Open Heavens 11 August 2016: Thursday daily devotional by Pastor E. A. Adeboye – The Carnal Man

Topic: The Carnal Man [Thursday 11, August 2016]
 Memorise: God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. – John 4:24
Read: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (KJV)
 24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.
 25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
 26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:
 27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
Bible in One Year: Isaiah 8-10, Psalms 32
 MESSAGE:
 If you want to do great exploits for God you have to rise above your carnal mind because no serious exploit can be done in the flesh. One of the things responsible for the miraculous events in the early church is that everything was done in atmosphere of God's Spirit. This is why we need to thirst for more of His presence in our midst if we want an outpouring of His spiritual blessings. It takes the Spirit of God for one to have access to deeper revelations of God.
“For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.” - Ephesians 2:18
 Anyone who wants to experience and encounter the glorious presence of God must be ready to let go of the flesh and allow the Spirit of God, which is the Spirit of Truth to take over. The carnal man is manipulated by his emotions and thinking. The carnal man is vulnerable to lust. The carnal man cannot understand the things of the Spirit. The carnal man is always a victim of strife and questionable actions. The carnal man will always be found in questionable environments and circumstances, but the man who allows the Spirit of God to dwell in him will always be sensitive to the leading of the spirit.
 To effectively deal with the problem of carnality, wisdom demands you take it from the root. A tree that is cut down but not uprooted will grow again; it is only a matter of time. The only time you can be assured of permanent victory over the flesh is when you uproot the carnal man from its root. The moment you turn on the light, darkness automatically ceases. There is a need for you to turn on the Spirit man, who is nourished through a life of holiness and consecration to the Almighty God. As long as the Spirit is in charge, you cannot be defeated. You remain a champion and everything that is not of God will keep its distance from you, but the moment you give the carnal man a little attention, it begins to take over again. The best way to deal with the carnal man is to flee from every appearance of evil. One of my spiritual sons once told me that anytime it is Friday, he was always looking forward to the weekend being over because he wanted to be in the office on Monday. He was always looking forward to Monday mornings because of his secretary in the office whom he had grown fond of. I told him he was playing with a cobra in his bed and at anytime, the cobra could bite him. I asked him to kill the cobra once and for all by sacking the secretary that was unknown to him, feeding his flesh to destruction. Out of wisdom, he heeded my counsel and sacked his secretary, who in turn verbally insulted him and all those who had advised him. After she left, my son found peace in his spirit. Anything done with carnal mind will always bring problem and fear, but where the Spirit of God is, there is liberty and rest of mind. Are you toying with sin? Repent and come to Jesus for restoration. Are you in the company of those who will feed your flesh? Return to Jesus, His grace will overcome the works of the devil. Obey His Word, walk closely with Him and you will see yourself exercising victory over your weaknesses.
Prayer Point: Father, fortify every deed of the flesh in my life in Jesus' name.
 Open Heavens Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer's Ministries.
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