The Human Will and Flesh Are Strong (and Satan Gloats)

What we experience with our senses can be very, very pleasant. This includes sight, what we're hearing, feeling by touch, and tasting, even smelling. It is certainly by all these senses that we're ensnared into the initial actions of our growing but immature sexuality - and temptation gains strength as the mind comes along with its curiosity and desire for real experiences. All is followed by the reasoning and justification of "this can't be so wrong because what I'm feeling is so right". "God must be calling this bad to keep us from knowing and doing what really is soooo good. Nothing bad has happened to us. This must be what love is." By deceiving ourselves with what we want to believe, we've opened another gate to the dark lord who is always right there waiting. He is ever ready to gleefully lead us on into the darkness that imitates light, often called enlightenment by the academic. The logic he knows will work so well is what the world calls intelligent experimenting in the finding of our own beliefs and way in the world; and, of course, we're having so much fun. Those are tears of happiness, aren't they?not shame.

Jesus mastered the obedience of waiting; and as our Rescuer, Deliverer He has shown us the way to wait for God's provision to come - even possibly as the wait seems to us extreme. Do we believe He is truly just in time with just exactly what is perfect for our need, plus a little more? Could it be better than figuring out how to provide what we need on our own? What happened the last time you did that?

The human will and the flesh are strong; in the original they were perfectly created by the Master Creator. When sin entered in, these became adulterated, changed as man turned to his own intelligence/reasoning in making his decisions. They so much as told God to take a hike as they began to choose evil over the good and godly ways of their perfect God. These two, the will and the flesh, in the strength of their rebellious nature make it difficult, and not just once in a while, to surrender our control to another's authority, even if it's God's. Now think, the Holy Spirit always there in expectation of directing you and leading you in the way you need to go at all times. This is a real humbling, a coming down, to go from "I can do this myself." to "Show me, oh Lord, what you would have me to do." To choose to obey will, many times, mean getting into some really hard places of the soul - it can be very painful and not just for us. But obedience means freedom from bondage as the enemy of my soul will find nothing in me to attach himself to as there will be no dark, lawlessness in me in which he can hide. The Light that is Jesus exposes him.

Jesus did not use a credit card when He paid for us, but paid the full price with His blood and His beaten,bloodied body. We are not our own. We are gladly His and He lights the path for us to walk in; if we will walk looking to Him as the only dependable example, the One to look for, wait for, to follow immediately He speaks, beckons, we will be enabled to walk in the same manner as He walked and continues, by His Spirit and Word, to demonstrate.

Never, never, never, quit - get up, stand; look quietly; listen calmly; study the One who is the Word, the Truth, the Way. He puts up with all of us; He doesn't quit - no matter the hostility He faces. He always looked to the Father; and what the Father said and showed Him, He said and did. How very glad I am that He did and that He perseveres in doing the same for us. Is it His plan for us to quit?

Copyright © ShirleyHowel.com 2018, All rights reserved

To Be Sifted

John 14:12: Most assuredly, I say to you he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also and greater works he will do, because I go to My Father. .....

What are these works?
As seen in Luke 4:17-19, Jesus entered the synagogue in His hometown of Nazareth where just as He was ready to begin His 3 year ministry He declared that what was stated about Him in prophecy was exactly what He was going to do. He quoted Isaiah, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me.......to preach the good news to the poor; ..to heal the brokenhearted; to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind; to set at liberty the oppressed; to proclaim that the acceptable year of the Lord is here."

This weighs heavy on my heart, for my desire is to be that believer who does the works that He said I would do believing in Him.
So what am I missing? For Jesus said, "assuredly" which means that what He has said is certain. Therefore the problem is to be found with me. I know that because the Spirit of God, of Jesus, abides in me, that He will never leave me, that His love is unconditional, that there is great worth in me. But I also know there is within that which stands in the way of my desire to be all that He has said for me to be. The indication is undoubtedly that God-powered sifting is needed to separate the worthless from that which is valuable in me.

I see it in my mind this way: the sifting of the kernels of wheat. The kernel is the fruit, the life giving part. But it has a covering, a natural husk covering which must be removed for the kernel to be used as the creator intended - to give nourishment. The inherent character and makeup of the husk, as can be seen when removed, makes it of no value for life-giving food. It, like the character of our natural flesh covering, needs to be treated as garbage - striped off and disposed of. The fruit of the kernel God planted within me will give nourishment, life. But the husk, my old death-invoking flesh, must be separated from the living kernel for it to be of value in the kingdom of God. Will I surrender to the work of God's sifting? And the sifting is not complete if there are remains of the husk left intact. If they are not recognized and cleared out, the mind will continue to be influenced by and responsive to the deceit and misleading of the old flesh nature.

Evidence of remaining "husk" nature, flesh infiltration, is seen in my
application of the world's standards and view-point and my old habitual patterns of thinking and responding to too many daily situations and circumstances. In a Spirit guided sifting search of my heart I find the remaining husk of pride and presumptuousness in a corner of darkness.

Pride - the armor of "I am" - that which Satan has established as the defense and offensive weapon of choice in legitimatizing his kingdom of darkness. In retrospect, I see myself using the weapon of "legitimatizing" when I have justified pushing forward my agenda in prideful righteousness because of my "God-given" position and knowledge.

Presumptuousness - the disregarding of rightful boundaries. Though usually done in ignorance, yet resulting in my taking liberties that are not honorably mine.

This is why it is taught, "Every thought needs to be captured" before it goes its own way.
(2 Corinthians 10:4-5)

The Writings of Shirley Howell, Copyright © Shirley Howell 2018 - All rights reserved

Something Wondrous

All creation knew that something wondrous was happening when God the Son of the three person Godhead took it upon Himself to be made “of no account”. This was done in His taking the form of a common man, a man of no perceived difference from any other man. In coming to us here on earth He emptied Himself of all glory, manifestations and positions of deity. He would refer to Himself as the Son of man, as He truly was, even though at all times He was just as truly God. He put His Godness totally under the hand of God the Father in heaven; and, being a man, under submission to the laws and authorities of men, civil and, as a Jew, the religious laws. What a wondrous thing; He had come to us in the likeness of me, you, a human person. (Philippians 2:6-8) More wondrous is that He in His part of the Godhead chose to do this and this in agreement with the rest of the Godhead. They had chosen the humiliation of the Cross.

The Word, who spoke all creation into being, who was with God, and was God, became flesh! (John 1) The Word, spoken of, is Jesus before He became Jesus of Nazareth. He was, is of the Godhead: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; all of which are equally God, equally eternal, and existing in and of themselves. In all these ways He was still God, though He entered the world He created (See John 1.) as a man, whom He also created. He was born as baby to a woman just as we have been born. He came in the only form we could relate to, the human form. He came to show us in person the way back into the fullness of relationship to the Father.

Something Wondrous: Transformation

Something wondrous happens when the Holy Spirit enters into the human spirit: conception! - the beginning of a new God-designed human soul. By this process of a rebirth, the taking of the old blind, deaf and dumb spirit of a man and reforming a new living spirit responsive to Him - who in the beginning had created the man (and woman) with a living responsive spirit - a sin-born man /woman is entering into transformation. This is the journey of the changing of one's direction from the serving of self, unto eventual destruction, to the serving of Most High God unto joy and peace of which He is the only eternal source. Believe me I've been on both sides. Being one's own god will end in a crash, hopefully sooner rather than later.

Please let me try on you a material world, scientific definition of the word transformation and then give it a spirit world application:

In world of science: a biological process in which there is genetic modification of cells by the uptake and incorporation of exogenous* factors

In the world of the spirit: God's Holy Spirit's modification of the human spirit by the uptake and incorporation of His DNA.

*exogenous: something introduced from outside the organism or system.
In transformation there must come a change in composition or structure which will bring about a change in character and condition.

When Christ Jesus is recognized and then received in a manner that brings one into believing that He is the Messiah, truly God's Son who came as a man to announce God's love for His precious but totally rebellious creation, man, to the extent that He would allow His Son, who lived in obedient faith, to die in humiliation and horrible pain in our place -- a people deluded into the eternal darkness of believing they can somehow be captain of their own ship - the Holy Spirit enters into the very core of self, called the heart. The demise of the sin-fallen, human nature makes room for the new creation, and a new God-conscious nature is born.

This new Spirit -born man has the capacity of having a spirit made right with and alive to God for God's spirit resides there, a heart that is made clean with daily upkeep and guidance by the Word of God, and the availability of the mind of Christ - knowledge, understanding, and the wisdom to act on these - as we yield in the attitude of our mind to the dominion of our new creation's Captain. Self has been the king- pin, the focus, of our mind, will and emotional responses. For transformation - the change of one thing that is dying to something that is eternally significant - to continue there must come to be a daily establishment of who's in charge - the old or the new. Denial of self-determination and opening to Spirit guidance and Jesus-following is costly to the ego; but what it buys is peace and joy that cannot be taken away by any lack, loss or circumstance that comes against you. There will be no disgrace of the sentence of eternal separation from our Creator God for those who rely on the word of faith which is to call on the name of the Lord of all creation. This is what justifies you: Declare with your mouth that Jesus is the Lord of all including yourself, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead and in this you have salvation/deliverance, the penalty for your sin being paid in full.

The speaking forth from your mouth is the declaration of your deliverance/salvation.
The believing of your heart is what God declares to be the justification for the forgiveness of the penalty for your sin.

Copyright © ShirleyHowel.coml 2018 - All rights reserved

To Know God

Lord, make me to have intelligent knowledge and discernment in knowing You personally; spiritual eyes focused and clear.

To know God: (Just 3 steps.)

Step 1: Read the Bible as it teaches in John 14:26: “..The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I have said to you.”

Precede this with prayer to engage the Helper as noted in Proverbs 2:4,5: “If you seek her(God's wisdom) as a man would for silver and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.”

Step 2: Set and keep a time and a place to study the word. Read only a little at a time. Think of the manna gathered in the wilderness - only enough for the one day. Listen as you read for a verse or word to hit you or catch your attention. Copy it and meditate on it off and on throughout the day.

Step 3: Open your (born-again) heart to let the Helper teach you to listen as taught by James in chapter 1:25; and put his admonition into practice: “..He who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”

Will I learn what God intends? Only if I listen with my new man's spiritual heart, ears and eyes

Copyright © Shirley Howell 2018 - All rights reserved

Marriage: When Seemingly Unequally Yoked

We have a song in the hymnal that says, “Though none go with me, I'll follow Jesus.” I'll speak of the One who literally came, offered me His hand as I had no hand I could trust to hold in this world 45 years ago. It is to Him I owe my allegiance, thus, I must look to Him to show me what to do and what to say in all my relationships - in my legal and physical family, my church family, both local and corporate, and my community and world communications. He spoke of this as an example we can learn to emulate: in John 12:49,50 Jesus is speaking to the people; “For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command and what I should say and what I should speak. I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me , so I speak.” Also see 14:10 and 16:13 - 15.

Please read Isaiah 54, as therein is His promise to those whose spouse does not join with them in the calling that is upon them. I have claimed the promises in this as one grafted in with those to whom it was directly given and these promises have stayed me well. When I was comfortless in my marriage after 20+ years of struggling to change Jack, I found I was full of “If it wasn't for him(Jack, my husband) I could ________________(fill in the blank). In general, “I could be some really great servant of the Lord, etc. ad nauseam.”

One day in the early '80s Jesus flat out told me to to get my hands and mouth off of Jack and leave him to Him - Holy Spirit actually said to quit praying about or for him. I was kind of stunned, but I now know I wasn't praying the prayers with the right motives. In the hidden recesses of my old man's heart I wanted him changed for my convenience. He, the Lord, had put Jack as His choice for me for He knew Jack would be able to be an anchor and covering that would keep me grounded for the work God would purpose for me. Jack would say we were meant for each other to make sure we didn't make two other people's lives miserable ( - it's a family joke - we're not miserable any more.) The only time he says anything about what I'm doing in the ministry these days is when I over extend myself or he feels I'm being taken advantage of or have been hurt. The truth be known he has become proud of what I do and my friends think he's a big teddy bear.

Twenty+ years ago, I tried to separate myself from him a couple of times but the Lord tied that one up as Jack would say there would be no “separation.” If I wanted a separate life it would be by divorce. I didn't want a divorce - well, you know what I wanted. I wanted to do what I wanted, when I wanted. Jack also “left” twice, but turned around and came back within a week. The serenity prayer of AA finally taught me that I had no right to “change” someone else and I wasn't able anyway. The only person I had the right to change was myself, but lo and behold I could not even do that! It was only by submission to my Maker that that can happen - and it is only now that I can see it really has borne some good fruit,coming after much, pruning by the Gardener I'm so grateful not to have missed this journey of 50years with the earthly companion He absolutely picked for me before I really even knew who He was. No one else would have put up with this self-destructive, crazy person.

Now this is what He has shown me this morning to share with you : Jesus, my friend, my beloved Husbandman, Jesus - who loves my soul unto His death that I may be made whole and wholly alive in HIM. I must go where my heart goes because my heart is His - He gave me a new one after His own. I do not go as directed by the old “wineskin” (the old man, see Matthew 9:16, 17) - the way I think I should go as directed by the unrenewed mind, reasonable as it may seem, humanly thinking, but ends in chaos.
Peace, whether in the home, relationships, church, etc. is found in only one place, the source, God the Father, and comes as a gift from Jesus, His Son, to us. You and I have a perfect Father and as well as our Husbandman (To understand this concept see Isaiah chapter 53. whose ultimate gift is His Spirit, who has made a new and perfect and one- of-a -kind creation within us by coming into our dead spirit. That is the new life He created by the “second birth”with an upright spirit that measures up to the Creator's plumb line and a new, pure heart if we will choose to believe Him and not our old man with a corrupted heart dominating our mind and body.

Those who do not choose to go with us, will have to be left for our Father to deal with. His powerful Holy Spirit and His Son under His direction will be doing the will of the Father, (As His children we, too, will seek and do His will.) And deal with them He will as He will continue to seek and call them because of His love for them. This doesn't mean we physically leave something, but we walk on with our perfect Guide and continue in prayer including those who've not yet chosen the Way, the Truth, and the Life in the manner that has been made clear to us . Clarity comes to each of us at the perfect time, for each of us is foreknown to our Creator. We will trust Him, leaning not on our own understanding as regards our loved ones, leaders, etc. If we are required to move in the Spirit without our earthly mates it only means our relationship with the Lord will be closer and even greater. The way that has seemed to be so right to us is not necessarily the way that God will choose. We do right to wait for Him to to show us what our part is - this is true whether it be the husband, a beloved child, or a friend. If one's mate does not forbid you to pray and serve the Lord as an individual, you need not determine that you are to go forward with the Lord alone. I have counseled several women who were constantly angry with their husband because he did not take the spiritual headship of the family as they were sure he must. As a result, their marriage and their relationship with the Lord remains stagnant or even nonexistent. They would say it is the fault of the husband, but our relationship with God is not dependent on anyone else. It is between you and Him alone. If none goes with you He will enable you as He will be with you Himself. You will even go without resentment towards those who stay back. There is a purpose if you will but believe and obey, continuing to move forward as He shows you.

“Then the very God of Peace”(1 Thessalonians 5:23) spreads throughout your life as you make peace with others. When you grasp and hold onto the inner peace, it can spread to families, churches, communities, and even countries......a nation will experience peace to the degree that the Very God of Peace controls the hearts of its citizens” - pray with extraordinary guidance for our nation. The Middle Eastern countries (the heartland of the false god of this world) as you do for your family, starting with yourself: “Lord, I want inner peace; come rule my heart. Help me influence others around me the way You've influenced me.”

“There will be wars and racial turbulence in the world. There will be interpersonal friction because people live for themselves The Very God of Peace does not rule the hearts of the vast majority of individuals. But while people may not be able to change the whole world, they can bring change into their own piece of the world. Some think they cannot bring change into their families; but when they change the way they relate to their loved ones, it creates the room for these same ones to make changes in the way they relate to you. Experience God's peace, and then spread it to others.” I know this is true because as I changed myself, asking God to help remove the character flaws revealed to me, I have realized that I was at the root of the changes that I thought were needed only to be removed in the others in my realm and family. Start with yourself and the power and truth found in God's own word, the Bible.


Key Thought:” Your experience of being at peace in God can influence others.”

Some quotes are from E. L. Towns, 365 Ways to Know God.
Bible references to read are: 1Corinthians 7; 1 Peter 3:1 - 4; and Jeremiah 6:16.

The Writings of Shirley Howell, Copyright © Shirley Howell 2018 - All rights reserved

Three Categories of Temptation Common to Every Man Including Jesus

Start by remembering: “The devil is on a 'sovereign string' (in) serving as a tempter and tester of men.” He, too, in all finality, is under the ultimate dominion of God, the Creator of all that is material and spirit.

The first time these categories are seen is in the Garden of Eden when the Serpent spoke to Eve asking her, “Did God really say you were not eat from any of the trees in the garden?” She, of course, quickly clarified his misinformation by saying that they could eat any of the fruit of the trees except the one in the middle of the garden, adding that they were not to touch it. God did not say they were not to touch it. So, here we see in this first garden of perfection and innocence the first incident of our human inclination to add our opinion to God's Word. (See Genesis 2:16 for the complete quote of God's command.) She went on to explain that if they did, they would die. The Serpent quickly added his own slant to what God said and exclaimed, “No! You will not die! God knows, in fact, that the day you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Eve had no idea of what evil was and she didn't ask.

But she quite quickly began to examine “the fruit tree”:
1. She knew that it would be good food, for all that God had created was good. Now the natural appetite of her flesh was awakened as well as the curiosity to know the taste of this fruit not yet experienced. So feeling reassured that she wouldn't die, whatever that meant, she took it.
2. She saw that it was beautiful to the eye. By taking the beauty of this rare fruit into her hand she was now the first one to take “possession” and could do with it whatever she wished.
3. Best of all, it was desirable for what it would give her by the eating of it: she would know the rest of all the important things that God knows and has withheld from them. They would be able to rule and control their domain without any help or direction from Him. She would “be like” Him!

Give her credit. She shared all this wonderful new information, and the fruit, with Adam; he fell for the same line only from the woman's mouth. He was probably looking on as all this happened anyway. And, like Eve, I now have just shared my 2 cents worth of opinion. The Bible does not say what he was doing.

John, the apostle, also lists these three categories of temptation in l John 2:15-17: “Do not love the world (and its ways) nor the things in the world. If anyone's love is centered on the world, the love of the Father finds no place in him. For all that is in the world - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life - is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it, but he who does the will of the Father remains forever.”

Let me now expand on the three lustful ways of the world:

1.) the lust of the flesh: the natural physical human needs become disordered drives to satisfy the unnatural cravings and appetites of the fallen human nature.

2.) the lust of the eyes: the natural pleasure of the things and our place in it here on earth becomes the disordered drive to possess, to own, to have that which the eye (the mind) sees as something to be admired, coveted and, which when seen in the viewpoint of the world, would increase ones value and importance,

3.) and the pride of life, the sense of pride in the simple position of being a loved, created being under the direction of God becomes the disordered drive to be Master of one's own life. The deceived fallen human nature comes to believe,“ I am the one who directs my life and lives by my say so.

4.) I will use some references from Blackby's book, Encounters with God: Matthew, to help in comparing Satan's temptation of Jesus, when He was fasting and completely alone for 40 days in the wilderness, to the temptation of Eve that came by the words of the Serpent in the garden.
It was necessary that it be established that Jesus faced the same human experience that comes to all of us. Though He was truly God the Son it was necessary that He also be completely human in order that a man would fulfill all the requirements of the law as written by God, and through this life lived in willing obedience, once again man might come into the presence of God the Father and live.
Keep Matthew 4:2-10 in front of you as your reference for here we see Jesus humanity being put to the test: the Devil plays on the key facets of behavior common to all human beings - called drives or lusts:

1.) the human need for physical satisfaction,
the hunger drive,
the sexual drive,
the drive to feel safe and comfortable,
which become the disordered gratification of the human sensual desires and appetites.
The temptation: use whatever means we can to satisfy our fleshly, bodily drives. (Now.)
Jesus condition after 40 days of fasting was life-draining; the temptation was to use His God-power to turn stone into bread. Matthew 4:2-4.

2.) the disordered emotional need for recognition,
to be seen as having value, worth,
the hope of being important, recognized for who or what we are (position), and/or what we can do (influence).
The temptation: to get, to do and be whatever we see that will, in our eyes, fulfill our need for worth and recognition. (Even negative attention can seem better than none.)
The Devil transported Jesus to the top of a tower; the temptation this time was to use His God-favor to gain the instant attention and, thus, recognition of who He is by jumping from the tower -- the host of angels assigned to Him would have instantly interceded and rescued Him to forestall the untimely resulting, human death. Matthew 4: 5-7.

3.) the basic human version of pride, to be first, right, and/or best in one's own mind, to be in charge, in control, “the Master on one's own ship”.
The temptation: the disordered human need to have the power and authority to know and call the “shots”over one's own place and person in life. The Devil is the Prince of this world due to man's abdication of that position in Eden when he chose the Serpent's way over God's way. The Devil offered Jesus immediate ruler-ship over the world if He would just make him, Satan, His “personal councilor”. Jesus would be able to step right over the crucifixion into, what at the time, was going to be a very difficult journey for His coming into His rightful place of King of the Jews and of the whole earth. Again He
could use His own “Godness” (I can do this and trump Satan,too.) instead of waiting on the Father's direction. Matthew 4:8-10.

Purpose of these testings:
Jesus used the Word of God to reinforce the Truth within Himself. He spoke it each time the Devil/Satan presented his case to Him, assaulting His mind with a “natural, legitimate” human need. By Jesus responding with the Truth of the written Word of God, the Devil ran out of options in this particular situation and he left. (He didn't quit.)

We come to know solidly who we are in Christ Jesus; and come solidly into the use of His Word as the weapon to defeat the devil and the fallen nature that lusts for self-rule. We emerge better and better equipped for the abundant life and service He's prepared for us. The devil's unwavering commitment is to make us think that a particular activity, substance, relationship, position or even a way of thinking is justifiable or is going to be beneficial to you or even to others. It can even be your ministry or work as a Christian. He causes us to see an easier way, or an attractive scheme to give more success, a shortcut to a worthy goal.

The Writings of Shirley Howell, Copyright © Shirley Howell 2018 - All rights reserved