Luke 22:31 is a startling verse to me. It reminds me of when satan challenged God regarding Job. It says, “And the Lord said, Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.”

Jesus knew exactly what Peter would say next, and the full details of his upcoming trial by fire. What Peter didn’t know was that his pride was about to fall flat.

Our trials are like a sieve that separates the chaff from the wheat. Amos 9:9 was written about Israel, but we can apply it to our lives. It says, “For surely I will command, and will sift the house of Israel among all nations, as grain is sifted in a sieve; yet not the smallest grain shall fall to the ground.”

Faith is portrayed as a mustard seed in Luke 13:18-19. I have whole grain mustard seeds. I got one out to see if I could find a comparison for you. It fits perfectly into an ‘o’ like in you.

Yet verse 19 says that it can grow to be like a large tree that the birds nest in. Even though we go through sieve-type trials, only our pride-chaff will fall to the ground. Our grain of faith loses its covering of chaff so it can bear fruit for His glory.

1 Peter 4:1 says, “Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.”

I learned about this verse after I fell into a 6’ ravine in 1977. A friend gave me this verse as encouragement. Wow. The trial I was in had removed so many superfluous activities.

I had intentionally kept myself too busy so I didn’t have time to face unresolved issues. Why? My pride wouldn’t allow me to honestly assess my heart. Our pride-chaff blocks the humility it takes to say ‘I have sinned’ to the Lord. Even though He knows our heart, He wants us to acknowledge what He knows.

Paul recorded for us how he could be content during all the trials of his life. First let me recap from 2 Corinthians 11:23-33. Here is a list of the things he suffered for the Lord’s sake: labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, imprisoned, beaten with rods, stoned, shipwrecked, various perils, weariness, toil, sleeplessness, hunger, thirst, often fasted, cold, nakedness, plus he had a deep concern for the all the churches.

Paul’s key was recorded for us in Philippians 4:11-13. It was not a gift. He learned to be content. In order to learn something we have to practice. It takes diligence to gain a skill. Listen to his words.

“Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

We glean from several of Paul’s writings how he brought his body into subjection. Since he was a man of God’s word, I believe he disciplined his thoughts first.

1 Corinthians 9:27 says, “But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.”

Romans 7:23-25 says, “But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.”

In those three verses we see how he fought his flesh through his thoughts. He counseled Timothy to maintain a good conscience. Paul was his example. Acts 24:16 says, “This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men.”

Dialoging with thoughts of discontentment will only intensify the temptation to murmur and complain. Numbers 11:1 says that complaining displeases the Lord.

Hebrews 13:15 is a great verse to help us redirect our thoughts when we are feeling discontent. It says, “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.”

When we feel like complaining, that is the signal to break out in praise. It is a sacrifice that sends up a pleasing aroma to the Lord. Praise lifts our thoughts from off our circumstances up to Him who is Lord Over All.

There is a parable of ten lepers that were cleansed. Luke 17:11-19 is the narrative. Verse 13 says that they all lifted up their voices for Jesus to have mercy on them.

In verse 14 He told them to go show themselves to the priests. As they went, they were cleansed. Verse 15 says, “And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God.”

In verse 17 Jesus asked where the other nine were. They were healed just like the Samaritan but they went on their way with ungrateful hearts.

Prides resists God’s way. The children of Israel complained, murmured, and were very discontent. Numbers 11 is a startling account.

God delivered His people from the Egyptians. There were in severe bondage and their cry came up before the Lord. Yet, when things didn’t go their way they looked back to what use to be. Of course, they totally forgot the fact that they were abused and mistreated.

Numbers 11:4-5 says, “Now the mixed multitude who were among them yielded to intense craving; so the children of Israel also wept again and said: Who will give us meat to eat? We remember the fish which we ate so freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic.

Pride looks inward, but humility looks to the Lord. We are inept and helpless in our own strength. Pride seeks to achieve through self-effort.

Do you know why the children of Israel were looking back to temporary satisfaction? They loathed God’s provision. Verse 6 says, “But now our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!”

Lack of contentment with what means, and how the Lord is working His purposes in our lives, reveals the pride of ingratitude. His will is found in 1 Thessalonians 5:18. It says, “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

After I posted yesterday I started singing…I wandered in the barren land of sin and shame. Nothing satisfying there I found. Then to the blessed Christ one day I came. Where springs of living water did abound. Some of you may know this song so you can sing it right along with me 🙂

Thirsty? John 7:37 says, “…If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.” Verse 38 saturates our heart. It says, “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

Our hydrator is within! It’s the reservoir that is filled with His hidden word. It is there the moment our mind recalls it, or the Holy Spirit recalls it to our mind.

I love this section of Psalm 65. I like to think of it in the spiritual sense of how God’s words daily water our lives. Verses 9-11 say, “You visit the earth and water it, You greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; You provide their grain, for so You have prepared it.

You water its ridges abundantly, You settle its furrows; You make it soft with showers, You bless its growth.

You crown the year with Your goodness, and Your paths drip with abundance.”

Notes these words in just 11 verses: enrich, provide, prepared, abundantly, and bless. Drink them in and let them settle on your heart to water it.

Psalm 36:8 says, “They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, and You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.”

Romans 11:29 says, “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” Our high calling remains whether we walk in it or not.

Moses had a high calling. The Lord chose him to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt and into His land of promise. Aaron was his spokesman. Neither entered the land of promise. Why? They chose the path of their flesh.

Our flesh leads us into barren land where we become spiritually dehydrated. Think back to the prodigal son. He had everything in his father’s house. He chose to leave. His fleshly appetite left him with nothing. Luke 15:16 says, “And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.”

Yesterday I typed my devotional for November. It was about emotional hunger. When a land is in drought, everything dries up. Our lives are like land. The Lord so desires to pour out His blessings upon us. When we live for our flesh, our ‘land’ is parched.

I recently read a book written by a dermatologist. He was saying that we can drink water and still be dehydrated. Why? Our cells are not getting what they need which is water from our fruits and vegetables.

Think of this analogy. Our cells are our thoughts. They need to be saturated with the water of God’s word. When they aren’t? We become spiritually dehydrated. I love David’s words. Psalm 63:1 says, “O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land.”

Our calling is holy. 2 Timothy 1:9 says, “Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.”

Titus 3:3 is a great reminder of what He called us out of. It says, “For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another.” See how our flesh just screams out through these words!

Verse 4 starts with a but. It is connecting the former verse with God’s sovereign intervention. Verses 4-5 say, “But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.”

I stand in awe as I read these three verses together. What a masterful plan! I love Ephesians 1. Verse 4 says that He chose us before the foundation of the world. Verse 11 says, “In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will.”

Pride diligently pushes to achieve personal pursuits. Romans 6:16 says, “Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble.”

Humility diligently pursues God, and willingly submits its will to His. Romans 12:11 says, “Not lagging in diligence, fervent in the spirit, serving the Lord.”

Yesterday I read Luke 16. Verse 13 says, “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

Though this is talking about money, we can personally apply it to serving our fleshly appetites, or following the Holy Spirit. It is one or the other. We cannot be in our flesh and submit to the Holy Spirit at the same time.

In verse 15 Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees. It says, “…You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.”

Unless we train our thoughts through observing and doing what God has laid out for us in His word, we will default to our flesh. We crucify our flesh by dying to our will as we wholeheartedly embrace His. Our fleshly will bows to His highest and perfect will.

Romans 6:16 says, “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves who you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness.”

1 John 2:15 says, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

Our flesh loves the world. It came out of it. You could say that the world was our womb. Always satan’s lures appeal to our flesh. The world focuses on the things of the flesh. Verse 16 says in the Amplified says, “For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh (craving for sensual gratification) and the lust of the eyes (greedy longings of the mind) and the pride of life (assurance in one’s own resources or in the stability of earthly things)—these do not come from the Father but are from the world (itself).

Let me recapture the words. We craved things that gratified our flesh. Greedy longings filled our mind. We lived in a false assurance that we could build our lives upon anything we wanted to accomplish and then take our ease. The fallacy was that our ladder to success was on the wrong wall.

John 6:63 says, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” Joshua 1:8 says that when His word is our meditation day and night, and we observe to do it – that is the ladder that leads to the prosperous way of spiritual growth and true success.

I don’t think any of us would consciously want our will over God’s. It is the subtle insidious pull of the flesh. That is why it is called a temptation, or a lure.

We have to remember that according to Ephesians 2:3 we lived and conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, “…fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind…” Ephesians 4:18 says that we were alienated from the life of God. We knew nothing else.

Yet, when we accepted the Lord, the Holy Spirit came to dwell in us to lead us into truth that will set us free. Following Him is the path of progressive sanctification. He teaches us to not give in to our flesh by opposing it.

Luke 14:27 says, “And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.” Bearing our cross is crucifying our flesh. It is putting the temptation to death by submitting our will for His.

Jesus is our example. He was in the garden of Gethsemane. Matthew 26:38 says, “…O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”

The temptation to sin lures our flesh with something that we used to indulge in. It is so familiar that we don’t recognize it for what it is. We may play with it in our mind and the pull gets stronger. Yet the Holy Spirit is beckoning us to follow Him. At the moment of the pull, if we will say: Lord, not my willful flesh but Your will is what I want, the power of the pull is instantly broken.

I go back to my earlier illustration. The left and right magnets are opposing one another. The left hand (flesh) turns and submits to the right hand (Holy Spirit) and the fight is over. Why? We counted the cost of forfeiting what God has called us to do. We then took up our cross, crucified our flesh, and followed the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Yesterday as I read Luke 14, the Holy Spirit stopped me at the section in verses 25-33. I usually gloss over the word ‘hate’ in verse 26, but I called my pastor. He said that the Greek word for hate in verse 26 means to regard with less affection. This is the only place it is used.

This section is talking about counting the cost. As I read it over and over the Holy Spirit gave me this insight. I invite you to ponder this with me. Have I considered the cost of pushing through in my flesh only to forfeit what the Lord has called me to do?

Moses did not count the cost and forfeited going into the promised land. He was told to speak to the rock. However, in his fleshly anger he struck it. Numbers 20:12 says, “…because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” Period.

Paul is a great example for us. He was highly credentialed. He listed his fleshly accomplishments in Philippians 3:4-6. Paul said in verse 8 that all of what he had pushed to gain was but a heap of trash. Here are his words, “Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.”

When Paul counted the cost, he forsook all to follow the Lord. Luke 14:26 says that if we don’t regard our family and ourself LESS than our affection for the Lord-we cannot be His disciple.