STINKY FLESH Part I

"The victorious Christian life is nothing less than the life of Christ expressed through the child of God. Any behavior which is not dependent of Him living His life through us comes from the flesh. That suggests that it is even possible to be busy doing things FOR God while our actions still stem from the energy of the flesh. THE EXCHANGED LIFE MEANS WE DEPEND ON HIS RESOURCES, NOT OUR OWN. FLESH LIFE MEANS DEPENDING ON WHAT I CAN DO.

Major Ian Thomas says . . . 'There is nothing quite so nauseating or pathetic as flesh trying to be holy! The flesh has a perverted bent for righteousness -- but such righteousness as it may achieve is always self-righteousness; and self-righteousness is always self-conscious righteousness; and self-conscious righteousness is always full of self-praise. This produces the extrovert, who must always be noticed, recognized, consulted, and applauded. On the other hand, when the flesh is in pursuit of self-righteousness fails, instead of being filled with
self-praise, it is filled with self-pity, and this produces the introvert. A professional "case" for professional counselors.'

Trying to do something FOR God is a flesh trip. It is possible to be sincere in trying to do something Him, yet be sincerely wrong. Religious flesh is often a hard pattern for a person to recognize because it is usually applauded by other Christians. Religious service may cause you
to be pleased with yourself. Or it may leave you feeling spiritually or emotionally drained. If you find yourself in either place, God may be trying to show you the problem. Many Christians today are exhausted because they understand the Christian life to be primarily a life of
service for God. But that isn't true. THE CHRISTIAN LIFE IS PRIMARILY A LIFE OF INTIMACY WITH GOD."

from Steve McVey's book . . . GRACE WALK . . . What You've Always Wanted in the Christian Life