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Scripture
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Romans 8:2-4 KJV
Reflection
God sent Jesus to prove in the “flesh” that man’s laws and thinking would always be dwarfed by God and that man’s mind was limited in capability and power compared to God’s Mind.
Jesus had to come in the flesh and demonstrate the daily walk that we are called to follow. Had he arrived solely in the Spirit, humans would have immediately felt it impossible to be like him, for they would always be limited by the mortal mind. It would have been accepted to see a Spirit, an Angel walk across water, heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons, cleanse lepers, and be perfect in all ways. People knew them to be Heaven-sent. But when you see another human doing these things, through the power of God and not sorcery, that was mind-blowing for the people. Just as it would be for us today.
But Jesus’ arriving in the flesh was also for his benefit, for God wanted him to relate and understand the temptations and traps of the flesh, to feel the highs and lows of human emotion, the illogic and impulsiveness, the inconsistency of commitment and discipline, and to top it all off—the trickery of the father of lies—who constantly bombards the human mind with lies. Had Jesus just appeared in the Spirit, he wouldn’t have been able to fully comprehend the ways of humankind. His frustration with our ignorance would have been a distraction, and he would have probably blundered the steps toward fulfilling prophecy. Jesus had to come and be born a human baby, raised as a human child, nurtured into manhood, and experience life through that perspective. He developed relationships with people. He learned how to teach because he had 30-plus years to study, be taught, and be immersed in human behavior and experiences.
Everything was done intentionally, with purpose, and by God’s design.
Jesus did the will of our Father and proved that man’s devices and self-imposed authority were (and still are) limited, flawed, and false. He healed sickness and disease through God’s law of Mind and Truth. The power of the mind and the declaration of words to heal is the same power that we use to become and remain sick. We channel that power and speak truth to heal or speak lies to remain sick.
Jesus even showed his disciples how to heal. Yes indeed. Regular Joe Blow, the farmer, was healing people by applying Jesus’ teachings and guidance and believing that he could. Most importantly, the people being healed believed that healing would come. This proves the power of Mind over matter. It proves the power of our words. What we believe most in we give power to, but nothing is more powerful and expansive than God. So when we believe in God’s healing touch, blessings, and redemption, nothing can block their manifestation.
God wants us to be free of sin. He wants sin to die so we can stop being spiritually dead.
Death comes from sin. There is separation from God in sin. Jesus came to help us see this, to help us see the importance of realigning, atoning, repenting, and living as we should. He showed us how to deal with the temptations of Satan and how to be successful with the tests of God. Satan’s temptations are to destroy, while God’s tests are to correct and strengthen us.
God sent Jesus to demonstrate that we are spiritual beings having a human experience and not the other way around. It is implied, teased, subtle, and lightly woven throughout parts of the Old Testament. But it is not boldly stated and embraced, for the people were being conditioned to see, think, and worship differently. They were being transitioned and transformed from their old self with their old ways to become new believers and practitioners.
Everything was done when it needed to be done. Too soon, and it would have been too much. Even today, I don’t think that most of us can truly grasp, fathom, and accept what it means to be a spiritual being. We are still very much caught up by the flesh and this shell we carry around, this tent we haul from place to place.
When you read the New Testament accounts of Jesus post-resurrection, they did not actually recognize him. He had to make clear that he was their rabbi (teacher). When he transformed at his resurrection, there was something clearly different about him. That first level of transformation altered their perception. He wasn’t just glowing; he was changing. His looks and his voice were changed. Then right as he was ascending, he was no longer limited and bound in and of the flesh. He reached the level many of us wish to achieve one day.
If you believe the Book of Revelation, and if you believe some of the statements that Jesus made (as recorded in the books of Matthew, Luke, and John), some of us will not be blessed to transform and see our true selves. Our failure to stop sinning, our failure to believe, trust, and have faith (support) in God, may keep us cut off from a beautiful reality that God has wanted for each of us. Ponder that.
Prayer
Father, You have sent countless messengers to show us the way and Your Truth. You sent Jesus to make us see, to show us how, to prove what we can do, and to show that we give power to darkness when we give in to the flesh. You have proven to us the limited reality of our human flesh and the lie that we keep buying about who we are.
Father, forgive us for choosing man’s laws and limited thinking over Yours. Forgive us for buying into a man-made story for our lives. There is no greater than You, no truth but Yours, and no better place to be than with You.
Forgive me for my weakness, fear, and lack of total faith. Forgive me for not always wanting to see what awaits me in the forest, for complaining throughout my walk, for being fearful when You told me to be strong, and for thinking I’m too tired to do what You ask but then finding the energy to do something that satisfies the flesh. I pray to be made whole in and through Your Love. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
And with that family, I pray that you are blessed, that you see and embrace your blessings, and that you are a blessing to others.
Love,
Natasha
Copyright 2013-2023. Natasha L. Foreman. Some Rights Reserved. All Prayers and Reflections are Copyright Protected by Natasha L. Foreman. BreakingBreadWithNatasha.com
Music: Climb by Shane Ivers; Quiescent In Time by Shane Ivers – https://www.silvermansound.com
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