Our Emboldened Flesh

"I am woman, hear me roar." Shamefully, many have heard our roar much too long. I'm not talking about the woman's movement here, even though this image, and this song have been associated with it. I am referencing this article to those who call themselves the Lords,and the loud noise of our flesh, which attempts to drown out and win over the voice of His Holy Spirit. As Paul said and obviously experienced in his own life, "The flesh wars against the spirit, and we do what we don't want to do, and we don't do what we do want to do.' Then he says that Jesus Christ is the only One who can rescue, and indeed has rescued us by His finished work on the cross.

The attributes of our self-will are: demanding it's own way and unashamedly feeling entitled to it. This is an anti-Christ spirit within us which must be annialated, and will be if brought to the cross of Christ. We must take it there though, which, many times is a long process. First, it has to be acknowledged that such a wicked thing resides within us. Even though God says that there is "no good thing" in our flesh, somehow we think that He is referring to other people's flesh and not our own. Or we think, "NO good thing?," and secretly believe that He must be kidding, for fear of reckoning with that awful reality. We really want to believe that we are good, deep inside.

Bearing up under the crucifying cross of Jesus is the narrow road-few there be that find it. Our flesh and the devil offer many options on that broad road. Our flesh and the devil offers us entertainment or busyness to block out the convicting voice of God so we can actually look at our wicked selves, thereby getting true relief through the cleansing of the Holy Spirit as we take our filthy selves to the cross, confessing those things to to the Lord. The enemy doesn't have to do much for us to accept his offer as the flesh is ready to walk that broad or easy road. Afterall, it wants to be pampered and indulged at almost any cost.

I maintain that the "Spirit of Jezebel" is both male and female. It is the desire that is in all of us, that spirit of our flesh, which, if not brought to death, in us will rule and reign against the Spirit of the Lord, roaring all the way. As Jezebel tried to silence the prophets of old, her spirit now seeks to silence the Holy Spirit of God (or Jesus), which is the spirit of prophecy.

The good news is that Jesus has already killed that spirit on the cross, and that we are to bring this wickedness to Him now as He reveals ourselves to us, so that it can be done away with in our experience. Praise Him we're dead, if we just reckon ourselves to be, but it's not done in a abra-cadabra kind of way. Our flesh will suffer greatly, as it attempts to stay alive and indeed, dies hard. Even in that suffering, He promises to be with us and only by His power, can we endure this death.

As Elijah of old won the contest on Mt.Carmel, so Jesus has won against the enemy and our flesh (represented by Jezebel). As she was so full of witchcraft, so is our flesh. It trys anyway it can to get it's own way, whether with good or with evil. But she is destroyed, and now God invites us to come and let Him slay her in us. What a transformation of Him coming alive in us as we invite Him to have His way, destroying our old man.