Romans 8:5-7

I'm out of shape. A year of injuries and issues have driven me from the gym, and into a less active lifestyle, and has shown itself in weight gain and lack of muscle strength. And I'm not happy about it. While my injuries are healing (left knee and right shoulder - both separate and unrelated), I've had to make decisions to either find alternative workouts or or don't do anything. Most of the time I've opted to not do anything.

I should be fair to myself and note that in that year long period I was taking college algebra courses and working full time. But, still, decisions I made.... where were my thoughts?

Romans 8:5-7 talks about this very thing:

For those who follow the flesh have their interests in the flesh, and those who follow the Spirit have their interests in the Spirit. The interests of the flesh mean death, the interest of the Spirit mean life and peace.

For the interests of the flesh are hostile to God; they do not yield to God (ineed they cannot).

Habitually dominated by the flesh or the Spirit (Wuest).

Which way am I today? Dominated by the flesh or by the Spirit. If dominated by the flesh - meaning, following my own natural inclinations, whatever my mind thinks of I do, etc. If I am dominated by the Spirit, then I don't follow my mind, I seek Him out, I ask him "what do you think about this? - yes? no?" Then I wait for his answer. I don't just think and do... I think, seek, ask, and then follow His instruction - not my own inclination.

Do I always do this? Of course not. But how do I get better at this?

I think it's a lot like physical exercise. Physical exercise trains our bodies, strengthens our muscles, it can even consume our thoughts and dictate our lifestyle. When I had been working out for sometime, I was careful about what I ate, I arranged my life around time at the gym, and made sure I got enough sleep. I read fitness magazines, nutrition labels, and websites about fitness. I watched YouTube videos on new exercise moves, downloaded podcasts to listen to while exercising or running.

When I think about how to get myself habitually dominated by the Holy Spirit, I realize that it's a lot like starting out on a new lifestyle. Things have to change - schedules have to be rearranged. What I read about, listen to, and think about has to be about the Spirit and His desires, not about what I think is good.

Don't get me wrong - exercise is very good for the body. But it's still "of the flesh." Without the Spirit, there is still going to be death even though it seems good. Yes, even good things can be "of the flesh" - that's why it's so important to yield in everything to what the Holy Spirit wants.

I leave you with this quote in the note section for Romans 8:5 of the Recovery Bible: "As we exercise ourselves to mind these things, eventually our whole being will be according to the Spirit."

That's a goal worth rearranging my life for - to be consumed....

So, expect to see more here in this blog - it's my journey to become spiritually fit, dominated in my mind and all that I do by the Spirit.

Odd Fragments

Are you fragmented? Are you between two opinions and not sure which is really truth?

Do you have one identity in one situation and another identity in another?

I struggle around strong personalities. I'm laid back, easy going and not much ruffles my feathers. But when I get around stronger personalities - watch out.

But I have learned....

I have learned that in the Gospel I cannot sway between two opinions or two ways of being. My identity becomes eroded, unless I am on guard and aware of what is happening.

Strong personalities tend to say to less-strong (but not weaker) personalities - Who do you think you are? This is who I am! This can be anything that someone else leans upon as their identity such as their ethnicity, their physical fitness level, their status in society, and even their religion.

When I allow myself to get sucked into thinking like that - where I look inward and see where I fall short next to "big personalities" then I begin to lose my identity and my authority level.

I cannot allow this to happen.... because what happens is that my identity as a Christian gets eroded and smaller as I allow the bigger personality to swallow me up.

The truth is I cannot be two people - one at church (or in the presence of other Christians) and another person when I am with another group of people. That's a fragmented life. And being fragmented also erodes true identity.

Being who I am (I am in Christ!) has much to do with having this overwhelming confidence that allows me to be the stronger personality - not because I change my personality, but because I know who I am and I don't need to conform or be in submission to a stronger personality.

Where does this confidence come from? Yes, I see the threat of the bigger personality, but I ask the Lord - grant me boldness!!! (Acts 4:29)

To live between two opinions is a horrible place to be - never sure of who you are. It is much better to embrace your true identity through Jesus and live in one mind, of one opinion and one identity.

**********

Acts 4:29 Wuest version: Lord, look upon their threatenings and grant at once to your bondslaves the ability to be speaking your word with all fearless confidence and freedom of speech while you stretech out your hand to heal . . .

How can you not love the Gospel?

I died... and it's no longer I who live, but Him! He lives in me, and has made me alive - more alive than I ever was!!

My two word story? Dead? DEAD!! I am dead. And thank God I am dead. I could never live life to the fullest the way I was before. But dead is the way to be....

How do you like always screwing up? Always being rejected? Always enduring shame and depression, despair and discouragement? All of that - every bit of it was taken by Jesus on the Cross...

and you, if you believe it, were co-crucified with Him on the Cross - every bit of your shameful, rejection, searching for meaning, always screwing up life.

After that - you wonder - what's left? This is what's left - JOY, unspeakable joy. Satisfaction. Do you really know what it's like to be so satisfied that you don't have to yearn after anything else? Bliss - bliss, bliss, bliss. Righteousness - every thing made right. It's all yours - to those that believe... why? Because He said (Jesus) that when He would be lifted up on the Cross (something that happened about 2000 years ago), all men (with no regard for for time) would be drawn into his body. A demonstration of He that knew no sin became sin for your sake. He took your place, experience death, desolation, rejection, depression, etc. so you DON'T HAVE TO!

Experience this!!!!

Dead? DEAD!!!!!

(Thanks to Linley for sparking this one!)

Don't copy the behavior of this world, but be a new and different person with a fresh newness in all you do and think. Rom 12:2, The Living Bible

What a challenging week!

What do you do when you're peer is named as your supervisor and is now doing your performance review? This was not a welcome move in my mind. And I admit I initially had quite a bit of turmoil about it.

However, while praying about it and asking the Lord what the proper response is the reminder that I am not of the world, and my response is not to be like those in the world came to mind. But I still struggled to find that proper response and have it be heartfelt.

I would like to say that this was one of those times of enlightenment where I instantly "got it" and behaved it, but to be truthful, it wasn't until a couple of days later when I could say that I definitely had peace of mind and a godly response in the face of this news.

I willingly sent this new supervisor my new performance review assessment and we have a date scheduled for the actual review.

The Lord has never let me down in all my job situations. There have been difficult situations and circumstances, but He has always been and always will be faithful.

To see a real life situation where Romans 12:2 is playing out is very exciting. This makes the Scripture more than a concept, and turns it into an experience. Experience trumps concepts every time.