When Flesh and Spirit Collide

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It’s very common for people who have either walked away from God in the past or have always known He’s there but never quite reached out to take His hand to feel as though when they finally want that connection, they aren’t deserving of it.

They question, or even fully believe, that they are beyond God’s reach because they didn’t say yes at first.

That's where flesh and spirit collide.

That’s your flesh doing that to you, and that's satan getting right up in there, wreaking havoc, and taking advantage of those fears and doubts. He thrives on that conflict.

I could quote you a ton of verses (and I will eventually include a few key ones at the end), but sometimes you just need to hear from another Christian that they, too, have battled those same thoughts, fears, and demons.

See, I wasn’t born a Christian; in fact, I was born completely human.

Glorious flaws and all. But here’s the thing: God knew about all that, my flaws, my choices, and even my stupidity, long before I did anything. I walked away at one point, I’ve token practiced my faith, and just basically been a full-blown human that has messed up countless times.

 Yet…..Here I am, worthy, forgiven, loved, and a valued child of Christ.

Think about that for a moment, I'm a sinner, yet beloved.

We are all given the breath of life, a precious and beautiful gift that no one else can even come close to giving us. He was the first to ever love us.

Sometimes it’s almost impossible for us to comprehend (or even believe) that there is such a thing as unconditional love, automatic worth, and forgiveness for everyone. 

It’s a us problem going on.

It’s how we perceive the world that can get in the way of believing and feeling His unconditional love, and just how worthy and valuable we are to Him. 

We do that, and satan loves to take that for one hell of a roller coaster ride on us, especially if we are in the midst of this battle.

That’s spiritual warfare at its worst. 

Satan is going to fight tooth and nail to keep you doubting your worth, your value, and God’s forgiveness. He’ll use whatever is out there in the world to keep spreading that and infecting your mind with even more doubts.

Here’s something you may never have been told, but need to hear.

We don’t see what God sees; we see through human eyes, not divine eyes.

Because we can’t fathom the intensity of his unconditional love, the most profound way God demonstrates that for us is that we are all born with free will.

To be given the gift to choose of our volition is the truest form of love, respect, and worth that God can show us. That free will is an open invitation to come back to Him at any time.

You can come home no matter your past.

Satan is always going to be there, sometimes in the background waiting to pounce or right up in your face, “love” bombing you. Tell him to shut it and flee from you. 

If you are having doubts that He will welcome you back, that doesn’t disqualify you from anything. I have battled that doubt, and I have had satan swamp me with intrusions and nastiest out there in the world to try to take me down and away from God.

Stop having conversations with satan. 

When you feel those doubts coming on, you turn them around and control them. 

Start talking to God instead. 

Stand there in the middle of your living room if you must, and open your mouth and talk to God. Tell Him what you are doubting, fearing, or worrying about. There is absolutely nothing you can say that He hasn’t heard.

Want to know what to do with satan when he’s throwing everything at you?

You resist.

And he will flee from you in Jesus’ name, because even if you are having doubts, those doubts do not disqualify you from the armor of God and the strength you have in Him.

Nothing in your past will ever close that door to God.

“Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;” Acts 3:19

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our wrongdoings, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),” Ephesians 2:4–5

“And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

© Jane Isley

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