Make No Provision

"But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts." Romans 13:14

Why shouldn't we make no (meaning: none, zero, nil, zilch, nada,  nicht, nein) provision for the flesh for what it lusts after?  Because, if we were honest with ourselves, we like it, we like it a lot!  We cry out our pitiful little cry, because the Spirit convicts us, "Oh, God, take this away from me!"  "I'm sorry, forgive me! I can't help myself!"  Really? Come on, you can help yourself, but you won't because you like it and you don't really want God to take it away either...it's nothing but lip service!  "You draw near with your mouth, but your heart is far from Me."  We get a certain something out of it or else, why would we do it? No one's making us do it, the devil can certainly press us, but in the end, our own will prevails.  Why?  Because we have set our minds on the things of the flesh!  


We do suffer from lusts, all of us.  I don't mean to say it's all about sex or anything, for lust comes in various forms.  The point is that it's whatever it is our own flesh lusts after.  Some may be in the form of control, drunkenness, the desire to be desired, pride, an adulterous heart, jealousy, envy, anger, power, money, fame, romance, etc...  We may struggle with a specific thing or a variety of things.  Left to our own, we would feed these things, but God calls us to the way of the Spirit.  "No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man, and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what is able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it."  God is faithful to provide a way.  We are unfaithful and we don't take the way out given to us most of the time.  We give in too easily.  If you set your mind on the things of the Spirit, you will live, for the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.  If the mind is set on the flesh, it produces death.  But, God reminds us, we are now of the Spirit, so we have to set our mind on the things above where God is, and not on the things here below.


We have to take seriously that our flesh has cravings, so don't feed that monster!  We have to be about the Lord and His business.  We must flee from that which takes away from our devotion to God Almighty. "Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than we have believed.  The night is almost gone, and the day is near."  We have to learn to look at the big picture of what lies before us.  We have to take our life seriously and live it knowing it's about the Spirit and less about the flesh.  "Therefore, let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.  Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy."  Seriously, we've already done these things, have we not?  Why live in them any longer?  What good have they done us?  Why not live to see fully what God has in mind, what God has planned according to His good and perfect will?  God calls us to live! Live!  Live! Why are we constantly choosing the way of death our flesh brings?      


We cannot make provision for that which will cause us harm.  We are no longer obligated to walk according to the flesh, we are obligated to walk according to the Spirit of God.  Therefore, "Awake, O' sleeper and arise from the dead and Christ will shine on you."  Wake up people!  Don't be unwise, but be wise and make the most of your time.  Don't be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is, that which is good and well-pleasing and perfect.  Put on the Lord Jesus Christ and live in His love, abide in His love, walk in His love.   Look up like Isaiah did and see the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple!  When you do, you will  see the holiness of the Lord and be grieved and repent over choosing the lusts of your flesh.  For what does darkness have in common with the presence of Him who is holy?  Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you and darkness will flee.  And you will see Him and be radiant and your heart will tremble and be enlarged and rejoice!  And you will answer the call to be holy just as your heavenly Father is holy, to be an imitator of God as a beloved child, and walk in love, just as Christ loved you.  


He is seeking for us to worship Him in Spirit and in truth.  He calls us to turn from the ways of our flesh, to repent of the worthless deeds of darkness we have given worth contrary to the truth of who we are in Christ.  We are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,  a people for God's own possession, so that we may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light!  Act as free men then, for where the Spirit of God is there is liberty, and be bond-slaves of God!