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| My Flesh is Negative, How About Yours? |
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I don't know if I'm fully back from my God-imposed break from writing or not but I do know I felt a stirring to write this for myself if for no one else, after a statement on Jenily's blog grabbed my attention. She said something like this:
When I choose to rule over my flesh, I immediately exalt my spirit.
She then referenced Philemon 6, which in the King James Version, says: That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.
Jenily's point was that many Christians think negatively about themselves, believing there is nothing good inside them and that Philemon 6 disproves that way of thinking because it clearly states that our faith becomes effective by knowing the good things present in our spirit. She also said that if we turn the verse around, it says that if we don't know what is in our spirit man, our faith won't work. This is important to me because of what the Lord spoke to me when I was seeking him about how to break loose from a recurring painful scenario: "You are subject to this because you have a bad opinion of yourself. You need to see yourself as I see you." ABIDE IN CHRIST
Graham Cooke just taught at my home church on overcoming negativity through resting in Christ. He emphasized that any kind of negative action or thought, even toward ourselves, attracts negative things and compromises our faith walk. If your flesh is like mine, it is very negative! And it can't be cast out, it must be denied. For my immediate need, I am going to think of it this way: When I choose to rule over my negative self-image, I exalt my spirit. or
I strengthen my spirit and bring God glory by ruling over negativity.
These two thoughts work together: A strong spirt is required to overcome established negativity, and being positive in a Biblical way strengthens my spirit so I can overcome my negative self-image. It is becoming more and more obvious to me that the way out of my affliction requires me actively, purposefully doing what Jenily recommended. A CRAFTED PRAYER
As I normally do, I looked at several Bible versions to gain a larger understanding of Philemon 6 and paid special attention to the Amplified Version. I also looked for supporting scripture and found that Colossians 3:9 and 10 speaks of us laying aside the old self with its evil practices and putting on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge of Him. Then I crafted this prayer for myself from what I learned: Lord, I ask you to sensitize me to recognize each negative thought and impulse and choose, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to lay those aside and be renewed in the faith you have given me in such a way that I overcome my tendency toward a negative mindset and come into recognition, appreciation, understanding and precise knowledge of every good thing that is mine because of my identification with you, for your glory. So, that's where I am right now, as an old song goes: accentuating the positive and eliminating the negative! I'll probably write more on this as it barely touches what I have been hearing from Graham and the Holy Spirit. If you're a praying person, I covet your prayers. If you need prayer to overcome negativity, too, let me know and I'll include you in my crafted prayer. Thanks for reading! Graham Cooke's Interactive Journal Crafted Prayer is available here. |
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Jenily |
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February 13, 2008 at 4:44pm |
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Good! I'm so glad to see your insights about this issue. I had to overcome all those negative thoughts, about me, because It never let me so far in my everyday life.
Once you start renewing your mind, your image about yourself will also get renewed, then you will say as I did yesterday: I'm a prisoner of the Gospel! Because even when I want to get sad or depressed ..I can't, I have to much Word enlighting my life, I can't think anything about me different that the Bible perspective because I see myself throug Jesus.
I'm happy to read your post! I loved the amplified version!!! WOW |
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JayKTX |
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February 13, 2008 at 5:24pm |
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Jenily~ Thanks for accepting my invitation to read my blog and be sure I quoted you right. I appreciate your encouragement. |
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| Yep, I come from a loooooooooong line of negative ppls. lol God help me too! You talk good, you feel good. You talk poop, you feel like poop. |
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JayKTX |
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February 13, 2008 at 7:02pm |
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Lara~ I can always depend on you to be gut-level honest. I'll include you in my prayer. Us "negative ppls" are about to be reformed. Doyle~ Thanks! |
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Glenn |
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February 14, 2008 at 6:44am |
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Jay
Thanks for sharing your insight and the point to Jenily's, I will check hers next, but you can add me to your negative ppls prayer. All to often the first thing out of my mouth is negative both about myself and those around me. Sometimes I can be a drag to be around. So I will pray your prayer with a hearty Amen.
thanks again,
peace |
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Love this blog................ someone once told me "it's not about me" !! The truth is "it's not just about me !! 5:16 [This] I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. Jay, thanks for bringing up the subject. and........ God Bless You ! |
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R |
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February 15, 2008 at 4:40am |
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Hey JayKTX, I liked your writing very much. But can we go back to the beginning and define exactly "what is flesh?" ~ Is it the old self, is it this body, is it the mind, etc.? Thanks, I look forward to reading everyone's comments. R... |
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JayKTX |
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February 15, 2008 at 10:09am |
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R~ I like Joyce Meyer's definition of flesh. She says it's the soul + the body w/o the spirit. An example would be when the emotions or mind team up to try and get the body to do something our born again spirit knows is wrong. Or maybe it starts with the body. Maybe I am sitting in a church service and it's too hot and that discomfort travels to my mind and I start thinking, "Why doesn't someone turn on the air conditioner? Why is it they always keep this place so hot?" Before I know it my initial discomfort has turned into blaming someone for my discomfort. The flesh is always dwelling on this question or a variation of it: "What about me? What about my comfort? What about my feelings?" The flesh is never concerned about someone else. It's always dwelling to excess on, "I want... I think... I need..." At least that's how I see it. I would love to hear others' ideas. Anyone ???? |
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JayKTX |
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February 15, 2008 at 10:19am |
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R and All~ Once again Jenily and I are on the same page. I just read her latest blog, What About Me? It showcases the workings of the flesh very well. |
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Jenily |
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February 15, 2008 at 10:25am |
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| Awe! Thank you JayKTX, I'm happy to see how the Holy Spirit is leading us in the same pastures! |
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JayKTX |
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February 15, 2008 at 11:44am |
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Glenn~ I've added you to my prayers for a redeemed mindset ... and mouth. Thanks for your comment. Paul Deluc... Great scripture and comment. Thanks for elaborating on our topic and adding to our understanding. All~ Be sure and read Jenily's blog referenced above (What About Me?) It's a gem on this topic! |
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JayKTX |
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February 15, 2008 at 1:33pm |
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Jairah20~ I just visited your site and loved your blogs. At your request, I've added you to my prayer list. I covet your prayers, too! |
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R |
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February 16, 2008 at 4:41am |
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Hey JayKTX, Thanks for the comment. I was going to ask you in private by sending you a private message, but found only signed on friends can do that. Did you know you have a setting on that doesn't allow people to ask you questions behind the scenes?
Sometimes this is fixed by sending them a private message, it unlocks the thing. The reason I asked about the flesh is, because people give a great deal of power and credit to the flesh. But when I read passages like Rom. 8:8,9, "so then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His." ~ Is it me, or do these verses say, "we are not in the flesh?" Now before someone adds the word and thought "controlled by," this word is not in the greek transcripts. I do have an interlinear. So let's keep the original text and then ask ourselves, "are we using the idea that this flesh thing is our excuse for sinning occasionally?" Maybe if we would believe the text as written (get our mind filled with it), our body and actions would prove it. I also know there are other troubling verses, we can talk through them if you want to, but the whole reality that we are new creations, pivots on these verses I think. R... |
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JayKTX |
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February 16, 2008 at 10:14am |
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R~ I'm not sure what happened when you tried to send me a message as the only restriction I have in my Settings is that a comment on my profile must come to me for approval before being publicly posted. I will initiate a message to you and we will see how that works. Generally, my reading of the whole of scripture is that we are in the Spirit and not the flesh. That's how God looks at us. The flesh does not have dominion over us, but the Spirit does. But I think the 8th chapter of Romans shows that even Paul struggled with the flesh working through his "appetites and senses" as it says in the Amplified Bible. Our life here on earth is about continually choosing the things of the Spirit against competing desires that come to us. By this we live out our love for God and others as commanded by Jesus. That's my take on how it works. |
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Joey |
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February 18, 2008 at 12:28pm |
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My friend,
It is such a blessing to read the "Spirit" in your writing. I can feel the energy in you. I too, caught the same thing through Jenily's blog. What you wrote was so candid, and full of punch! I was caught up in your prayer, as if you were praying for me. I let pain lead to negativity too much. Yet, what she wrote took me away, for the Spirit of God is so much stronger!
God bless you!
Joey |
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This is one of the struggles of my life. It is amazing...that after the way The Lord restored me and forgave me...that I could still, at times, go around feeling unforgiven, and discouraged with everything in my life, and everything about me! It comes from so much rejection in my past. Jesus did not reject me. I truly hate the flesh. It blocks what the Spirit of the Lord is longing to do in all of our lives. I have been asking The Lord to deliver me from this defeatist attitude once and for all.
The good days are what keeps me going! I make myself remember what he has done in my life so during the hard times I will not forget.
Thanks for this blog! |
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JayKTX |
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February 19, 2008 at 5:58am |
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Joey~ The things you say about my writing are what I think about yours - only more so - your heart of love shines through even your well-written comments. Cathy~ That is my prayer, too - to be delivered from the old negative mindset of my past into a new positive one that radiates God's goodness. He will do it, He will deny us nothing that we ask for in line with His word! Thank you for sharing. |
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