Satan is our enemy and he is on the prowl
(John 8:43-44) Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.
Choosing the spirit over the flesh is not about choosing the abstract over the concrete, the invisible over the visible, or the logical over the heartfelt. Works of the flesh are those life-destroying acts which suck the beauty out of our lives and make all of our encounters with the physical world into nervous consumption and restless performance.
You and I are accepted, fully and totally by God, now, always, without condition, without deserving, without question. To be accepted in this way means to be cherished, to be loved, and to be guarded from ultimate evil. It means that who we basically are is valued, honored and respected. It means that we don’t have to earn or deserve such care; it is simply there for us, ours as a gift outright. The grace of God is given to us at God’s initiative. It is an expression of God’s love for us, of God’s desire, of God’s unconditional acceptance, and an expression of the very nature of God’s being.
God’s love for you is unconditional and undeserved. He loves you in spite of your disobedience, your weakness, your sin and your selfishness. He loves you enough to provide a way to abundant eternal life. From the cross Christ cried out, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing.”
