Flesh vs Spirit – Godly Relationships Part 2

Our Pastor said last year, before he went on a mission trip that God showed him the following:

God is trying to get so much more to the Church Body, but we are collectively making the mistake of seeing each other (relationship) in the flesh.

In other words, we are looking at the person through the eyes (perception) of our flesh rather than through the eyes (perception) of Christ (Spirit) in that person.

I’ve spoken before about the flesh vs. Spirit and how it is key in our relationship with one another. The Bible says: For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other (Galatians 5:17). So if we walk by the flesh, we will directly oppose the Spirit of God. The word for opposition in this scripture is like two boxers in a boxing ring who are in direct opposition to one another.

What lenses we choose to look through, the Spirit or the flesh, directly impacts how we interact and value one another. This is why God calls us to walk in love and submit to one another in reverence to Christ (Ephesians 5:21). He commands us to be devoted to each other and honor each other above ourselves (Romans 12:10). We are to live in harmony with one another. The Bible says:

Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. (Romans 12:16). Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way. (Romans 14:13).

We can see here from these scriptures that if we are authentically walking in the Spirit, then our behaviors and interactions will shift accordingly. Some words to describe how this would look are:

Love, Submission, Devotion, Honor, Harmony, Willingness, Humility, No Judgement, No Conceit

Even the Lord  Had This Problem in the Church

Let’s take a look at Mark 6:2-8 for a moment:

And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. And he marveled because of their unbelief.

Notice it says they took “offense” at Him. So we can see here that the flesh gets offended by the Spirit of God, as the scripture says. It also causes unbelief. As a result of this offense and dishonor, Jesus could only heal a few people. Wow. That is powerful.

We can see from this example what happens when we get into the flesh with each other, and it is not good. No wonder God is giving us this warning word. If we look at each other through the eyes of the flesh like those in Jesus’ hometown did, then we will get offended and not receive what God has for us through another brother or sister in Christ. This would mean that the Lord could be trying to get things over to us just like Jesus was in the scripture example above, but due to our fleshly offense, we stop Him!

He will not be able to provide much information to us as the Church because He has chosen to work through his whole Body on earth. If we are busy getting offended by each other and seeing each other in the flesh, which opposes the Spirit of God, we will inadvertently block ourselves from being able to see and receive His blessings through one another. Can you see it?

Thankfully, God has communicated this to us here so we may grow. The scriptures also reveal that this is not a new problem! God is the One who knows our hearts and issues and while He gives us grace, part of that grace is helping us in loving correction. He needs to be able to reach us and change us the way He needs to for His Kingdom purposes.

What Lenses (perception) Are You Looking Through?

So let us consider this word with gracious hearts and bring it to Abba Father in humility. Let us each ask our Loving Father what do You need to do in me, Lord? It starts with me, Father.

But why is my flesh getting in the way, you may ask? Why is my flesh getting so triggered? This is a good question. Again, this is scriptural: the flesh works against the Spirit. If you read Paul’s description of this in Romans 7, you will see Paul says, who will rescue him from this internal opposition, and he exclaims with thanksgiving that Jesus will! Knowing your identity in Christ, dying to yourself (flesh part), and being willing to submit to the Holy Spirit are important steps in learning to walk by the Spirit and not the flesh.

Even God’s Correction Will Bring Life

Another encouraging key revealed in my pastor’s word is: It’s not that God is not speaking to us; it is that we are not receiving all He wants us to. God provides us with the solution in this word. He tells us directly the reason for this, He highlights, that the problem is our flesh issues or our perceptions.

So what is the solution? We need to pray and ask God to help us walk in the Spirit and not our flesh with each other and to correct any roots of this problem. We don’t want just surface change; we want the roots dealt with.

How awesome our Lord is for revealing the problem and the solution! This is how God works. As a side note, be mindful of people who claim they have a word from God, and it is all bad. If there is no hope, no chance for repentance or redemption, and no solution. If that is the case, it may not be from God, or they may not know how to deliver it, or they may not have received all God intended. God corrects, but He does it so we can actually repent (change our minds) and grow. He does not try to paralyze us in fear or condemn us so we don’t act. That would be counterproductive to His purpose. He will provide a way out; He is the Waymaker. Even with warnings and corrections, He reveals so we can choose to act, pray, and even cancel out evil. The Lord is our Redeemer. In this respect, even God’s correction and warning will bring Life.

Remember that God is the perfect One, but the vessels He uses are imperfect, so we can get in the way if we are not careful. Therefore, Give others and yourself grace and test the word. God is a God of Hope and Provision.

Does this speak to you at all? Would love to hear your comments.