Friday, 08 October 2021
“But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified” – 1 Corinthians 9:27 ESV
Apostle Paul was a spiritual giant during his time on Earth. He started ministries, established churches, and wrote such powerful and profound letters that challenge us to this very day. The Bible teaches us that when one soul is saved, Heaven rejoices, just for one soul. We can safely assume that Paul must have directly contributed to thousands of souls won to the kingdom of God. It’s also safe to assume that his place in Heaven was guaranteed while he was still active. If we talking mansions, his dwelling in Heaven would be like “Steyn City” because of his accomplishments. Yet, this very powerful man of God was disciplining his body that it may not fail him at a critical point in his life. In the above Scripture, he even goes to the extent of saying that he keeps it under control lest it disappoints and disqualifies him.
The second part of the above Scripture highlights a very crucial point that really challenges me. He is mindful that he is actively preaching and souls are being won to the Kingdom, yet he is cognizant of the fact that all those accomplishments are pointless if your body/flesh is not under your control. Our flesh is very deceptive and is our number one enemy. It’s the part of our life that directly resists the Spirit. When it gets comfortable and familiar it leads us to destruction. The only way to make it submit is to discipline it, but the problem is that the process is active and not passive. Just because you are saved and love GOD, doesn’t mean that the flesh will surrender to your will. It is very hostile and insubordinate, and it always needs to be put in its place. Most of us Christians are very diplomatic towards it and try to bargain with it. Apostle Paul highlights that the only language it understands is discipline, so it must be ruled with an iron fist (it’s a dictatorship).
“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of GOD, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete” 2 Corinthians 10:5-6 NIV. The same aggressive mindset must also be applied to our minds and thoughts. This is another area the enemy infiltrates and we ought to be active in it as well. The good thing is that we have everything we need to achieve our godly objectives, so we must just put the flesh in its place. We just need to be mindful of the fact that we must be ready when the hour comes, lest we be disqualified like the virgins without oil. We don’t train for specific battles, but we train for any possible attack. We must remain vigilant and be ready to put the flesh in its place every time it tries to impose itself.
We don’t train for specific battles, but we train for any possible attack. We must remain vigilant and be ready to put the flesh in its place every time it tries to impose itself.
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