Betrayed By The Flesh
Philippians 3:2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation! 3 For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, 4 though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; 6 concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. 7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.
Any and all confidence in the flesh must be set aside to gain all that is meant to be gained in Christ.
Until I know just how deeply I need Jesus to the extent that all else pales in comparison to Him and other solutions cannot compete with Him, I settle for less than I am meant to experience of Him.
The flesh is a great betrayer. It tried to convince Paul that he could get to where he needed to get spiritually by the strength the flesh could supply, and then when Paul as Saul met Jesus on the road to Damascus, he discovered his confidence in his flesh had been a huge mistake and had led him down a wrong path.
The flesh can also betray a person with its appetite for sin and rebellion. If allowed to have its way, it will demand things that are not beneficial and bring a rotten harvest. The root issue with the flesh is that it wants to be centerstage, the most important thing. Flesh is self-centered.
Galatians 6:8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
Only pursuing Jesus from a place of realizing one’s need can put the flesh where it belongs. To try to deal with the flesh in the power of the flesh is an exercise in futility.
When Saul was blinded by the light of Jesus and fell off his horse, his response was, “Who are You, Lord?
Lord, meaning someone with real authority, power, and greatness. Lord implies humility on Saul’s part because he recognized he was encountering someone greater than himself. His next response to Jesus was, “What would you have me do, Lord?”
Real born-again experience brings a person as a new creation to the place of surrender to Jesus with a desire to know His will and His desire for their lives. Religion points us to the flesh to try harder and do better. Genuine salvation brings us to the Lord Jesus Christ, who is treasured and valued for who He is with a desire to know what He wants. It produces the fruit of seeking Him for who He is so we might learn of Him and His ways.
A real encounter with Jesus produces humility of heart, not greater confidence in the flesh. It opens the eyes of the heart and soul to see the deception of confidence in the flesh. Has the flesh betrayed you?
