FOUNDATIONAL TRUTH
Ending Strife
Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.
According to the above Scripture, the ways of the flesh are at enmity (in strife) against the ways of God by the Spirit. This occurred as soon as sin crept in. And in further clarification of the Scripture it states the mind of mankind is not SUBJECT to the law of God. In other words, if we continue to walk in the ways of the flesh & not be led by the Holy Spirit entirely, than we do not have the mind of Christ because the mind of Christ is in unity with the Holy Spirit—as They are One. And because of the Holy Spirit, we can be subject to Christ—Who is the Law now. By & through His life demonstration & sacrifice, He established in God’s love, the law of the Spirit of life or the law of Christ (Romans 8:2; Romans 10:4; Galatians 6:2; 1Corinthians 9:21). Therefore His mind or thoughts are according to Truth & God’s Law. This will put us in right standing with God the Father, no longer allowing strife (or enmity) to occur between Him & us. The Spirit of grace manifests this when we obey fully & completely (Hebrews 10:29; Zechariah 12:10).
The whole purpose of Jesus coming to the earth was to demonstrate this law of life by the Spirit of God & also put an end to the old way of life through His death which was led by our own carnal natures to fulfill the Law. God knew we couldn’t fulfill the Law on our own accord so He provided a better way to help us, by His Spirit (Romans 8:3-4; Galatians 3:1-19). The law of God through Jesus Christ His Son is now able to be fulfilled by the life-giving Spirit He gave us to walk in order that we may fulfill His laws fully & completely in all areas of our lives (John 16:7-13). He gave us the Spirit to overcome all flesh that is at enmity with God the Father. So, in speaking of all this I put forth two questions we need to ask ourselves as Christians: Are we truly being led into the perfectness (holiness) that Jesus walked in on the earth by the law of the Spirit of life? And, if not, how do we do it fully & completely in all things—rendering powerless once & for all the ways of sin & death that keeps us bound to the carnal life (or out of the earth) under the letter code of the Law which kills & into the full freedom Christ had in the Father? (John 6:63; 1Corinthians 15:45-47; 2Corinathians 3:3-10)
Purify the Heart by the Holy Spirit into God’s Perfection (Holiness)
According to 2Corinthians 3:3-10, the heart must be changed completely by the Spirit of God because all the ways of the flesh are still under the code of Law which leads to death (that would include the sinful nature in us—sin leads to death). By & through the leading of the Holy Spirit fully, your heart becomes renewed in Him & is no longer bound by sin & what leads to it because now your heart will become one with Christ’s heart, which is holy or perfect unto God the Father (Ezekiel 36:26-28). Christ’s heart is pure. When one walks fully or completely matured in the Spirit of God, their heart has the same pure motives of God & not man (man’s heart–Genesis 8:21; Ecclesiastes 9:3; Mark 7:21-22; Jeremiah 17:9; Christ’s heart in the Spirit—Hebrews 10:22; Psalm 24:3-4; Psalm 51:10-11). Therefore their heart will reveal to them God’s motives for their own life in Him (His will) & His pure motives towards others—for their benefit, working towards God’s will for their own lives to be perfected also in Him.
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
This Scripture above is not just speaking about going to heaven to be with the Lord & you will see Him. It is mainly speaking about how one will see God for Who He truly is & His ways in all things (1Corinthians 13:12). For one to truly see God & His ways rightly, their heart must be purified by Him completely. Otherwise, when they seek to understand the things of God, they will misconstrue them with a faltered outlook—mixing with whatever may be defiled in their own hearts (not of Him) with what they’re trying to understand that IS of Him. The heart that is not purified, made whole, renewed, or perfected in holiness by & through the Spirit of God fully will not have complete understanding into the ways of His kingdom nor have the same thoughts that He has towards things or people (Isaiah 55:8-9). The heart affects the mind. The heart MUST be renewed, so that the mind can be renewed also. Once the completed work takes place in the heart, than the mind will change also, allowing for one’s thoughts & ways to be in alignment with God’s thoughts & ways (His will for one’s life; the mind of Christ, Philippians 2:1-12).
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will imprint My laws upon their minds, even upon their innermost thoughts and understanding, and engrave them upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. (Hebrews 8:10)
Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.
According to the Scripture above from John 3:3, unless you’re born again, you will not SEE the kingdom of God. Again, this confirms that if one has not purified their hearts fully by the Spirit’s leading, they will not be able to see the kingdom (or understand truly the ways God’s government works, John 3:5-6). The heart must be changed so that the thoughts of one’s mind can be changed also, to receive the things of God rightly—to see as God sees things. If one is still trying to work without the Holy Spirit’s leading (in the flesh) in any way, the ways of God’s kingdom will seem foreign or ‘wrong’ to them because the kingdom of men is at enmity or in strife against the kingdom of God, or God Himself. So, this brings forth the importance of first seeking the kingdom & His righteousness (the law of the Spirit of life)—that one may be provided all they need in Him (Matthew 6:33-34). Peace in & through His Spirit will be offered as part of being in right standing with Him & His kingdom so that you can find rest from the anxiousness of the world & its ways. Strife against God is finally put to rest & one is at peace with Him, which brings forth peace in all things (Philippians 4:6-13).
End All Strife
This sinful (carnal) nature is all inclusive of strife—strife against God. And it must be dealt with fully to put an end to all flesh in oneself. If one can learn to master strife by the Spirit’s leading (strife of the flesh against the spirit) than you can overcome in your spirit man, by the Holy Spirit’s power (1Timothy 3:5—you are the house & need to rule your flesh, so that you can rule truly in God’s house). Strife will divide one’s individual self from God because of the flesh in them & will also lead to divisions among the brethren. So, it’s important to get rid of all strife in order to render powerless any chance of unity of oneself with Christ & the Father, in addition to the Church coming into complete unity in Him as well (John 17:17-26). Once strife is rendered powerless, than you are able to submit other fleshly natures under the Spirit’s ruling also. In the Scriptures below, you can see how all flesh leads to strife, therefore NO unity.
Wrath=strife (Proverbs 15:18; Proverbs 29:22); Greed=strife (Proverbs 28:25; if one has greed, they will not inherit the kingdom, 1Cor.6:10); Dishonesty=strife (Proverbs 16:28); Hatred=strife (Proverbs 10:12); Contending without a cause=strife (Proverbs 3:30); Gossip=strife (Proverbs 17:14); Lovers of strife are lovers of transgression & involves themselves in guilt (Proverbs 17:19); Scoffer=strife (Proverbs 22:10); Insolence, arrogance=strife (Proverbs 13:10); Offended person=strife (Proverbs 18:19); Fool’s talk=strife (Proverbs 18:6); no Wisdom of God & competency among brethren to settle a dispute=strife (1Corinthians 6:1-7); divisions or segregations in belief=strife (1Corinthians 1:10-13)
As you can see from the Scriptures above, strife is the leading consequence of the fleshly nature. If you can breakdown the strongman, than you can disassemble the whole house (Luke 11:17-22—use the Spirit’s leading as the stronger one that attacks). Paul & Peter warned many times about strife because it was in opposition to the doctrine of the Gospel, even further they indicated that they do not truly serve the Lord Jesus Christ but their own selves & appetites of the flesh (Romans 16:17-18; 1Corinthians 3:3; 1Peter 2:11—sensual urges are at war [strife] against the soul; 1Timothy 6:3-5). This proves that strife MUST go in order to truly abide in the Lord & have unity with those that are truly His.
How one can end all strife is by simply doing yes & no questions with the Lord in order to end all disputes with one’s fleshly nature. This would be considered your spiritual Urim & Thummim. In the Old Testament, it was used by the priests to get yes & no answers from the Lord to settle any dispute & to receive the will of God (Exodus 28:30; Ezra 2:63; Nehemiah 7:65; 1Samuel 23:9—David used it for direction; Acts 1:24-26). They were two stones that would light up to a simple question that could be answered by a yes or no. The stones were located in the breastplate of judgment (or the ephod, Exodus 28:15), close to the heart of the priest. The Urim means ‘light’ & thummim means ‘perfection.’ Now that we have the Holy Spirit in us to illuminate His witness, with God’s will, we too can attain the Light & perfection that Jesus walked in to become fully matured & completed in Him (John 8:12; 2Corinthians 4:6-7; Matthew 5:48; Leviticus 19:2, Leviticus 19:18; 1Peter 1:15-16; 1Corinthians 13:10). According to the Scriptures below if we cast lots (as what was described as using the Urim & the Thummim in those days); we can end all fleshly disputes we have within. When we acknowledge the Lord in this way, we are able to come to perfection (or holiness) in Him (Proverbs 3:5-6)—the completed work that Christ came to do in us.
To cast lots puts an end to disputes and decides between powerful contenders. (powerful contenders are principalities in the heavenly realm that one cannot overcome in the flesh, but only by the Spirit, Ephesians 6:12; 2Corinthians 10:4-5)
The lot is cast into the lap, but the decision is wholly of the Lord [even the events that seem accidental are really ordered by Him]. (Proverbs 16:33) (know that however the lot is casted by His answer to you, it will be measured back to you according to His standards, Luke 6:38)
However the Lord has answered you by a yes or no, it is important to understand that whatever the outcome may be as you follow through, it was & is the right judgment in His eyes & we should be at peace with it because it is pleasing to Him (Isaiah 53:10-12). This is what His Son understood as a true Son of God & what we must understand as well, in order to walk as true sons of God.
Consequences of Not Ending Strife & Truly Abiding in Him
There are consequences that the Lord warns of for those that want to continue walking in strife or at enmity to God (Isaiah 41:11-12; Psalm 55:9). The results can be devastating (Jesus will separate you from Him & His people, Matthew 10:34-36; Jesus didn’t come to bring peace to the earth or the world & its ways; John 10:19—when Jesus spoke it caused dissension among those under the Law & Him; Matthew 12:31—if you deny the Holy Spirit, you deny the Son & the Father). So, I urge one to seek first the kingdom & His righteousness as led by His Spirit in all things. Perform the yes & no’s diligently so that you can put a final end to all flesh once & for all (putting it to death). And instead, allow the Spirit to arise in you to overtake you, so that Christ may live in you—the hope of glory.
*Your spiritual Urim & Thummim are for this day. The Lord is the same as He was back then (Hebrews 13:8). But He gave us a better way to seek Him & make clear, by His Spirit, what His will is in order to overcome sin & death. Do not do away with the Life & Perfection He’s given you…Christ Jesus; which will help you overcome by & through His Spirit fully so that you may be full & complete in all that He’s called you to in Him (John 15:11; John 16:24; James 1:4). Allow this perfecting process to occur in you, so that all flesh may truly be subdued under Him (1Corinthians 15:25-28); so that His glory may live & abide in you (John 17:22; John 17:24; John 1:14; Romans 8:30; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Psalm 119:133).