Scripture to Read: 1 Corinthians 6:13
God had Paul write this in 1 Corinthians 6:13, “Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food, but God will do away with both of them. Yet the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body.” We know the Christians in Corinth struggled with pride, and we know they needed guidance on how to deal with civil disputes, but they also struggled with sexual immorality. As God had Paul write 1 Corinthians 6:13, God had Paul illustrate how food is for the stomach and God designed the stomach for food. We know we depend on food to nourish us. When we’re hungry, we eat because we know we not only want it but need it. But then, God had Paul tell the Christians that He would one day do away with both of them. When we go home to be with our Lord, we will not depend on food; even though there will be food in heaven, our appetite will not control us. The Christians in Corinth probably used the excuse that if they were hungry, they ate; therefore, if they had sexual desires, they had the right to meet those desires as they wanted also. But God said, “No, your body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body.” As Christians, we don’t have the right to fulfill our fleshly desires, but we must submit to our Lord and crucify those fleshly desires so that Christ is honored through every decision we make.
Challenge & Application
What current fleshly desires are you struggling with, and how are you learning to crucify them so that God is honored in your life?
What scriptures are you memorizing to defeat the fleshly desires that you’re struggling with?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!