If we were to ask anyone who has ever fought in a battle of
war, they no doubt would tell us: the
most dangerous enemy is the one you cannot see, or the one of which you are not
aware. Without a doubt, this type of enemy would have the potential to do the
most harm; as we would be less cautious to watch out for him, or to protect
ourselves from them. I believe the born again Believer has an enemy just like
this.
We know we have an enemy in Satan. Many of us know that as
the world was and is the enemy of Christ; so is it the enemy of the Christian.
What about the enemy of the flesh? The word of God teaches us in the Book of
Jeremiah: Jer17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and
desperately wicked: who can know it? This is the heart of our flesh; the natural
man. That nature with which we were
born. I believe our passage in I
Corinthians 15 teaches us what we should do with our flesh to protect ourselves
from serious harm.
I Corinth. 15:29 Else what shall they do which are baptized
for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the
dead?
30 And why stand we in jeopardy every hour?
31 I protest by your rejoicing which I have in
Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.
32 If after the manner of men I have fought with
beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and
drink; for to morrow we die.
33 Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt
good manners.
Being baptized for the dead is that of our being baptized
in the likeness of Jesus’ death, burial, in that we are signifying our death to
the old sinful man, but then coming up out of the water, picturing Jesus’
resurrection. This is our being raised
to walk in newness of life.
Then we read:I die daily. We must die to the flesh every day to have
victory over the deceitful flesh. It is
denying the sin loving, world loving flesh.
Forsaking it, turning our backs on it;
and obeying our Lord; a key part of the victorious Christian like.
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