Make No Provision

Flip Wilson, the comedian, got great mileage out of one line:  “The devil made me do it!”  There were bumper stickers, wall plaques, and many other ways people found to display this phrase.  Flip was a great comedian, but that little quote not only received much attention, it almost gave people an excuse to sin and then blame their actions on the devil.  Let’s be honest here, blaming others for our actions and sins goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve.  Adam blamed woman for his sin and Eve blamed the serpent for her indiscretion.  But, blaming someone else does not wash our sin away.  Do you realize that the devil is not our only adversary?  In fact, we have three enemies.  The devil, the flesh and the world all serve as our adversaries.  Each and every one of them seeks to destroy and even devour our souls.

So what shall we do?  What is to be our strategy against these three adversaries?  Let’s talk about just one for the purpose of this blog.  We do not often associate our flesh as being our enemy.  But, the flesh is just as evil and destructive as Satan himself.  Romans 13:10 states it this way: “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.”  The Apostle Paul had been speaking of in verse 9 about behaving properly, carousing, drunkenness, sexual promiscuity, sensuality, strife and jealousy.  His answer to defeat the flesh was to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” which is basically referring to putting on the whole armor of God spoke of in Ephesians 6:10-17 by Paul.  I absolutely agree with the Apostle that putting on the Lord Jesus Christ is the way to make no provision for the flesh in every area of our lives.  Romans speaks mainly about sexuality and sensuality, but this strategy may be applied to anything that opens the door for the enemy (Satan-flesh-world) to walk into our lives.   The term “make no provision for the flesh” is our goal.  Make no provision is to immediately show the enemy the door.  It is saying you are not welcome; you are not staying; in fact, you are leaving now; and don’t let the door hit you in the back of the head upon exiting.  Whether it is receiving or giving a negative word about another; a second look towards the opposite sex; a not so complimentary thought; a sarcastic remark supposedly made in jest; listening to that which is not uplifting, of good taste and perfectly in order.  The list is endless.  Whatever it is, if it does not glorify God, then show it the door of your eyes, mind or heart.  This way, you will be making no provision for the flesh.

So the next time something comes your way from any of your three enemies, remember to show it the door immediately as though you had just found a snake inside your house.  The emergency response should be the same.  Not now.  Not later. Not ever.  Good bye!