Yukky, USDA-Choice, or PBA)

 

2 Timothy 1: 13-14

“Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.  By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.”   Many a follower of Christ lives their life in victory, because they understand that the Holy Spirit who dwells in them is the only one who has the authority and ability to live the victorious Christian life through them.  They have come to understand that the flesh cannot please God, Romans 8:5-8, and many a Christian reads this and are in full agreement, but their definition of flesh is a person who does drugs, cheats on their mate, stays out all night, and will not go to church on Sunday, and that does qualify as flesh, but it is more than that.  Much of what I’ve learned in this area came from Bill Gillham, and he would describe the example listed above as “yukky” flesh.  Bill would say there is many flesh types but they seem to fit into these topics:

Bill has a category called USDA-Choice flesh: it is flesh that looks good and gains worldly acceptance.  However, it is still flesh.  But Bill often said “the Biggie” is: performance-based acceptance (PBA) and this is the most common influence in the programming of flesh.  “If you perform well, I will accept you.  If you don’t, I won’t.

This deposit that the Holy Spirit is guarding, is your life in Christ.  It required spiritual death and Romans 6:6, “We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be bought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.” Now go with me to Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ.  It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.  And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” My teacher would say; “God has no plan to make something beautiful of your life (in Adam).  The plan is to kill it and start over again.”  The great news is that spiritual death brings about new creations in Christ, 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”  

We need to grasp the fullness of Romans 8:7&8, “For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed it cannot.  Those who are in the flesh (Yukky, USDA-Choice, or PBA) cannot please God.”  Emphasis added.  Till we believe that our life and our true identity is Christ living life to the max in you, we will not walk in this world in the authority and power that is ours; our light will be very dim.  So my prayer for each of us is that by faith we apply these truths and then, watch-out world!

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice