God intends for those who are born again to become the doorway for Him to move on earth. Winning the battle between the flesh and spirit is vital to manifesting the victory Jesus purchased on the cross and becoming an entryway for the Father’s presence among men. When we cooperate with Him in the process of growth, maturing in Christ, we partake of His victory over our flesh and the enemy. This is realized as we learn to submit our body, mind, and soul to the truth. When we embrace His training our new identities are revealed and doorways for God are created. This process requires that:
* We tune in to the desires of His Spirit in us—resisting the desires of our flesh
* We obey the voice of His Spirit embracing His desires, not ours. (Do not quench the Spirit. 1 Thessalonians 5:19.)
* We put forth constant effort to hear His voice among all the other voices and noise in our lives
When we choose to heed the desires of our flesh, or believe the lies of the enemy, there is a “breach” created internally, which, just as in a line of defense in battle makes us vulnerable and creates problems. Avoiding the creation of breaches requires us to be aware of our weaknesses—knowing what is gong on internally, and being vigilant so Jesus can help us grow in these areas. Two main reasons breaches occur are:
1.) Ignorance (Ephesians 4:18)
2.) Unbelief/Rebellion (John 8:31-32)
When we choose to become His, the Father places us on the highway to holiness (Isaiah 35:8), and He equips us with everything we need to stay there. Our success along His way boils down to how well we manage our flesh—is it handling us, or are we handling it? When we don’t respond to the truth by acting upon it, we are saying that we know better than God. Here are some important questions to consider in order to prevent breaches and avoid losing our way:
* What hunger(s) are motivating me, in particular those that resist my desire to learn, grow and change to be more like Jesus?
* What am I doing that is robbing me of life, and keeping me from being a doorway for God on earth? (Identifying these things will help me to know what hungers I am responding to.)
* What are my daily decisions revealing about internal values I hold dear? Do I value becoming like Jesus above all things?
* What small behaviors can I alter in my life in order to see big changes?