God's Church has been fighting a spiritual battle from the outside-in, instead of from the inside-out. We've tried disciplining our flesh by willpower and ritual, instead of strengthening the spirit man by God's Word and His Spirit, so it can rule the flesh. It seems like we've nearly lost sight of the Super-natural ability of the new creation person altogether. We were created a new creation in the Image of God, by the new birth. We've established traditions, rituals and our own way of doing things, in order to satisfy ourselves. We're like those Paul writes about in Romans 10:2-3 (Amp), where he says, "I bear them witness that they have a certain zeal and enthusiasm for God, but it is not enlightened and according to correct and vital knowledge. For being ignorant of the Righteousness God ascribes which makes one acceptable to Him in word, thought and deed, and seeking to establish a righteousness (a means of salvation) on their own they did not obey or submit themselves to God's Righteousness."
Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:33 (Amp), "Seek (aim at, and strive after) first of all His Kingdom and His Righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides." We try making ourselves righteous, but the flesh can never become righteous by ritual or by following man-made traditions. The flesh must be ruled by the new creation spirit man/woman who was made Righteous by Jesus' Righteousness, in order to submit to the Righteousness of God.
The new creation is strengthened and ruled by God's Word and His Spirit, not by man-made rules or by works. Our spirit became a new creation, not our flesh. Proverbs 25:28 (Amp) says, "He who has no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down and without walls." Ancient cities were protected and built behind walls. If the walls protecting a city weren't strong, then that city could be easily overtaken. The wall protecting us, is the strength of our spirit man/woman through the new creation by God's Word and reliance on God and His way of doing and being right.
We must step out of the carnal thoughts of the flesh, in order to accept the Truth that we are truly Righteous in God's eyes. We must accept the Truth of God's Word in our spirit. The flesh will say, "You're not really righteous, but you can become righteous by your works." This lie of the devil keeps us under condemnation and will keep us trying to become righteous by our works. This keeps our walls broken down and open to the enemy's attack. We must build strong walls from the inside and not the outside.
Many of the traditions we've learned over the past two-thousand years, are based more on the Law and not on God's Grace. We're fighting with our flesh and trying to make it Righteous, which is something we will never accomplish, when we are to strengthen the inner man/woman by the Truth of God's Word and the indwelling of His Spirit. We're to build strong walls by faith in what God says and not in the ideas of man. We're to abstain from sin,of course, but this is better done from the strength of our spirit, instead of constantly trying to make the flesh behave by willful discipline. Our walls are made strong by the spirit and not the rituals of man.
The only thing that can make our spirit man/woman stronger, is God's Word. Nothing can replace God's Word and the Spiritual discernment of His Word by the Holy Spirit, in the development of the new creation man/woman. Reading God's Word in a carnal mind, only brings about more carnal, religious rituals and traditions. We miss the Revelation of His Truth, when we try to read God's Word with a carnal mind. We each have the responsibility to spend time reading God's Word.
The Holy Spirit inspires Peter to write in 1Peter 2:2 (Amp), "Like newborn babies you should crave (thirst for, earnestly desire), the pure unadulterated Spiritual milk that by it you may be nurtured and grow unto completed salvation." The King James Version says, "Desire the sincere milk of the Word that you may grow thereby." The only thing that brings maturity and growth, is God's Word. This isn't found by only hearing a weekly church service, but through privately seeking and spending personal time in God's Word.
Our carnal mind can't comprehend that there is a God, so the only way to "know" God is by His Word and His Spirit. Our senses certainly can't encompass Him. Only our spirit man/woman can receive Him and only His Word can reveal Him to us. Growing into complete maturity in our Spiritual lives and building strong walls, requires God's Word and the Revelation His Spirit gives us about His Word.
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