man's weakness

Some men have developed their bodies to such a degree that they can lift a thousand pounds. Despite all the work a man will put into his body, his flesh is his greatest weakness. No matter how strong a man becomes, his flesh will always be his greatest problem.

Romans 8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

Even Samson was no match for an invisible devil who is a master at deception. Bruce Lee was the greatest at all the martial arts, but the devil could tie him into knots. When a man lives in the flesh it means he is dependent on sight, touch, smell, hearing, and what he can taste. The devil can manipulate all of these senses whenever he chooses and the man that depends on these will be whipped. Our five senses can be put in one category called emotions and they are never reliable. Under the banner of emotions we have fear, panic, delusions, weakness, confusion, guilt, condemnation, etc. Those who live by the dictates of the flesh cannot please God because God is a Spirit. Anyone in the Spirit cannot be controlled by the emotions of the flesh.

Genesis 3:4 And the serpent said unto the woman, you shall not surely die.

God told Adam that if he ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil he would die and Eve heard what God said. God spoke as a Spirit, the serpent is a spirit but he is a flesh devil. The devil preyed on the woman's emotions, he showed her that the fruit was pleasant to the eyes and good to eat. The devil manipulated the woman's emotions because the flesh has no might against the devil. The devil knew God would do what He promised because He is not a man that He should lie. Why would God expose Adam to the wiles of the devil? The devil had no power over Adam, he just needed to obey what God told him and he would have kept his first estate. If Adam would have obeyed God he would have walked in the Spirit, but he and Eve and all of their descendants became servants of satan. They were the product of a spiritual law that God sent forth, whoever you yield yourself to obey, you become his servant.

Galatians 5:16 Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh.

So how do we walk in the Spirit? We substitute the Word of God in place of our feelings; our flesh and our emotions. Our spirit has a desire to serve the Lord through obedience, our flesh has a desire to serve its lusts planted there by the devil. Our Spirit and our soul war against one another, especially in the early days of our conversion. But if we will renew our mind, it will subject itself to the will of our spirit and we will know the peace of God. Our soul and flesh are motivated by emotions but our Spirit is motivated by the truth as it originates from God. Our emotions will only add to our problems, the Spirit will lead us to a place where God can help us.

2 Corinthians 12:10 When in Christ, my strength is made complete when I am weak.

Most active Christians will testify about God's goodness when they need it the most. Here's the best part, God has no limits as to how many times we can count on Him. But we must take the time to worship and thank Him, He is our helper and our Lord. God is faithful to those who are faithful, He forgives those who forgive. We are men, we are inherently weak until we come to put our faith in our Lord Jesus.