Insufficiency of the Flesh conquered by a Godly Mindset

Something I’ve realized while fasting is that, we as people tend to seek temporary satisfactions. And funny enough, even though they can be quite futile, they are things most people go for and depend on. Why? Because they are immediate and easily accessible. One thing that made me think of this, is while I’m fasting, my family have friends and family over, having bought all tons of snacks and food that we don’t usually have around regularly. And my mind just spiraled, thinking, “Why now? Couldn’t they have done this next week when my fast is done? Or even before I started fasting? Why is it that the moment I start my fast, my family has been splurging on food and snacks everyday since?” (The answer to the latter being obvious, it’s because the moment you want to do something important for God, the devil uses every opportunity to try and derail you from that path).

My flesh just wants to go have at least one sweet or just one piece of braai meat. But thinking about it, what would that one piece of meat or one piece of candy suffice to in the long run? My flesh is satisfied, but what about my soul? What was the point and reason behind my fasting vs. the point of indulging my flesh with its desires?

My flesh will always want more, for my flesh is greedy. My flesh only wants things that give me satisfaction in the moment, but I gain nothing fruitful or of value, I just end up working against the Spirit. At the end of the week, on the day my fast is to end, I would just think to myself, “Why? Why would I give in to temporary temptations rather than being rooted in things that will fulfill my soul and is everlasting? Does that then have more power over me then I have over myself? Does my flesh control me that much? Are my fleshly desires more important than my spiritual growth?” At the end of the week, that piece of candy would have amounted to nothing, whereas my fasting would have amounted to much greater things. God made me realize that this was in regards to everything in life. How as we live in this world, we tend to choose the things that satisfy us in the immediate moment and the things that are readily available, rather than the things of God because, the fruits are not necessarily immediate, and it may require a bit of patience.

Choosing pride over doing something that God has called me to do for example, knowing that that thing could be a bit embarrassing or a bit inconvenient to me, whereas if I just listen to God and allow Him to guide me, I could find that that two minutes of embarrassment or ‘inconvenience’ can potentially save someone’s life for eternity, through our Father using it for His purpose… and my pride? What did it amount to? All things of this world is vanity, we will never be fully satisfied or whole without God, and all the fruits we bear would be rotten.

Lesson for the day… my God always knows best.