45

45 “Your murmurings are not against us, but against the Lord.”

 Exodus 16:8

 O how the people of God could grumble! And we also find a likewise frame of mind that overlooks the provision of the Lord and we listen to our covetous hearts always wanting more. They directed their murmurings towards Moses but in reality it was against the Lord that Moses served. They wanted bread and God gave them manna. They wanted meat and God gave them quail. They wanted water and God gave them water from the rock! What a litany of wants and carnal desires! So often we also ask from God what we want and wish to enjoy in our bodies and minds. We want satisfaction in terms of this world and with no consideration of our soul’s great need of God. We carp and complain and want the satisfaction of the flesh and give in to all sorts of sins. We want food, so we eat too much and grow fat. We want drink and imbibe the wine that makes us its slave. We want bodily sexual satisfaction and so we succumb to all sorts of sexual sins.

 This is the way of this fallen world and not the way of God. God requires that we subjugate our flesh and seek the things of the Spirit. The flesh wars against the Spirit and we must put it to death.

“For if you live after the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”

Romans 8:13

As we fight the flesh, God will not leave us on our own but will give us the power to be overcomers for His sake. He will not leave us to fight and perish, but has given us His Word that we might have weapons of war against it.