Text: Phil.3:3-16
We have all learned to rely on own strategies for getting our needs met. We have all learned how to handle life’s circumstances by what we do ourselves. The Bible calls this mechanism for servicing our own needs THE FLESH. Every person has developed his flesh-life in order to get what he wants out of life as much of the time as possible. Don’t think of flesh as skin, but as personal techniques for meeting your own perceived needs, apart from Christ. A synonym for flesh may be SELF-SUFFICIENCY.
Walking after the flesh is simply relying on your own abilities instead of in God’s resources. Your flesh-life may not be defiant against God. Don’t think of flesh as something that you naturally find repulsive. It may be very attractive and even look spiritual. Saul of Tarsus, for example, had his flesh-life wrapped up in a religious package. Then he described his own flesh patterns in Phil.3:3-7. If you want to talk about credentials, Paul had them. Yet he said that these enviable qualifications had not proven to be assets, but liabilities.
How can natural abilities become liabilities? It happens when we rely on those abilities instead of on Christ. Our flesh develop it’s own patterns because of factors that have influenced our lives. They might be connected to our talents, appearance, wealth, education, or countless other things that we rely on to get through life. Those are not bad themselves; in fact they might be great abilities, but relying on them instead of on Christ, makes them great liabilities.
A popular belief is that God help those who help themselves. And sadly, many Christians have spiritualized that false philosophy and concluded that God will bless us as we “do our part.” They even pray often, “Lord, bless my effort as I serve You.” God’s blessing has nothing to do with your self-effort. God’s blessing is according to His Grace and Love. Not by your works, but by His works in you. The New Testament model of a Christian is not one who dedicates his works/efforts to God. Rather it is the story of God Himself doing the work through a person totally yielded to Him. Who do you think does it better? You or Him?
It would be bad enough if the the worst thing said about self-sufficiency was that it had no spiritual value in the Christian life. However, that would leave the impression that it is just inconsequential, which is not the case. It actually produces a damaging consequences. Consider the man who is known as the father of faith, Abraham and his wife, Sarah, who tried to help God bring out His promise of a son. You know the rest of the story. They were really sincere in their self-effort, but were sincerely wrong! They made a mess of things. The result of their self-sufficiency is the ongoing conflict between Arabs and the Jews. Self-sufficient living always produces conflict.
God’s purpose is to bring us to the place where we rest totally in the sufficiency of Christ within us in every situation. In order to experience genuine peace, it is necessary to come to the place where we no longer rely on your self-sufficient techniques and patterns.
– Rev Obed Anierobi