In Scripture “the flesh” is a metaphor for
the carnal nature of fallen man, which is in opposition to the
Spirit of God. The attributes of this carnal nature are listed in
Galatians 5:17-21: “Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which
are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities,
strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions,
factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of
which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that those who
practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”
It is so crucial that Christians overcome this base nature that we
are told in the last verse above that we will not inherit the
Kingdom of God as long as we practice these things. The removal of
that nature is referred to as our spiritual circumcision, which is
the circumcision of our heart, as we read in Romans 2:27-29. So we
want to take the time to look at each of these works of the flesh,
and how they are to be cut out of our life so we can replace them
with the fruit of the Spirit, which is the Christ-like nature. That
is our goal, not to just rid ourselves of the evil, but to fill our
hearts with God.
The first work of the flesh that is listed is “immorality.” This
includes fornication, which is having sex outside of marriage, and
adultery, which is having sex with someone other than your spouse.
It also includes homosexual sex, which the Bible calls not only a
sin, but a perversion and an abomination. These are sins; they are
forbidden, and under no circumstances are acceptable behaviors for a
Christian.
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of The Voice magazine.Does this mean that anyone who has ever fallen to one of these
cannot inherit the Kingdom of God? No. There is grace for those who
stumble and the forgiveness of sin if we repent and seek the
forgiveness of God through His atonement. However, it is a different
story for those who “practice” these things. That implies the
continual, repeated sin that is not repented of.
A second question would be whether a Christian who falls into
repeated affairs or a lengthy affair cannot be saved because they
have practiced these things. This is a good question and one that is
certainly worthy of examination. It is addressed in a number of
Scriptures, but we will look at Hebrews 6:4-6: “For in the case of
those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly
gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have
tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and
then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to
repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God,
and put Him to open shame.”
There is obviously a line that can be crossed where it becomes
impossible to renew one again to repentance. This also implies that
if someone can still repent, they must not have crossed that line.
The key is if they can still repent. Repentance is more than just
feeling sorry for having committed the sin, and is more than asking
forgiveness – it means to renounce the sin and turn away from it,
resolving not to do it again. So if someone can still repent, they
can be forgiven and they can still inherit the Kingdom of God.
Hebrews 3:13 says, “But encourage one another day after day, as long
as it is still called ‘Today,’ lest any one of you be hardened by
the deceitfulness of sin.”
Sin does harden the heart toward repentance or makes it harder to
repent. Sin is also deceitful, and those who practice it often
become so deceived that they no longer see it as sin, and therefore
cannot repent of it. I have witnessed this process with far too
many, even with those who had an extraordinary anointing and have
been mightily used by God. In fact, it seems that the more anointed
you are when you fall into sin, the faster the hardening takes place
and the deeper the deception is.
I know one such very anointed man of God who engaged in lengthy
homosexual relationships lasting for years. When it was exposed, the
depth of his hardness of heart and the level of deception was
astonishing. Every conceivable homosexual act was performed
repeatedly, but because he was only involved with one partner at a
time he became enraged when it was even implied that he was a
homosexual! He had begun to call the sinful acts “fellowship” and
ways that he was helping his partners “to get free of their
homophobia.” Could he really believe anything that foolish? It seems
that he really does.
Though this man finally admitted to everything when confronted with
the evidence, there is a difference between admitting something and
repenting of it. This was a man that was known all over the world
for the powerful spiritual gifts that operated through him, and his
knowledge of the ways of the Spirit. However, when this sin was
exposed I have personally never witnessed more irrational thinking
than what came out of this man. We must never underestimate the
power of sin to deceive. The greater we think we are in the Lord and
the more pride we have in that, the more vulnerable we can be and
the further we can fall when we do.
I am convinced that the Church today has some of the greatest
leaders that it has had since the first century. There are great
problems in the church today, but there are also many more reasons
for great hope. I have had to deal with some very ugly things in the
church, and in some leaders, but this has by no means shaken my
faith in their ultimately becoming a bride without spot or wrinkle.
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of The Voice magazine.We must also keep in mind Galatians 6:1, “Brethren, even if a man is
caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in
a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, lest you too
be tempted.” “Any trespass” covers a lot. We must also have as our
goal the restoration of any one who falls into any sin. As stated
above, there obviously is a line that can be crossed when it becomes
impossible for one to repent. However, it is my opinion that only
the Lord knows when this has been done. Therefore, regardless of how
deep the darkness is that one falls into, it is my resolve to hope
and pray for their repentance and do anything I can to help them as
the Lord gives me the grace. I have learned repeatedly that His
grace and mercy reaches much further than my own.
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When weird practices start to manifest in a group, leave as fast as
you can. Such will almost always try to bind you to them with a
control spirit, guilt, and fears that you will miss the will of God
for your life, that you are “touching the anointed,” or other yokes
of bondage. Do not listen to them, do not fear them, and do not let
them control you to try to help others. It is very unlikely that you
will be able to help anyone by staying, but will be putting yourself
and your family in jeopardy. I can understand why some would
determine to not want to be in leadership or grow in their
anointing. This is not the answer because then the devil has already
won. The answer is to heed the warning of I Corinthians 10:12:
“Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”
If we ever start to think that we are so wise and strong in the Lord
that we cannot fall, then a fall is inevitable. Pride caused the
devil to fall in the first place and it is at the root of almost
every fall since. There seems to be a pride that many who are used
with a great anointing sometimes get, thereby thinking they are
somehow special and can get away with such things because of the way
God has used them. This is a terrible presumption that the Lord
Jesus Himself addressed in Matthew 7:21-23: “Not everyone who says
to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who
does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on
that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your
name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And
then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you
who practice lawlessness.’”
Lawlessness is the result of rationalizing away the clear Word of
God. It is the tendency to bend the rules in order to get away with
something. That tendency is also called “craftiness” in Scripture
and was the very first attribute given to describe the devil in the
Garden. Once you start down the path of bending the rules, you have
opened the door very wide to Satan, and he will come through it.
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I have been told by Christian leaders that when I preach these
things a great fear comes upon them. I hope it does. I hope that it
has come upon all who read this, for your sake. We need a good,
healthy dose of the fear of the Lord. As we are told in Proverbs
9:10, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” We are told
in Proverbs 8:13,“The fear of the Lord is to hate evil, pride and
arrogance and the evil way.” “The fear of the Lord is the beginning
of wisdom,” and those who stay on the path of life never lose it.
However, it is not the highest form of wisdom. We should fear the
consequences of sin, understanding that God’s judgment is going to
come upon the world for these things. However, we should hate sin
even more because of what it does to the One we love – and what sin
did to Him on the cross, which He bore for our redemption. How could
anyone who has truly beheld the cross not hate that which caused our
King so much pain?
It is necessary for us to understand sin and that it is the path to
death. If you want to live, turn from sin, and to the One Who alone
is Life. He will give us His own Holy Spirit so that we can live
free from the yoke of sin, and live in righteousness, holiness, and
the truth. – Excerpted from “Creating a Clean Heart, Part I” by Rick
Joyner. Used by permission.
Rick Joyner is founder, executive director and senior pastor of
MorningStar Fellowship Church, which now holds services in
Charlotte, Wilkesboro, and Winston-Salem, N.C. Rick founded
MorningStar Publications and Ministries in 1985 and has written more
than 20 books as part of his commitment to equip the saints. For
more information, visit
www.morningstarministries.org.
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The fear of the Lord and the
pursuit of holiness in a fallen world.
