Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
In Romans 6, the apostle Paul says, 5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.
Before we were born again, we followed our own flesh ... hating one another, envying one another, seeking various sexual sins, being in pursuit of self gratification in clothing, cars, houses and many other things of this world.
After we were born again, we had a desire toward the word of God. But often we were still servicing the flesh though we wanted to do the "law" of God and please God after we were born again.
Paul speaks of this problem in Romans 7 ... (NASB) ... 14 For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. 15 For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. 16 But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. (Because Paul did not want to do the other but agreed with the Law, he was confessing that the Law is good.)
By not wanting to do that thing of our flesh, we agree with God.
This is important. We want to do the "law of God" ... Therefore we confess by our desire to do the law of God that the Law is good.
But we have our own flesh to contend with. And the way of the flesh is opposite to the law of God.
And what is it the flesh wants to do: Gal. 5 ... 19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like:of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
So with the mind we desire to serve God ... but with the flesh we serve the sin of the flesh. These two things war inside us ... the flesh and the Spirit.
Do we ever get rid of the flesh? When we die we rid ourselves of this flesh.
So Paul tells us we must keep our flesh under control. I Cor. 9 So we can run this race with the goal of winning the race.
24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. 25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection:lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
We, who are of God, cannot allow ourselves to be led by our flesh. We can't be led by emotions. We can't be led by "how we feel".
Instead we must keep these fleshly things under control of the Spirit and choose the way of the Spirit and follow the Spirit ... keeping under our body and bringing it into subjection, as Paul said.
Which did Christ choose? HIS own preference or the will of God?
Phil. 2 ... 1 If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, 2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
In Romans 6, Paul says if our likeness is unto HIS death then our resurrection will also be like unto HIS.
So what was Jesus death like? Jesus always did the will of God rather than HIS own will and Jesus followed God even unto death, even the horrible death of the cross. Jesus did not want to die on a cross. Three times Jesus prayed that this cup be removed from HIM. But Jesus went to the cross because it was the will of God and because it fulfilled the scripture that one die for all.
Each time we do a scripture, giving up our own will and our own way and our own fleshly preferences, we are buried again unto "His likeness."
We want to hate. We choose to forgive.
We want to obtain friends, family, things of this world. We choose to do the will of God and suffer rebuke of the people of the world for the sake of God. We lay down our flesh for HIM, over and over.
This is the way of the cross.
There is only one way. We cannot be double minded. Over and over we choose to put the flesh down and do the will of God in the matter at hand. We choose to be led by the Spirit, not allowing our own flesh to rule us. We choose to do scripture over our feelings. This is the way to God.
Thus Paul says: I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Phil. 4:13
The flesh wants to go one way but the Scripture tells us to go another way. We crucify the flesh by choosing to do the scripture over and over. We refuse to follow what the flesh wants to do as we make ourselves do what the scripture tells us to do.
For example: Do we really want to forgive that person who offended us? Or do we want to see that person get what is coming to him for what he did?
The thing that enables us to forgive is the remembrance of some of those things we did in the flesh and how God forgave us. How can we then want that other person to get what is coming to him when we didn't get what was coming to us because God swooped down and pulled up out of our sinful lives and set us in HIS life, not because we were worthy but simply because it was God's will to change us and free us.
Gal. 5 ... 16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh:and these are contrary the one to the other:so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
(By walking in the Spirit we fulfill the law ... for here are the works of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: Gal. 5)
So instead of doing what our flesh wants to do, we learn to do love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.
Paul said: I die daily ... I Cor. 15:31
And we, too, die daily by choosing to do a scripture over our own desire.
Thus we end up walking in the Spirit rather than walking in the flesh. And we get stronger as we follow the Spirit. But the weakness of the flesh is always there and until death we have to keep our fleshly emotions under control of the Spirit by a deliberate act of our will, by doing the way of the Spirit through prayer and by doing scripture as directed by the Spirit in the matters at hand.
Thus Paul says ...18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: Romans 7