The Opposition - Kingdom Nature

First Peter, chapter 2, we'll start in verse 9 to 11.

1 Peter 2 · chapter mention

It says this, but you are chosen race.

Come on, who we talking about this?

Who's that? Who's the chosen race we are?

You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a

people for God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the

excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into a

marvelous light. Aren't you glad you've been

called out? For you once were not a people,

but now you are the people of God.

You had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from

fleshly lusts which wage war against your soul.

So here Peter is reminding us as believers, he said, now listen,

we were away, but we're a different way now.

We were not with God, but now we're with God.

We were in a domain that was rebellious to God, but now we're

in God's Kingdom. We, we were not even a people,

but now we are people and we're chosen of God.

Now what we have to do is we have to make sure then we

abstain. Meaning we've been given the

power to now stop what used to control us when we were in the

domain of darkness, the things of the flesh or the lusts of the

flesh, right? Those things ruled us and we had

no weapon against it. But now that we're born of God,

in the Spirit of God lives on the inside of us, we can

abstain. Now, what does abstain mean?

It's a word called abstinence. Abstain.

It means don't. Do you understand?

There would be no sexual diseases if abstinence was being

practiced prior to marriage and when then when you were married,

husband, wife, male, female, according to Scripture, that is

a undefiled bed. And you know what?

There would never be any sex sexually transmitted disease

ever, right? Isn't that amazing?

One generation could come and say we're going to wipe out

sexually transmitted disease, We're just going to abstain.

Hallelujah. So you have to, he tells us to

abstain from this. That doesn't mean to dabble,

right? 10 percent, 90% abstain, you

know, don't do. But 10%, you know, it's like

what my aunt told my mom one time and she was wrong because

when I was a younger teenager she was saying.

Now she said now Peggy, look, it's OK if he looks as long as

he doesn't touch. No, it's not OK to look 'cause

looking gets you lusting and looking goes to touching, right?

Looking will go to touching it always moves that way all right,

and so it just says abstain. We are to maintain purity.

Now what does this mean the fleshly lest they wage war where

against our soul they're not waging in our spirit because our

spirit is born of God. We are the righteousness of God

in Christ. It's within our soul realm that

this war takes place, and in order for us to make sure that

we maintain a pure soul, continue to purify it, wash it

with a watering of the word, we have to abstain from some things

of which we have the power of by the Holy Ghost to do so through

the grace of God as we trust Him according to His Word.

So the things of the world are waging war against our minds.

The good news is, is that we can win that battle.

I said we can win that battle. That is really good news for the

believer. We can win that war, Hallelujah.

We do not have to just suffer like the rest and know we're

going to heaven when we die. No, we can win that war.

Have Peace of Mind. Oh my gosh, real Peace of Mind.

So in first Peter chapter 4, he goes on to say verses one

1 Peter 4 · chapter mention

through 2. He says this.

Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm

yourself also with the same. We're not yelling at you because

they're all caps. OK?

I'm like, why is it all caps? Mine are not all caps, but

sometimes in my translation, if it's referring to an Old

Testament scripture, it'll put in old caps, you know, So

obviously when I was reading the the other one, I was thinking of

that, but they're all, all, all caps.

Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm

yourself also with the same purpose, because he who has

suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest

of your time in the flesh. No longer for the lust of men,

but for what? The will of God.

So before I was born of God, I lived in my body for the lust of

men. I was dead in my trespasses of

sin. It the the lust, the pride of

life, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes.

All those things control my life.

They were actually part of my nature.

I was rebellious to God. But God being rich in his mercy,

while I was still a Sinner, He died for me.

He gave me the opportunity to come over into His Kingdom, of

which I did. And that old spirit man that

could not obey God, did not want to obey God, was evicted out of

my skin, suit, this body or flesh.

And all of a sudden on the inside, a brand new creature in

Christ who is recreated or created in the image of the king

and made righteous, came inside, attached itself to my soul, of

which the Holy Spirit came in as well and bears witness with that

spirit. Now you're a child of God.

You function different, you think different, you perform

different, you behave differently.

And I'm going to train the soul realm that was disconnected or

was connected to a dead spirit and could not.

We have hooked up a live spirit unto God and now we're going to

go through and renew this mind. We are going to push out all the

junk that would keep you in bondage because it now has no

power over you ever again. So the Bible tells us here in

first Peter chapter 4 that Jesus, when he emptied himself

1 Peter 4 · chapter mention

of his glory in heaven and came into a skin suit or the flesh of

man, he functioned as a man anointed of God.

Now Jesus was a man who knew no sin, yet He was tempted on all

accounts like we are. So in essence, when it says he

suffered in the flesh, that means that Jesus was tempted,

like all of us have been tempted.

And most of us, well really all of us have fallen to temptation

and gone into sin for all of it. For we've all sinned and fallen

short of the glory of God. Jesus, however, didn't.

He never sinned. He suffered because the

temptation came and it came against him at such a level that

he had to by faith stay with his Spirit and the anointing of God

on his life. Cast down those thoughts, those

actions, those behaviors that he never dealt with in heaven, but

when he yielded to only it is written and following the Holy

Ghost he sees from sin. Why because he did not allow the

temptations to overtake him and there's a suffering there.

Not only is there a suffering of the temptation to sin, but then

there's the suffering of the people as well because you

understand in heaven Jesus is glorified he they are talking

only well about him. It is well with his soul there.

I mean he is honored people bow to him.

I mean, he is, he is amazing. However, whatever on planet

earth, he was despised, right? And he's being despised knowing.

But I'm here to help. You're calling me a devil?

You think I cheat, Swindle. I mean, it's not even my nature.

I'm not doing anything like you, right?

What did Jesus say a couple times She was on his side.

How much longer must I suffer with thee?

You know, put up with your lack of faith, your inability to

recognize me for who I am. You know your stubbornness to

not yield and submit to my word. I mean, how much long?

But you know what? I do it as long as the Father

has me, because I'm suffering too.

But I'll do it without sin. So here Jesus suffered in the

flesh, yet ceased from sin. And he's telling us here in

first Peter, that we because we're living in our bodies, but

we are never to live for the lust of men, but we are here

only to live for the will of God, which tells us that I'm not

even connected to what man's doing.

I'm so disconnected from it. And we all as a church, as we

continue to progress before the return of Jesus, we want to make

sure our actions, our attitude are always connected to an

eternal purpose, not just a, well, I may die, you know, by

the time I'm 8090, a hundred years old, you know, and we're

kind of gauging how we live life based upon a time frame that is,

that is nothing compared to the eternal scope of our life, the

eternal scope of mind. And I'll be honest with you, I

could say some things that some people just think is crazy, but

you know, the kingdom's just different than the world.

It's just different. Now, I, we can say, you know

what, there are things in life that we do.

That's not a problem as long as it's not putting God second, as

long as his agenda is not the most important agenda.

OK, but yet we we think that you know, and how we're let you know

the way we live in as as U.S. citizens, people 500 years never

thought like this. I mean it wasn't even in their

psyche. The thing and we've not evolved

to such a a place of enlightenment.

I mean, you know, sins abounding.

I mean, honestly, sin is worse on the planet today than it was

500 years ago. Now what do I mean by that?

I'm just saying that God came to a point at the flood of Noah

that he's like, I regret I made man.

It has gotten so bad here that I'm going to destroy it with a

flood. Well, you understand when Jesus

is coming back, he's coming back to take the Church of which

that's, you know, according to scholars, 7 year period before

he comes back again. And during that period the wrath

of God will be poured out. Well, why is the wrath of God

being poured out? Then something's going on in the

earth that at this time God's not doing it, but he's going to

do it then. So things are happening on the

planet that is worse. So that God's wrath is like, I

cannot be merciful anymore. I must act on my word concerning

what I do, what I do for those who are disobedient.

Are you hearing me? OK, So we need to make sure

we're like, OK, let's continue to live in the grace of God that

He's given us, and let's be ever more present to be doing His

will in our lives every day, every day, OK.

And so let's turn over to Galatians chapter 5.

Galatians 5 · chapter mention

Galatians chapter 5, Look what it says here, verses 16 to 18 it

Galatians 5 · chapter mention

says, but I say walk by the Spirit and you will not carry

out the desires of the flesh. So let me read, let me finish

this passage and then I'll explain some things.

For the flesh sets its desires against the spirit and the

spirit against this flesh, for they are in opposition to one

another so that you may not do the things that you please.

Just the beginning part of 18 says, but it but if you are led

by the spirit or are we supposed to be led by the spirit.

Now that is if it's a conditional statement which

tells us that just because you're born again does not mean

you are being led by the Spirit. So the new birth experience

alone does not mean you are being led by the Spirit.

It gives you access to the spirit.

It allow it gives you the ability so that the spirit

within you can train you to follow him.

But you don't. You do not have to.

OK, I'll give you a case in point.

All right, Let's do an example. Simon Says Anybody ever heard

that before? Let's play a little.

Simon Says All right. Simon Says, Raise your right

hand. All right, Nick's finally done

it. He's he's about to prove my

point already. Right.

Right. Simon Says raise your right

hand. Simon Says Put your right hand

down. Simon Says Put your left hand

up. Simon Says, Put your left hand

down. Simon Says.

Raise your right hand again. Wave your white hand.

Ah, now you know you weren't supposed to do that, so you're

out. Let's just be honest.

Come on, come on. Just come on and repent.

Just put your hand down. You're out of the game.

OK, All right, now I'm going to do Simon Says again.

Put your hands down, everybody. I'm going to say.

Simon Says, put your right hand up.

And I want all of you to put your left hand up.

OK, well, I said, I'm going to say Simon Says put your right

hand up. But I want all of you to

actually put your left hand up. OK, Simon Says put your right

hand up. Does anybody have their right

hand up, actually? Oh, that's fine.

I knew there would be someone. Sure.

I got it. Because he's like, I refuse to

disobey. Look at the rest of these

rebellious people in the room. Thank you, son.

I appreciate it. Because the rest of them are

rebellious. And when I give an altar call,

you can stay in your seat, but the rest need to come down

tonight. OK?

I'm not Simon, people. OK, yeah, this is really.

I'm not Simon. But I was able to convince you

to do something against Simon and everyone did it but my son

Sean. And y'all thought he was being

rebellious. But this is what it's like when

you actually follow God and not the world because the majority

can go in a different direction and one say, you know, I heard

what he said, but I'm going to stay with Simon because the rest

of the world has already been given permission to raise the

left hand. Even though Simon's saying raise

the right by some other authority or somewhere,

something which means God cannot make you follow his spirit just

because you're alive to His spirit.

So it is a lie to believe that because I'm born again, I only

follow the Spirit. Paul would not have written to

the Galatian church if being born again was the only

qualification to be able to be led by the Spirit.

He's actually telling the church, do not go and live the

old nature that you were delivered from because you're

still, you can if you choose, but it's never what God

intended. God did not save you and because

there was nothing you could do to be saved, so now there's

nothing you can do to stay saved.

That is not scriptural. That is not scriptural.

We'll talk about these things later because I think as we get

closer to the return of Christ, I'm just going to have to get

off into more and more stuff that is unfortunately

controversy only to tradition, but not to a believer who

actually takes time and reads the scripture.

Because if you do, it won't be controversial.

You'd be like, well, that makes that's perfect sense, but the

religious will hate it. I'm telling you they'll hate it.

So here we see that he's telling us, look, your flesh and your

spirit are in opposition. These are born again believers.

He's talking to a church. He's saying, listen, your flesh

is fighting against the Spirit of God in you and your spirit

that's made of God. So here's the thing, Jesus has

already stripped the devil of all of his power.

So the devil is not your problem.

He's not your problem. Your biggest opposition in the

earth is your flesh. Now I'm not going to tell you

that you cannot arrive to a place in the Spirit, meaning

growing in the Spirit, being led by the Spirit, having revelation

of by the Spirit concerning things of God, and being used of

God in great clarity of His Kingdom, that the devil himself

will show up to try to destroy your life.

However, he is defeated and he can make your life miserable

because he has plenty of people following his voice, even

believers, even believers because they've not learned how

to discern the voice of the Lord.

They're still being led by how they feel.

I remember a particular believer, Pastor Mike, and I met

with them and they were just beside themselves, that I wasn't

saying we're going to heaven forever.

And so we pulled the Scripture out, read the last two chapters

of the book. New Heaven, New Earth, Jerusalem

coming down to the earth, God being on planet earth within the

New Jerusalem. I mean, what's this word?

EARTH? How do you say that word?

Because it, it doesn't say heaven.

I mean, this individual stepped back and said, I, you know, I

just believe it to be heaven on earth.

I said I, I don't disagree that it's heaven on earth, but it's

still earth. It's still earth. 98% of all the

church does not say this. I mean, I, so I mean, what, what

am I supposed to do? Side with the religious

tradition or read the actual back of the book instead of

saying, I've read the back of the book and we won and we'd

have actually read it, right? And again, what I said, what's

it matter? You'll be with Jesus.

I mean, really, what are you, what are we doing right now?

If Jesus is here, what's the problem?

And if he calls it Earth, what's the problem?

But religious tradition, we want to hold on to certain things

that we think we're right the whole time and sometimes find

out it was wrong. And the reason why we hold on to

stuff because we weren't studiers anyway.

Are you hearing me? So again, your biggest challenge

in life or your biggest opposition is your flesh.

But here's great news. You can just, you can beat your

flesh. No problem.

This is really not an issue because the spirit in you is

greater than your old nature or the flesh that is always

opposing the spirit. It's not the devil coming after

you. It's just your old nature, your

old flesh, the things of the world that you used to practice,

but now you've been delivered from Hallelujah.

So let's look at this verse 17 from some other translations

real quick. The amplified says it this way.

For the sinful nature has this desire which is opposed to the

Spirit, and the desire of the Spirit opposes the sinful

nature. For these two, the sinful nature

and the Spirit are in direct opposition to each other

continually in conflict so that you as believers do not always

do whatever good thing you want to do because the Bible tells us

there's a way that seems right to a man.

So again, you, it can seem right, but it's not.

I'll, I'll give you a great example of my own personal life

where I was dead wrong. I used to dip tobacco crazy.

My dad smoked and you know, he had major health issues as a

result of that and die. So you would think that, you

know, when you have a father who smoked and drank and they die as

a result of those things, you would want to abstain from

those. But you know, the same spirits,

you know, and things in the world are your flesh that kind

of attack you and pull on you, you know.

So instead of smoking them, I decided I would just dip it.

Stupidity, right? OK.

And it is. So, you know, I used to do that.

And the day I realized I was addicted, I was in Gainesville,

FL at on Archer Rd. about to turn left onto 34th St. and it

was early in the morning. I think it's about 7:20.

I had to be at work at 7:30. And I was in my truck popping my

dip can like this. And I looked over and somebody

pulled out a cigarette and was lighting it.

And I said, man, you know, you got to be addicted to smoking

the cigarette to be smoking this early.

And then it hit me. It didn't hit me that I had cans

from a full size GMC truck that was from the one side of my seat

all the way to the other side of the bent seat holding up to 12

inch subwoofers that was in a box behind the seat.

I mean, they were full butt to butt.

I mean, that should be enough to let you know you have a problem.

You have a problem. OK, so I realized then I have an

issue. I have an issue.

Met my wife, decided I probably should quit all this because

we're going to follow God, but then saved me going to church.

Want to be an example, you know of God had a friend I used to

run with when I was saved, but live like the world.

He never would have known I was born of God because the things

he did, I did right. You know, I had the same goofy

theology. Well, at least when I die, I go

to heaven. Craziness.

Not helping him one bit. My Jesus has no power because he

lives this way. I'm living like him and we think

we're having a great old time. But now I'm changed.

I've decided I'm following Jesus.

Well, he worked. We ended up working together in

the guard and you know, so I'm wanting to witness.

And so here's the thought. I don't want him to think I'm

better than him. Ain't that a good thought?

That's a good thought, right? That's a good thought.

I don't even think I'm better than him.

So I would go out to talk with him and if he pulled out the can

to dip, I would take one. Why?

I don't want him to think I'm better because this dipping is

not going to put me in hell. You know?

I just want to be relatable. See it sounds right, sounds

good, but yet all the while I'm like this is stupid.

I'm wrong. I sure not telling my wife

brushing teeth before you get off work right because I'm being

relatable. I mean surely she would

understand. I just want to bond so that we

can get him right with God. And honestly, my thinking was

not, I wish I could dip again. My thinking was I don't want him

to think I'm better than him now.

But you know what? I God made me better.

God delivered me and God wants him better and God wants to

deliver him. So why am I going back to

relate? Because if I go back, he's like,

you're not different. And why would I follow your

Jesus? I mean, I had to repent and tell

him to forgive me and, and had to do all kinds of stuff.

I've done it to some of my schoolmates, you know, that I

graduated from, you know, I say mates, they're not friends

because if they were friends, they would show up here.

What Eric did anyway, They're acquaintances.

But I remember calling and talking to some through the

years and I'm like, I'm sorry, what for What?

I was not good in high school. I was a bad witness.

And they were like, Earl, no, not you.

You were great guy. No, I was not.

I was evil in my actions. My fruit was bad.

I did not live right. I need you to forgive me.

Yeah. Because popularity meant

nothing. I was wrong.

And So what he's saying here is that these things are in

conflict. Why?

Because there are times you'll want to relate for the desire to

see them changed. But if you're not trained in

righteousness, you'll compromise righteousness and the Spirit is

in opposition to those things and say, wait, you don't have to

go that. No, no, no, you don't have to do

that. Don't do that.

I'm going to be honest with you. The world wants you to not do

what they're doing now. They're not going to tell you

that because it eases their guilt when you participate in

things that they're guilty of. And what you don't understand is

when you ease guilt by participating in things that

aren't what the Spirit would have you do, then you actually

create a stumbling block. Say Amen.

Anyway, this is a very fun, great message.

I need more smiles. Hallelujah, Amen.

I need somebody maybe to run a couple of times because this is

really good stuff, right? You know, woe is me.

And again, if Reverend Randy's got you all jacked up from the

communion, you know, just repent now, OK?

I mean, he let he's let you suffer long enough.

Hallelujah. The God's Word translation says

this. What your corrupt nature wants

is contrary to what your spiritual nature wants.

And what your spiritual nature wants is contrary to what your

corrupt nature wants. They are opposed to each other.

As a result, you don't always do what you intended.

Hallelujah. Aren't you glad you can talk to

the Spirit about how to handle every situation?

Glory to God. The remedy says it this way.

For the selfish nature desires to promote self at the expense

of everyone and everything else. And this is exactly opposite of

the spirit of love, as the spirit of love desires to

promote the good of everyone else at the expense of self or

two self. The selfish nature and the

spirit of love are diametrically opposed to each other.

So if you follow the spirit of love, you will no longer do what

your selfish nature wants. Hallelujah.

I'm so glad I've been born of the Spirit of God and the Holy

Ghost lives in me. Amen.

Amen. Because I'm renewing my mind.

See, the opposition is trying to wage war against my soul.

But the good news is, is I can't protect my mind.

Helmet of salvation is a protection for me.

I've been saved. That's one of your first ways to

combat the selfish nature or things of the flesh is I've been

saved. I'm a different person.

I've been blood bulb, blood washed.

I'm alive unto God and Jesus would not do these things.

So I'm not doing these things because I'm of his nature.

I'm saved. The message says it this way,

for there is a root of sinful interest in us that is at odds

with a free spirit. Now that doesn't mean that your

spirit man has sin in it. We have to be very clear here.

This is not a yin and Yang stuff.

When everything that's good, there's a little bit of eve on

everything that's even there's a little bit of good.

No, in your spirit that's created in Christ is only good

period where residual of sinful nature exists is unrenewed mind

and then your body that's attached to the things of the

world. But your spirit is so alive and

so powerful and has God on the inside of you that these other

two aspects of who you are can even compete or hold a candle in

opposition to the Spirit. When you yield to it and let it

have its work, it dominates. It dominates and the church is

to dominate. The spirit within you is a

dominant spirit. It is not.

It doesn't cower to the flesh. If flesh rises up, it puts it

right up underneath its heel immediately, No problem.

We just have to yield. If really, if we were like

looking at this from a natural perspective, we in our soul and

body are down there trying to pull the foot of the spirit off

the flesh and release it. I mean, we're fighting against

the spirit to let this thing of flesh come back on us.

That's what we're doing. But we don't do this.

Hallelujah. We're different.

Amen. Galatians 524 and 25 says this.

He says now those who belong to the to Christ Jesus have

crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

If you live by the Spirit, let us also walk, walk by the

Spirit. Now, living and walking are two

different things because he's saying now if conditional

statement, you're born again, since you're born again, are you

allowing this to happen? You're deciding are you doing

this? If you're living by the spirit,

if you're saying that, then your walk, meaning the fruit of your

life is going to demonstrate that.

My wife and I were having a conversation about something

earlier today and she had made a comment and I said that's just

not a true statement. Now, not that she was.

She was given an analogy of something I said.

That's just not a true statement when someone says that because

their walk is not what they say. So, you know, I said, sometimes

you just got to call it for what it is.

Sometimes people say, well, I, I mean, you're like, you're saying

something, there's no walk in it.

Don't say something that there's no walk in it.

Because if you're living by the Spirit, you're walking by it.

Because anyone can say they're living by it and yet not walk by

it. But you can't walk by it unless

you're living by it. You're not walking by the Spirit

by accident. It's intentional.

Isn't that right? It's intentional.

You're like intentionally saying I am doing this.

You make a conscious decision, you cast that down, you take on

God's thought, and then you act on it.

Intentional, so you know, don't blow me around.

Don't blow your hot breath on me with words that your actions

aren't following right. Hallelujah, say, well, let's see

some evidence. That's why John the Baptist

says, why don't you keep alive, have a life in keeping with

repentance. You're telling me that you've

repented? Well, how come I'm not seeing

it? Amen.

And listen, God is the least fooled.

He's fooled how many times? Zero.

He knows it all. Hallelujah.

Now love believes the best, but Love's not ignorant either.

Thank you Jesus. So crucify the flesh.

Again. This is the opposition we have.

It lets us know now those who belong to Christ Jesus have

crucified, which means we have the power to crucify the flesh.

The flesh doesn't have the power to crucify the spirit within us.

We have the power to crucify the flesh.

We're the ones functioning with the power.

That's just such good news. This is such good news because

it eradicates this idea of sin consciousness in in us as

believers because you're like, sin has no dominion on me.

It cannot dominate me. The law of sin and death is not

for me. I've been delivered.

I have the dominant nature, and that which opposes me is a

conquered thing in Christ. And I have because I'm in Him.

And so we're going to dominate the flesh.

So I'm not a sorry Sinner saved by grace.

I was a Sinner. I've been saved by grace through

faith, and now I'm a believer that dominates my flesh.

I dominate, I crucify it, I do not let it gain an advantage at

all. Praise the Lord, I said.

Praise the Lord. Galatians 220 says it this way.

I've been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but

Christ lives where in me and the life I now live in the flesh,

which is your body. I live by faith in the Son of

God who gave who loved me and gave himself up for me.

Look what it says in Romans 1314.

These are some awesome things because there's an opposition

when it comes to our flesh. The devil's really not our

problem. Although he can mount an attack

and amount and and the attack the enemy can put against you is

a lot is different than the carnal attack.

No different. They are way different.

How? And the reason they're different

is because the spirit uses carnal man and he's, you know,

very tactful and he has them lined up to where it's like,

will we ever get a break here? However, carnal people, it's

different. They don't have the same

tenacity, but the enemy, he knows he's defeated and he has

great tenacity because he knows his time is short.

But even him can only go so long because if the Father somewhere

along the line, Jesus himself is like 40 days.

Is it bro, we're done. And it said he left him and look

for another opportunity later on of which he infiltrated his own

staff in order to bring this. But Jesus was not ignorant of

that. He wasn't ignorant of the fact,

however he did that. But he was able to say we're

done and we're finished. And that tack was so bad that

angels manifested to be able to minister to Jesus in that

moment. Hallelujah.

And none of you've had an attack that angels have shown up, that

you're aware that they're there to help you.

Because most of us don't get past the opposition of the

flesh. Hallelujah.

But not here, not at Anchor Faith Church.

We dominate the flesh. This is why we've said for years

we are not a flesh friendly church.

And that's not being negative, that's being rise to the

occasion of your spiritual walk. You should, honestly, you should

feel extremely uncomfortable if you're living fleshly sitting

here, if you are comfortable. I'm not preaching the word of

God, right? And it's not a condemnation,

it's that the Spirit and the flesh are in opposition.

So if I'm not preaching the Spirit of God in his Word,

anything you're going got going on in the flesh should be should

be feeling attacked and it and the Lord wants to attack it.

The Lord wants to crucify it. The Lord wants it beat down.

He's not he's not friendly to it.

Didn't I say now I know you've had a hard day, brother, I know

that hurts. I know that hurts.

That hurts. Let's talk about the hurt for a

while. Let's just talk about it.

How's that make you feel? And then what do we do?

I feel so much better because we talked about it.

Well, you just talked about what you feel, but you never had an

answer because Jesus say, how's that make you feel?

You want to quit feeling that because we can stop that feeling

right now. We can move to a different

feeling, a feeling of the spirit, a feeling of freedom, a

feeling of no more bondage, a feeling of you know it's, it's

no longer a part of your life. It cease to be a part of you.

It's not your identity. The reason why many people do

not openly crucify their flesh is because they've identified

with it too much. It's it is their identity.

Amen. So again, we're not a flesh

friendly church now we are friendly church, but we're not

friendly to the things that the Spirit is in opposition to say,

Amen. I wish I had some born again

people in here. I tell you, I need some of my

leaders to learn how to stand up in these moments and like bring

encouragement to those that are just here in the church.

I mean, listen, we got to do some training.

I need all my staff to shout, stand up and shout right now.

Seriously, I need y'all stand up, shout.

Thank you. I mean seriously.

I mean, have you not crucified your flesh?

You cannot sit around on your booty when there's people trying

to overcome it and you're not giving any doggone testimonies

that has happened in your life. So I'll correct you and let them

know that this is unacceptable behavior for someone who's

overcome the flesh as much as you have and not have a better

testimony. But sit down on your booty.

So let's fix that. Hallelujah.

Now you can be seated. Thank you, man.

We, we have people that are on the verge.

I mean, they are between two places and if we don't have some

kind of demonstration of victory, why are we not?

I mean, again, they'll just go back to the drugs, go back to

the women, go back to the men, because you sit there and go

glory to God. I mean, are you religiously vein

washed now 'cause we've heard it for so long?

No, don't let it happen again. I mean, let's give God praise.

I mean, I'm not here to lecture you.

I'm here for you to participate in a service where God has

delivered us and set us free. This is not a lecture time.

This is participation time. This is where we get ready with

the Spirit. Because if you would have this

kind of response on Sundays when guests are here, they'd be like,

what in the world do these people have, right?

Hallelujah. Thank you, glory to God.

Now again, if I was a coach and I just made you run another wind

Sprint, you know, it'd be like you'd hate it, but you'd be more

conditioned at the end of the fourth quarter.

You'd be like, thank you coach, so you can thank me on the way

out. Hallelujah.

All right, so Romans 141314 says, but put on the Lord Jesus

Christ and make no provision for the flesh in regards to its

lust. May none 0 come on.

So who has the power to make no provision?

You can't say man, man, it's tough.

It's what it's not tough. You have the power to say no,

no, no, no, we ain't putting that on.

No, no, no, we ain't letting that no provision.

No, I'm not letting you around. I'm not doing this.

I'm shutting that down. I'm doing this.

I'm doing that, yeah. I have deleted so many apps at

times, especially through social media, that because you know,

there's just algorithms out there and you would you're going

through and the next thing you know, things are popping up and

you're like, what is this? So you know what I do delete, I

can keep it off for a while and then all of a sudden something

I've saved on that particular app, I need to go back and get a

recipe so I can go. But guess what?

All of a sudden it's not bothering me.

But then all of a sudden it'll try to drop another little and

you're like, I make no provision for you.

Delete no provision 0 because you're in a world that is

attacking you. There's always going to,

especially men. You're things are always going

to be vying for your eyeballs, but you got to be able to learn

how to say I make no provision for that.

I make no provision for that. I'll cut that off.

I cut that off, I'll do this. I don't understand why a man

would want to even entertain alcohol.

Because you want to get your mind messed up, then your eyes

are gonna get messed up. I mean, you'll slow down all

kinds of senses. I remember 1 particular guy long

time ago, marriage wasn't great, but he said I desire the finer

things in life. Next thing you know, found out

the guy was in Las Vegas. Love these big cigars.

He loved this, you know, fancy bourbons and, and, and vodkas.

And I'm like, and he's supposed to be a believer.

The fine, the fine. These are not the finer things.

There's nothing fine about that. I can show you where it's

destroyed lives. It always starts with a sip.

But when you make no provision, I mean, don't come up here and

preach to me about moderation. Don't come up in here and try to

preach to me about I understand that in the whole grand scheme

of things, because of the blood of Jesus, that if you get drunk

one night that and you died on the way home, that it's all of a

sudden you're not going to heaven, I understand.

But that's not the living that God wanted us to live.

We were delivered, set free, something different.

I mean, I don't want the Lord to say, well, Pastor Earl, you're a

little early. If you wouldn't have been drunk,

you wouldn't have died, son. I mean, I don't want a prison

ministry because I killed somebody while I was drunk.

Yeah, it didn't make me go to hell.

I get it. But now I'm having a confined

ministry just because I wouldn't put myself with no make no

provision. I say Amen.

Come on, say Amen. Glory to God.

Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

So, you know, we just we beat the, the opposition.

We are we put on the Lord Jesus. You cannot make no provision for

the flesh without first putting on 'cause if you're not putting

on the Lord, you are naked when you go out to battle.

The Bible tells us to put on the full armor of God.

So you put on the armor you put on Christ.

That way you make no provision for nothing else.

That's how you do it. And if you're here today and

say, man, I've got some flesh challenges, guess what, repent.

It's so awesome that God will will let you repent, wants you

to repent. It's telling you to repent and

then we'll look at you and like, I don't even know you did it and

you'll be like you don't even know I did it.

I don't even know you did it. It's done.

It's like you've never done it before.

What are we even talking about right now because I've removed

your sin as far as the east is from the West.

I've thrown them into the sea of forgetfulness.

I don't even know what you're talking about right now.

Closes the blood. All I know is that you're the

righteous of God in Christ now. You're more than a conqueror

Now, the next obstacle you have, don't worry about it.

You'll be overwhelmingly conquer.

I'm going to cause you to triumph in Christ.

The next time temptation comes, you're going to dominate that

thing. You're going to dominate it.

You're going to know how to beat it because I'm in you.

I train you. I'm with you.

You got this thing. I said.

You got this thing. Whoa.

Glory to God, you have it. Thank you, Jesus.

I mean, close with this. I'm not even going to finish

this whole message. I'll just stop right here in

Ephesians 4. Ephesians 422 to 25 says, Is

that in reference to your former manner of life?

Oh Jesus, you lay aside the old self who lays it aside.

Do not tell me that you can't help it.

Don't tell me you can't help it. That's not true.

And quit saying the devil's after me.

Devil's not after you. If you can't lay yourself, if

you can't lay your old self, the devil doesn't have to show up at

your house. He doesn't have to know your

name. In fact, he's not omnipresent

and he's not omniscient. He's not all knowing nor all

present. I mean Christianity has put the

devil as if he's everywhere. He cannot be after someone in

Saint Louis and simultaneously be after someone in Florida

because he is 1 being that cannot be in two locations and

he's not all knowing. I'm just to be honest, he don't

even know your name. I do not believe the devil even

knows your name. Doesn't have to.

He's done such a work in the flesh.

Simple man has such a work by itself.

But God says I'm here to fix it all.

I'll give you a new spirit then. I'm empowering you now to clean

the rest up. You can do it.

And all you have to do here, it is in reference to your former

manner of life. You lay aside the old self,

which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of

deceit. It's deceiving you that it's OK

to do what you used to do and God's OK with it.

It's deceiving you and that you be renewed in the spirit of your

mind and you put on the new self.

Now that's not in the Spirit because God gave you that spirit

that is putting on the new self in your mind.

That's you waking up every day and saying I'm a child of God,

my daddy owns the planet and heaven.

My dad created everything. I'm of his nature, I'm of his

being. And my father and my brother

Jesus have never sinned and neither has the Holy Ghost.

They are perfect in nature and in love and in righteousness.

They are pure. They are holy and there it and

that is in me and I put it on. I put on the new self, which in

the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and

holiness of truth. Therefore, laying aside

falsehood, speak truth. Each one of you with his

neighbor for we are members of one another.

This is why as the body, we're like, hey, hey, what's going on,

man? That's not you.

Instead of going, don't judge me, no one's judging you.

We want to be in opposition to the flesh.

That's in opposition to your spirit.

Because if I'm talking to you about something of the flesh,

I'm not talking to you anyway, because you're born of God.

That's not the real you. That's the old you.

As David Mackie would say, the old man, that's the old man, and

the old man's dead. The old man has no right to you.

And you know what? Not only do you have a new

spirit and the Holy Spirit, but you actually do have the

willpower connected to those to dominate the flesh and the old

way of living. Wow, isn't that awesome?

That is such good news. Praise the Lord, because you

know what I'm telling you? This generation coming up that

we do not have tons of in here, Generation Gen.

Z, they're tired of fake, honestly, you know what they're

actually tired of? They're tired of religious

meaning. I'm right with God, but I still

live like they're like really. I mean, I don't know that I want

that there's, there is something in them saying there's got to be

something better. And you know what?

That's in that generation because that generation is, is

is one of the largest generations now on the planet

that God put in the earth for the end times.

And he's put a generation in the end times that is not going to

allow the flesh to rule them. So they are already opposed to

places where the flesh still rule believers.

And the problem is they can't always find these locations on

medias because those types of places typically are not having

the platforms, they're not being pushed by the principal power of

the air. They, they're not preaching in a

way that there's popularity to where flesh is OK in the room.

So they've got to seek it. But that's good because if

they'll come seek it, they'll find.

And when they walk in here, we don't want to say we've

abdicated our spiritual walk. We want them to say I have found

the group. I have found them It's and you

know what I I don't mind that they're skeptical.

I don't mind that they sit 4 minutes ago.

Let's just see if these people are the real deal.

Something's different here, You know, they, they, they ain't

acting like, you know, living like the rest of the world, you

know, and going to heaven when you die is OK, Dad, there's

something different about these people.

And I'm looking for something that really looks like a holy

God. And you're just like, just let's

just be bold. Like Paul, look at him and say,

because I'm going to look at one right now.

Imitate me as I imitate Christ. Now, most believers aren't going

to make that confession. Imitate me as I imitate Christ

because to a younger generation, you want to see what God just

watch me because I'm dead to myself and you watch me get in

conflict. You're going to see how God

would respond. Just stick around.

You're going to find out. In fact, there's things that's

going to be happening that you won't even know about because I

won't even let it be known. And then when you find out later

on by the Holy Ghost or something, a manifest that the

Lord says this person was going through this and this attack

happened. You're going to be like what?

What? And you're going to know we were

authentic.