1.27). You lift our eyes off of the things of the flesh and set our minds on things of the spirit. You come to crucify our flesh, that our spirits may rise in resurrected power into the presence of God. You lift our eyes off of things below and lift them to things above (Colossians 3.1-4). "The flesh" is the unsanctified area of our soul, that part of us that is not yet fully submitted to the Spirit of Christ, not yet conformed to the fullness of the image of Christ. To the degree we are crucified in the flesh with Christ, to that degree we are alive in our spirit. This is Your process of sanctification, as You expose the flesh of our soul -- our mind, will, and emotions -- and bring us to place where we have sanctified Christ as Lord in our hearts, step by step and from glory to glory (1 Peter 3.15; 2 Corinthians 3.18). Like Isaiah, the more we behold of Your glory, the more of our flesh is exposed (Isaiah 6.1-8). Yet this is the blessing of Your conviction, that leads to repentance, that leads to Your mercy. Then we can receive our commission to fulfill our calling, in ever increasing measures of Your power through the presence of Christ in us. This is the hope of glory -- Your glory being manifested through our lives. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Be encouraged this day! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays To subscribe/unsubscribe contact me at Messiah Ministries -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord" -- MessiahMin@aol.com Join us at The Fountain on the 3rd Saturday night of every month at 7pm. Our address for ministry and contributions: 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502. God bless you!