In John 10:10, Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
Today, His desire is that you experience life to the full. Not just a little life. Not some or most of life. He wants you to experience life to the full.
I think if we’re honest, most of us would say we’re not experiencing life to the full. So what’s gone wrong?
I actually only quoted the second half of John 10:10. The first half says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy…” Jesus desires to give us life to the full, but Satan also has a desire and that’s to steal from us, kill us and destroy us.
In Romans 8:5-8, Paul gives us some insight into how this happens:
5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
If you have placed your faith in Christ to forgive your sin, then your old, sinful nature died. You now have a new nature that is alive and able to relate to God. But we still have this part of us called “the flesh” that hangs around. It’s that internal desire that still wants to resist God.
Think of the flesh as that part of us that wants to get legitimate needs met in illegitimate ways. God has created us with healthy appetites and desires for love, sex, food, significance, pleasure, etc. And God has also prescribed healthy boundaries around each of those to protect us and provide for us.
For example, sex is an incredible gift from God. It’s meant to join a husband and wife on a physical, emotional and spiritual level. Within marriage, it’s a gift to be enjoyed with great freedom and frequency. That’s the boundary that God has put in place: marriage.
So what does Satan attempt to do? He uses this world system to appeal to our flesh to step outside the boundary. Just as he tempted Eve to eat what God had forbidden, he whispers to the single person, “Did God really say not to have sex? Come on, God didn’t really mean that. If you really care about the person, then it’s okay to do it. Go ahead, you’ll see…”
Or he’ll tempt a husband or wife to stray outside their marriage. “If you’re spouse isn’t going to meet your needs, then you deserve this. No one will find out. You’re not the one who’s at fault anyway.”
It’s a battle for control of our minds. If we set our minds on the flesh, then we will live according to the flesh. The more time and attention we give to the flesh, the stronger it gets and the harder it is to resist.
Satan appeals to our flesh. He tempts us to get our needs met on his terms, not God’s.
What Satan doesn’t tell us is that what he’s tempting us to do will eventually lead to death. Death of a relationship. Death of a family. Death of our reputation. Death of our fellowship with God.
Satan’s temptations wouldn’t be effective if he ever told us the truth, would it? No one would willingly choose death. But he’s a deceiver and a liar, so he never tells us that feeding our flesh by getting our needs met outside of God’s boundaries leads to bondage, addiction and death.
God’s plan is for life though. Those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires and it leads to life and peace. As we set our minds on the Spirit’s desires, we grow stronger. We know God better. We trust Him more. We experience more of His power. We become more and more like Christ. Our minds come under God’s control.
We all get to decide today whether we’re going to feed the flesh or feed the Spirit. The one we feed more gets stronger.
Many of us find ourselves entrenched in sin with little hope of escape. We’ve been in bondage to it for so long that it has defined us. We’ve tried to get out and maybe even experience success for a few days or even weeks, but then we’re right back into it and feel worse than ever.
Maybe your desire for sin feels so strong because your desire for God feels so weak. Yes, you need to do your best to stop feeding the flesh, but at the same time, you need to be feeding the Spirit.
It’s probably a good idea to watch less television and spend less time on the internet, but just trying to starve the flesh isn’t enough. Also spend generous amounts of time in God’s word, so you’ll begin to think His thoughts, not the world’s.
If your iPod is loaded with garbage–remove it and replace it with some really good worship music.
If you have “friends” who aren’t a very good influence, then make the wise choice to move on and find real friends who will encourage your relationship with God, not tempt and encourage you to sin.
Life to the full is yours. Jesus desires it for you. You and I just have to want it more than we want the desires of the flesh.
Remember, it’s a battle for your mind. Whoever gets control of your mind wins.