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no provision for the flesh

"But put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts." Romans 13:14

This is a good reminder in the daily battle against sin. As John Owen puts it in his book on the mortification of sin - know your weaknesses, know where you are tempted - not so you can excuse your sin (oh, I'm predisposed to fear therefore it's part of my personality and not really a sin issue), but so that you can wage war against it. Of course, there is a balance to making no provision for the flesh, meaning this...I shouldn't expect my life to be without temptation. I shouldn't expend all my energies so that I think I will never be tempted to sin. I think it's a good idea to make a conscious effort to not walk by the doughnut aisle at the grocery store if you are tempted to splurge and overeat, for example. We still, however, must live in this world and therefore, sin is going to find us - because it is in us. We are sinners. That's what we do. Only by the grace and mercy of Christ are we becoming righteous.

There is definitely something to be said about making "roadblocks" whether physical or mental that keep us from going where we know we are so tempted. One HUGE "roadblock" on the path to sin is reading and meditating on the Scriptures...especially passages that help us see the particular struggle in the light of the TRUTH. Another "roadblock" for me sometimes, especially in my current state, is realizing that I'm not God and I can't do everything and resting. Other roadblocks? Prayer. Accountability with your spouse and other friends. Then more specifically, planning out "things I will not do" - like walking by the doughnut aisle. One time not so long ago, I realized that I was really battling with eating sugar. My attitude toward something sweet was idolatrous. I HAD to have sugar or I was aggravated, angry, etc. It definitely passed the "is-this-an-idol?" test of "1. Will I sin to get it? (yes) 2. Will I sin if I don't get it? (yes)" I took a season to remove sugar and eventually artificial sweeteners from my diet. It was really hard. But it forced me to take a good look at my heart. When the battles came every night after dinner I knew that I must look to Christ who provided a way to escape temptation. Some might say that I'm going overboard. That I'm taking things too seriously. But to that I would say, "you don't really know my heart" and how fast I'd sell God down the river for "x-y-z".

When Paul says in the verse "make NO provision for the flesh" I tend to think that he means it.

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