Modern Parable: 2 Kids - 1 Spoilt Brat - 0 Growth.

During a lengthened fast recently I got a revelation bigger than $10 million.

I didn't see it's value then, but more and more I'm realising God has given me a renewed set of lens with which to see my true spiritual conditions even clearer, and to thus improve my resulting actions.

Imagine you have 2 kids. One of them pretty much ignored, given a few morsels once a week, usually on a Sunday, maybe a few "treats" on other days, when you find "enough time" ..just enough to barely survive. The other, very spoilt, overfed, wasteful, comforted at the first sign of discomfort, bribed with gifts whenever a tantrum is thown, ego well-stroked, pride seldom-rebuked ... a rotten brat!

Now ladies and gentlemen, I am sure you're probably thinking along the lines "Not my kids! I would never raise kids like that... over my dead body!" And folks, that is exactly right! OVER.YOUR.DEAD.BODY these are kids you now have.. and nurture.. no need to imagine. Or more like, WITHIN your dead body maybe. But definitely portions of yourself, made in your image, given to you to steward. Drum roll please, as I present to you, your spirit, and your flesh.. in that exact order.

YES, the 2 children I described above are your very own spirit, and flesh, respectively. A scraggly emaciated spirit man, and a selfish, greedy, plump kid aka, your flesh. But it gets even better, the first child, your spirit nature, is only an infant... a malnutritioned one at that... yet a newly created being that was birthed with hope and destiny in it's eyes. The latter, is a professional and haughty mischief-maker, that began enslaving the newborn from day one to do it's bidding, and to exist only for it's benefit.... all this happening with your help and approval as the parent of the house. And even worse, you daily swear up and down to your friends that the first, the newly created toddler, is your favorite child, because of this child's lovely, quiet and gentle demeanor... while you daily watch it get oppressed by it's older sibling, and only turned your head.

Believers, I am not talking about the unsaved either. I am describing the 'church', the very disciples of God. I am describing myself.

Disciples, their is work to be done! Alot of disciplining/persecuting/crucifying of the flesh, that Christians seem to run from is allowing the flesh to run rampart with his luxurious lifestyle, high-maintenance desires, need for worldly entertainement and being fed constantly... and it has tied the hands of our very spirit man, because we have unconscioulsy sold our spirit man into slavery to it's sibling, by starving it's growth and living on milk alone.. but empowering the hand of the greedy, needy flesh which has forced our spirit man to bow in fear and subjection.

And then we wonder why no signs and wonders are being performed. Frankly, it's a joke, watching us pray and ask to perform MIGHTY WORKS in Jesus' name.... because our spirit man can barely stand up and fend for itself in it's own house.. our bodies, much less in the spiritual neighborhood outside.

Bretheren, disciples, let's get to work!


"No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." (NIV)
--1 Cor 9:27


References (NKJV)

Galatians 4:29
But, as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now.

Romans 8:5
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

Romans 8:13
For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

1 Corinthians 5:5
deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

Romans 8:12
Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.