Make no Provision for the Flesh

Romans 13:14

“But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”

The above Scripture is deep water, it reads easy, but I find its application is not easy but totally impossible, that is unless you have done the following, and the following is not easy.  “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.”  (Galatians 2:20)  Crucified, how is it defined? Crucifixion is a method of slow and painful execution in which the victim is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang for several days until eventual death from exhaustion and asphyxiation It is principally known from antiquity, but remains in occasional use in some countries. (Taken from Wikipedia)  Death has to take place if someone is crucified, and the apostle Paul is telling us that a death has taken place in him. 

Before going forward it would be wise to also look into how Christ came to live in Paul, in you and in myself!  It all began with a guy named Saul who later had his name changed to Paul the apostle of Jesus Christ.  And how all that took place is called a new birth or being born again, let’s examine what took place. 

A disciple of Christ named Stephen who was one of seven deacons and a man the Scripture tells us was a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit was stoned for a speech he gave and it was Saul who approved of his execution.  In fact, Saul’s goal was to kill or imprison all who followed Christ or what was known as The Way.  But God had other plans for Saul, and on the way to Damascus a light from heaven flashed around him and he was blinded, but he heard these words; “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”  “And he said, who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.  But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.”  (Acts 9:4-6)

First, we see that grace happened!   Saul was willing to murder and imprison anyone who had a different view than his religion, and yet God showed him grace and forgiveness.  But God did not force Saul to receive the gift of grace; Paul did that by faith, and by an act of his will.  If you have entered into Christ and He has entered into you, then by grace and faith you made the same choice as Paul did that day, and Galatians 2:20 has taken place in your life.

Flesh has goals, and when you cut to the chase, the bottom line is it wants to get its needs met outside of Jesus Christ, and that is the battle between the flesh and the Spirit.  The old man got crucified, and you are a new creation in Christ, but the patterns of getting your needs met outside of Christ are very much alive.  So how can you and I put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires?

In that only one person has lived the Christian life and that is Christ, you and I must learn how to put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.  This is where it gets personal, I had to ask God to show me my kind of flesh, it was not fun, you see I have flesh that likes to be first, it likes to achieve so it will be recognized and it is selfish and inconsiderate of others unless its goal is to be noticed.  If I’m going to put on Christ, I need help and I’ve found as I fill my mind with Scripture the Holy Spirit uses it to correct, encourage, and to conform me to the image of Christ. 

Anytime I’m acting like a person who is kind and wants to put others first, it is Christ, but this caution is needed; the battle is daily and way to often I begin without putting on the armor referred to in Ephesians 6:10-20.  May you and I live in Victory found only in Christ, for He has overcome the World.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice