“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘This is the message from the Amen, the faithful and true witness, who is the origin of all that God has created! I know what you have done; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. How I wish you were either one or the other! But because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I am going to spit you out of my mouth!’” —Revelation 3:14-16 (GNT)
Having established in the first part of this article that Satan wants you to be spiritually cold so he can comfortably harm you, you might ask: what exactly makes a believer spiritually cold? Well, it is quite simple. The works of the flesh are the primary instruments the devil uses to cool down God’s people. Operating in the flesh keeps you in a realm where the enemy wants you to be. It is in this carnal state that he gains legal ground over your life.
So, what are the works of the flesh that make you spiritually cold? In Galatians 5:19-21, the Apostle Paul gives us a clear picture: “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” —Galatians 5:19-21 (NKJV). If you continually engage in any of these activities, you will surely grow cold. These behaviors destroy your faith while activating guilt and condemnation in your life.
Furthermore, these activities grieve the Holy Spirit and make you want to stay away from God. As long as you become comfortable avoiding God, His Word, and His work, the devil will become comfortable staying around you. Consider the case of Adam and Eve. Before they disobeyed, they loved spending time with the Lord. However, the moment they sinned, they began to hide.
When God came to the garden, He called out, “Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, ‘Where are you?’” —Genesis 3:9 (NKJV). Adam replied, “So he said, ‘I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.’” —Genesis 3:10 (NKJV). Adam condemned himself and tried to hide from his Creator because he was exposed. Unfortunately, this is exactly what the works of the flesh do to you. Sin strips you bare, making you vulnerable and fully accessible to Satan.
Many of God’s people do not understand this reality. They continue to dabble in these activities, ultimately giving Satan the legal ground to manipulate them and steal their blessings. Fortunately, you can avoid this trap altogether. By relying on the consistent help of the Holy Spirit, you can stay far away from the works of the flesh.
If you do not want to be spiritually cold, I strongly admonish you to intentionally avoid these carnal activities. No matter how enticing or fulfilling they may temporarily seem, they will do you no good. Refuse to let Satan push you in that direction. Instead, walk in the Spirit and engage in habits that kindle your passion and fire for God. When you live this way, the enemy loses all legal ground, leaving him terrified to come anywhere near you—Hallelujah!
Today’s Rhema
The works of the flesh make you spiritually cold, so stay away from them as much as you can!
Prayer
Thank You, Father, for teaching me Your Word. I receive grace today to stay away from dead works. I choose to embrace the things of the Spirit and invest my time in activities that will keep me aglow. I declare that as I do this, I am spiritually fired up, and my life becomes an uncomfortable place for Satan to dwell, in Jesus’ name! Amen!
