Well, I am a testimony that no matter how faithful you are to church, Bible reading and prayer, you still battle the flesh! Won’t Heaven be wonderful? No more sin, no pain, NO ALLERGIES!! I have had more trouble the last few days with my allergies than I’ve had in ages. I haven’t taken a Benedryl since Laci’s birth, but I broke down early this morning and took one. I couldn’t stand it any longer – I’ve had itchy eyes, sneezing and my asthma has been acting up. It’s been bad enough that I wake up in the night needing to blow my nose! I love living here. It’s peaceful – it’s a town, but a small one, so the pace is slow. Think of Burnet like the Mayberry of Texas. The climate is great! Winter lasts about two weeks…ok, just kidding, but winter is very mild here. After living in northern Kansas, where you go soulwinning in below zero weather, this climate is awesome! It’s gets cold at night and 70ish in the day. The people are friendly, and it’s TEXAS! What’s not to like? 🙂 BUT, we do have things blooming year round because of our mild climate, and that causes unsuspecting, non-native Texans like myself to suffer the consequences. This is just another fleshly thing to deal with, and I’ll be so glad when I’ll be rid of this old flesh! Not just because of my allergies, but because of sin. I am so tired of battling the fleshly desire of covetousness, gossip and myriad other sins!
Gal. 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. Wow! That is my desire – to walk in the spirit. I would be a better mother, wife, friend, sister, daughter, everything- If I could just walk after the spirit, and not my old rotten flesh. The Bible says in Romans 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. How true! The old saying, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” is true for all of us. I know not to gossip, or lose my patience with my kids, but doing it is a whole lot harder!! I don’t battle external sins – like alcohol, smoking, etc.- but sins of the heart, which are just as rotten in God’s eyes.
With God as my helper, I’m going to get up and keep going. My goal is Gal.5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. That should keep me busy! And when the flesh seems to be fighting me, I’ll remember Gal. 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for due season we shall reap, if we faint not. I want to sow the kind of crop that will be fun to reap – I want to sow to the spirit and not the flesh. I’m so glad that the Lord will never leave me or forsake me, even when the flesh wins occasionally. Through Him, I’ve already won the war!
In the meantime, I’ll keep the Puffs handy, and keep on fighting this flesh of mine.