Some people may struggle continually in their walk with God. They always seem to stumble and fall, however. Often times they start with a burst, but then end up burning out and feeling hopeless and defeated. This is because so many Christians are trying to "fix" the flesh. They are trying to improve it by abstaining from evil things, make commitments, attend church regularly, be accountable, and so forth.. but those are just works and attempts done in the flesh. Unfortunately, that is a guaranteed failure.
Nothing in the flesh can please God. The Bible tells us that in Romans 8:8. A Christian can do many wonderful works in the flesh, profess godliness (you can be "Godly" and not have God), never miss a church service, and be to what the world thinks: "an excellent Christian" or a "very godly person!" But unfortunately, for the majority of them, they will face Christ and say that they have done so many wonderful things in His name, but He will turn to them and say, "depart from me, I never knew you"
"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." Matt 7:21-23
Those people that were rejected by Christ did many wonderful things in His name.. but that doesn't mean they were IN Him. How many of us claim His name, but are not IN Him? Unfortunately, too many. They weren't doing the will of the Father in heaven although they thought they were by doing those works. What is the will of the Father? It is for us to receive the one whom He has sent. (John 6:40).The will of the Father is not for those in the flesh to earn points with Him by their dead works, but to die in the flesh and live again in the Spirit through His Son Jesus Christ.
Those who did those many wonderful works were called workers of iniquity. That is because they were still in the flesh! The flesh = iniquity. If you are in the flesh, you are in iniquity, period.
God only recognizes those in the Spirit as His. He will not accept the flesh. Just like Hagar and Ishmael had to be cast out (flesh cast out), so that Sarah and Isaac would remain and be heirs (Spirit can only remain and inherit the promise), God will cast out those in the flesh in spite of all their wonderful works, and only those in the Spirit will remain. (read Galatians 4).
My friend G also wrote that God only accepts one offering, what is pleasing to Him and rejects all other. Cain offered what he thought was sufficient, but God rejected his offering. Abraham offered his son, but God stopped Him and provided him with a ram tangled in the bushes for an offering. God doesn't want our offerings, or what we may think is sufficient to please Him. He only demands one offering- His Son.
We can try to "fix" our flesh, and wrap it in a pretty package for God, but He does not want it. It will be rejected. Just like how Cain prepared a basket of fruit that he worked hard to grow.. he was giving God what He thought was good, and was proud of. God wants what He demands. What can we do? Nothing. Only God can draw us to His Son, whose blood and Spirit transforms us after His image, and from that point on.. we are a new person in Him.
What is it to be born again? It is not a repented, fixed, glorified flesh. It is dead flesh. We must die to the flesh, die to the lineage of the first Adam, and be born again in the Spirit, but it is not by ourselves, but BY the Spirit. We have to be born into this new generation where Christ is the second Adam, and the first in this Spiritual lineage. You are no longer this person that you were in the flesh, but have become a part of this Spiritual lineage, as a heir and a son of God. The Bible says that this must happen for us to enter the kingdom of heaven, and there is no other way.
When He looks at us, let Him see His Son in us, not our own "glorified" flesh. We need the blood of the spotless lamb without blemish over our doorpost and the angel of death will pass over us. Jesus is that passover lamb.
So.. there is absolutely nothing YOU can do to please God or to offer what you think is sufficient for God. It is not hopeless although it may sound like it.. but trust in God, realize you have failed, and will forever fail no matter how hard you try, but trust in the victory of His Son. It is not by our lives that we are saved, but by HIS alone. Know the truth and it will set you free. Humble yourself before God's sovereignty and in His Son's completed work. He will do the rest.
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