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The Consequences of Carnality to Christians
by Tope Olawumi Many Christians do not consider carnality to be sin, after all they do not really indulge in any outright disobedience to God, but just allowing some little lapses in a way that they practice their Christianity as it is convenient for them. This is a great mistake, as the bible tells us that we should lay aside every weight, and every sin that doth easily befall us, Hebrew 12:1. We have to deal with carnality before it gets us into a greater trouble. Carnality simply means putting our trust in the flesh and in our ability rather than God. It is the outward show of our inner dependence on what our five senses can help us to do, or achieve. Carnality can result into; Hindrance in Spiritual growth No carnal Christian can experience real spiritual growth, because the flesh will keep getting in the way, and will not allow the Holy Sprit to do His work effectively in the life of such a Christian. Had Jesus been carnal, He would have accepted the offer the devil gave to Him to turn stone to bread, Matthew 4:4; it is not sin for Him to eat bread especially after forty days fasting. The flesh will always crave for things that are contrary to the will of God, which is its nature; any agreement with the flesh will take you further away from God. If you want your spiritual life to experience a steady growth then watch out for the manifestation of the flesh, and mortify it as quickly as possible, Colossians 3:5, do not give room for it at all. You cannot please God: No one can dwell in the flesh and please God that is not possible. The major reason why sinners cannot please God is not because of the devil, as the devil tempts both believers, and sinners, but because the flesh would not allow the sinners to do the will of God. Even though God gave us the flesh for covering, and the five senses to use, He never told us to depend upon them for our living. When you are too used to depending on your senses you will never see any need to trust in God. The bible says the just shall live by faith, Habakkuk 2:4, that is against the principles of the flesh, for as far as the flesh is concerned seeing is believing, but it is the other way round for the spirit life. Many are the times that what we have seen, embraced, and heard later turn out to be otherwise, but it is God that can tell us the end of a thing correctly, no matter what we are seeing today. If Lot had allowed God to guide Him before he chose his dwelling place he would not have suffered the great loss that came upon him in the end, Genesis 13:11. Do not depend or build your life upon what you are seeing physically they can change in no time, and you will be a loser. It brings death: Carnality ultimately results in spiritual death; this is the terrible state that Adam and Eve found themselves after they ate the forbidden fruit. This is a state of spiritual separation from God. You will no longer hear from God, you will no longer feel His presence, not to talk of enjoying fellowship with Him. We must not allow carnality in our lives, we are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, for every Christian who is at ease in Zion, such a Christian is inviting carnality which will degenerate into total disobedience if not checked. Discover the real needs for faith inspiring scriptures in your walk with God at http://www.scripturesfromthebible.org/bible-scriptures-and-verses/faith.html, get daily dose of THE WORD for a victorious Christian living at http://www.scripturesfromthebible.org Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |