This lesson helps us understand what keeps us from having the faith that pleases the Lord God.
Read Scripture: Romans 8:6–7
“For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so.” (Romans 8:6–7, NASB)
Memory Verse: 2 Corinthians 10:5
“We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5, NASB)
Reference Scripture: Isaiah 55:8–9
“‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,’ declares the LORD. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.’” (Isaiah 55:8–9, NASB)
When we accept Jesus Christ, the problem of sin is solved. When we have the perfect faith that pleases the Lord God, nothing is impossible. We can have fellowship with the Lord God and always live with joy and happiness. We can also receive answers to whatever we ask, so there is nothing more we could desire.
However, many people say, “Lord, Lord,” but still do not have perfect faith. Therefore, they cannot please the Lord God. Why do they fail to have perfect faith even though they say they believe? What keeps them from having it?
1. Fleshly Thoughts That Hinder Faith
From birth, people store in their minds what they see, hear, and learn. A thought comes when the mind brings back the knowledge stored in it. There are two kinds of thoughts: fleshly thoughts and spiritual thoughts.
The Bible often uses the word “flesh” in a spiritual sense rather than to mean the human body. Romans 8:8 says:
“And those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8:8, NASB)
In a spiritual sense, “flesh” means the human body joined with sinful nature. It includes hatred, anger, judgment, condemnation, jealousy, and pride. These things may not yet appear in a person’s actions. However, they are untruthful qualities that may later lead the person to act in sinful ways.
When people think based on this flesh, evil thoughts that oppose the will of the Lord God arise. These are called “fleshly thoughts.” In other words, they are thoughts of untruth.
Spiritual thoughts are the opposite. They come when we bring back the knowledge of truth that agrees with the will of the Lord God. In other words, they are thoughts of truth.
For example, someone may treat you rudely or unfairly criticize you. If your pride is hurt and unpleasant thoughts arise, these are fleshly thoughts. A person with these thoughts may express those uncomfortable feelings through words. Even if the person does not speak, they may feel hurt, become troubled, and suffer in their heart.
The Lord God tells us to serve others, humble ourselves, and seek the good of others. However, a person may think that obeying these words will cause a loss. This is also a fleshly thought. If we do not cast away such thoughts, we cannot obey the Word. We also cannot receive the blessings that the Lord God gives.
The main reason people have fleshly thoughts is that untruth, which is the flesh, remains in their hearts. If I have only the knowledge of truth within me, I will naturally have only spiritual thoughts. However, many people cannot clearly tell truth from untruth. Therefore, even when they try to have spiritual thoughts, they may unknowingly think according to untruth.
For example, a book may teach that taking revenge on the person who killed one’s parents is righteous. After reading such a book, a person may easily accept this value as truth. However, according to the Word of the Lord God, it is not truth at all. The Lord God tells us to love our enemies and forgive even up to seventy times seven times (Matthew 18:22).
If we have this knowledge of truth, we can try to have spiritual thoughts even when we see someone who causes us pain. We can think, “I should forgive this person. I should love this person.”
However, a person who has knowledge of untruth that opposes the Word of the Lord God will think, “That person is evil, so I can never love them.” Such a person lives according to their own values. In this way, fleshly thoughts keep us from obeying the Word of the Lord God. Therefore, we cannot have perfect faith.
2. All Theories That Go Against the Word of the Lord God
A theory is a system of ideas. It is built on certain knowledge to explain the principles or events of the world. Some theories oppose the Word of the Lord God. Such theories keep people from having spiritual faith.
Theories and knowledge have greatly helped human civilization develop. However, this does not mean that all of them are truth.
A theory is only a system of ideas built on human understanding and concepts. Therefore, there may be several theories about the same event. A theory that was considered right in the past may later be considered wrong.
Theories can also change according to the time and culture. Some theories are true, but many contain untruth. If people hold firmly to such knowledge and theories, it is difficult for them to believe in the works of the Lord God. They also cannot obey His Word.
For example, the Bible says that the Creator God created human beings. However, schools teach that human beings evolved from apes. The theory of evolution is only a hypothesis. If people accept it as fact, it becomes difficult for them to believe in the Creator God. How can a person who puts human thoughts and experiences first believe in the Lord God, who created something from nothing?
If people try to make the Word of the Lord God fit their own knowledge and theories, it is difficult for them to have perfect faith. Therefore, it is very important to use the Word of the Creator God to tell truth from untruth.
To have perfect faith that pleases the Lord God, we must destroy every fleshly thought that clearly belongs to untruth. We must also destroy all theories built on the wrong knowledge of this world.
3. How Can We Destroy Fleshly Thoughts and All Theories?
Jesus said:
“But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also.” (Matthew 5:39–40, NASB)
We cannot obey these words of the Lord God unless we destroy fleshly thoughts and all theories.
Therefore, Romans 8:7 says:
“Because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so.” (Romans 8:7, NASB)
Second Corinthians 10:5 also teaches us:
“We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5, NASB)
How can we destroy fleshly thoughts and all theories so that we can obey the Word of the Lord God? Suppose thoughts such as “I do not like this,” “I hate that person,” “I feel hurt,” or “This is too difficult” arise in your mind. You must first stop and say, “No, my thoughts may be wrong!” Fleshly thoughts make us suffer more as we continue thinking about them.
Next, we must find the root of the fleshly thoughts that are hostile toward the Lord God. If thoughts such as “I do not like this person” or “I hate this person” arise, they show that hatred is within us. If someone’s disrespectful words hurt us, it shows that we have pride or arrogance. We must carefully examine our actions and hearts. Then we can find and cast away the evil at the root.
Therefore, to cast away fleshly thoughts and all theories, we must diligently take the Word of the Lord God as spiritual food and practice it. We must remove the darkness of untruth from our hearts. This includes hatred, anger, jealousy, judgment, and pride. We must fill our hearts with the light of truth, such as love, understanding, forgiveness, service, and peace.
For example, a person who hates a brother hears the command, “Love your enemies.” Simply knowing this command does not remove hatred or enable the person to love. It is also not enough only to pray, asking to be able to love an enemy.
To remove the untruth of hatred, the person must first repent completely. They must remember the love of the Lord, who forgave them. They must also keep trying to love the other person. They need active deeds of love, such as smiling first or giving the person a gift.
At the same time, they should pray and fast to receive the grace and power of the Lord God. Then the nature of hatred will be pulled out, and love will fill its place.
When we remove every kind of untruth in this way and fill our hearts with truth, we will no longer have fleshly thoughts. When we cast away fleshly thoughts and destroy the theories that we believe are right, we can joyfully obey the Word of the Lord God.
To destroy all theories means to completely reject any knowledge or theory learned from the world when it goes against the Word of the Lord God.
Only the Word of the Lord God is truth. Therefore, we must pray fervently to destroy fleshly thoughts and theories that do not agree with His Word. Then the Helper, the Holy Spirit, will help us. We will be able to destroy and cast them away.
I hope that you will completely destroy every fleshly thought and theory that keeps you from believing in the all-knowing and all-powerful Creator God. Then you will receive answers to whatever you ask and live a life in which all things go well.
