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One must put Christ first, therefore putting love and truth first.
Yes, dear Sprout (mornin ', welcome back, and hope folks don't get you confused with the other 'Sprouts we have here - LOL!).
But I do need to state, to THIS:
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I'm not saying one should deny the person that they ARE but must neglect fleshly desires when one attempts a righteous path. One cannot put themselves first anymore. One must put Christ first, therefore putting love and truth first. THAT is following in Christ's steps. The desires of the flesh go against the desires of the spirit.
There's more to it than that, luv. We can't always control the flesh. Hence, "marriage" (i.e., obtained through the union of flesh and PROMISE of the spirit), is a "lawful" way to handle some of our fleshly desires.
Christ isn't teaching us to control our flesh. That was Paul. CHRIST teaches us to control... our SPIRIT... so that by means of doing THAT... we can control our FLESH. To the point of walking on water... moving mountains... hushing winds... even healing the sick/resurrecting the dead! ALL of these things are done by one thing: manipulating ENERGY. JAH's "dynamic energy"... His life, breath, blood, and seed... being THE most purest... powerful... and USEFUL (to create, produce, multiply, heal, resurrect... RESTORE)... there IS.
But because of that energy's properties... AND CAPABILITIES... it cannot be given to just ANYONE. Both the Adversary and Adham have PROVEN that. It can only be rightly possessed by those WHO CAN CONTROL THEMSELVES... in SPIRIT.
Because remember... sin... error... begins IN THE HEART. It is when we can't/don't control the HEART... the SPIRIT... that we are led... BY OUR OWN DESIRES... INCLUDING that of the flesh... TO sin/err.
Take for example the commandment "Though shall not kill." Or "Though shall not lie." NEITHER of these are TRUE. And we can KNOW this. WHY? Well, besides the fact that we must kill to eat (and note, plants die and so have life in them too and so cutting one to eat it is "killing" it because killing is ending a LIFE... PREMATURELY!)... besides killing to eat... we also kill accidentally. We will also lie to PROTECT. In which case, no sin has been committed because we protected out of LOVE... and there is NO law AGAINST love.
When we do what those two commandments ACTUALLY state, however... "Though shall not MURDER," and "Though shall not bear FALSE witness [against thy brother]"... NOW we're in the realm of the SPIRIT. Why? One word:
INTENT.
Both murder... and bearing false witness... and adultery... and covetousness... ALL if the 10... involve an INTENT to sin/err.
And that is what Christ is trying to do, trying to train us as to: our INTENT. Because UNLIKE some of the "natural" desires of our FLESH... our INTENTIONS... hail from our HEARTS. And when our HEARTS aren't controlled (in a right, LOVING way)... it leads our FLESH... TO sin/err... ON PURPOSE.
Hence, Cain MURDERING Abel. JAH SAW where his heart was leading him... and WHY. Anger is not a sin of the flesh: murdering someone is a sin of the flesh. Anger is a sin OF THE SPIRIT... which leads one TO murder, to give BIRTH to the sin, by actually COMMITTING the DEED. Had Cain listened to the WARNING... as to the sin/error of his SPIRIT... he COULD have "turned around"... and not
murdered his brother.
EVE... was DECEIVED... and so HER sin was of the flesh. ADHAM... CHOSE to sin. HIS was a sin of SPIRIT.
We who belong to Christ will someday possess the FULLNESS of God's dynamic energy. He would be a FOOL, though, would He not, to give it to beings who do not have the knowledge... or the STRENGTH... SPIRITUALLY speaking... to wield it APPROPRIATELY! We COULD begin to look at ourselves, think WE are "something,"... deserving of glory... or power... perhaps, as one has... or even begin to form a rebellion... as that one has alreaady led a vast group to do... an end up annihilating ALL creation! JUST because we are angry... or offended... at so.ething/by someone.
We, mankind, CANNOT BE TRUSTED with that kind of power! Yet. NOT until we are TRAINED. And there is only ONE Who can train us! Because only One... has PROVEN... that HE can HAVE such power and yet NOT rebel... NOT try to usurp and take over... NOT tear down/destroy... but SUBMIT (to the will of the One Who GAVE that power TO him)... build UP... and RESTORE.
That One is my Lord, and Lord of many here, the HOLY One of Israel and Holy Spirit, JAHESHUA, the Chosen One of JAH ( MischaJah ).
And that, these truths, are what Abraham, Joseph, Moses, etc., and the Laws THESE knew and passed on were all about: CONTROLLING ones SPIRIT... and so one's THOUGHTS... SO AS TO control one's "flesh".... meaning control one's ACTIONS. Whether in fleshly OR spirit body, but CERTAINLY in spirit body.. for the FUTURE of the CREATION.
If we don't control our spirits... and the "fruits" of the flesh that can lead it to destruction (i.e anger, jealousy, envy, murder, etc., ) then there is NO way we can be entrusted with the POWER given those of the kingdom of God! Imagine, dear one, the ENTIRE creation in the hands of angry, jealous, envious, murderous PEOPLE! We SEE how that looks from a PHYSICAL perspective, as run by mortal man. Imagine it... run by the same but IMMORTAL man!!
And so Christ is trying to teach us, Israel, a "surpassing" way to control our spirits... and thus our flesh: love. Not just for those WE love or those who love US... not just for the earth and it's creatures and features... but even... for our ENEMIES. Because THAT'S how far he had to take HIS love... in order to PROVE himself the Son of God... so as to INHERIT and thus RECEIVE the kingdom.
I hope this helps, dear one. Not just as to why we need to learn to control our spirits to show others GOOD... but also to show WHY we must do so: the power and glory (of JAH's dynamic energy) thar is to he given us. We MUST know how to wield it so as to not destroy ALL creation, utterly. Christ is the only Teacher GUVEN us for that lesson.
And that is why it MUST be ALL... and ONLY... about him: a slave is NOT greater than his/her MASTER.
Peace to you!
YSSFS of Christ,
Shel