SWORD OF THE SPIRIT                                                                                               1178

“Make No Provision”

Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.

Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy.

But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. – Romans 13:11-14

The word ‘provision’ in the original Greek text is ‘pronoia’ and it has the meaning to have forethought to enable or allow for something to happen. It is a plan for sinful success and for moral failure.

For many of us as born-again Christians, the lure of a past sin life tugs and tempts our flesh to the point that some will make provision to return to that sin. It is like the addict that leaves alcohol or drugs stashed away ‘just in case’ they will need it. It is as if we think that Jesus will not return any time soon and we can indulge the flesh at least one more time.

Paul prefaces our reference Scripture with a call for the church to ‘wake up’ and be ready for the imminent return of our Lord. Jesus also taught that we need to remain vigilant, anticipating His return.

Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore, you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. – Matthew 24:42-44

You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful.- Luke 12:40,45-46

Even after being justified and saved by faith in Jesus Christ, we remain sinners by nature, and we deceive ourselves if we deny that truth.

For we all stumble in many ways. If we say that we do not have any sin, we are deceiving ourselves and we’re not being truthful to ourselves. As it is written, “Not even one person is righteous.”- James 3:2; 1 John 1:8; Romans 3:10

Paul explained it best in his letter to the Romans.

So, I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! – Romans 7:21-25

Sin begins in our minds, in our thought life. We must be vigilant in putting on the armor of light and to be transformed by the renewal of our mind through the indwelling power and presence of the Holy Spirit.

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. – Romans 12:1-2

put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. – Ephesians 4:22-24

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. – Philippians 4:8

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. – Colossians 3:1-2

We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ – 2 Corinthians 10:5

When we walk, live, and keep in step with the Spirit we are less likely to make provision for the flesh and stumble.

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. – Galatians 5:16, 24-25

What do we take away from this devotional?

1. It is time to wake up. Jesus is coming soon.
2. We must put on the full armor of the light of God to fend off the attack of the enemy.
3. We must not make provision for moral failure: Say no to certain movies, music and other forms of ‘entertainment’ that appeal to the lust of our flesh and entice us to sin.
4. Seek to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit to not gratify the desires of the flesh.

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. – 1 Peter 2:11