The Flesh Profits Nothing

Probably the most common reason people erroneously think they will spend eternity in heaven is for being a good person. Certainly, we are to be doers of God’s word. Yet Jesus did not base His worthiness on the good works He did on earth but simply followed the Father’s instructions. The gospel of John in particular has many Scriptures emphasizing this truth...

“Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.” - John 5:19

“I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.” - John 5:30

“When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.” - John 8:28 

“If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.” - John 8:54

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” - John 15:5 

Jesus also said in John 6:63, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.” Many times people do seemingly good things out of their own strength without seeing positive results. One example in the Bible can be found in John 21...

3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We are going with you also.” They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing. 

4 But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 

5 Then Jesus said to them, “Children, have you any food?”

They answered Him, “No.”

6 And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish.

Peter was called to preach the gospel but briefly went back into fishing after denying the Lord. Jesus still helped him make a miraculous catch of 153 fish. Peter was soon restored and later on the Day of Pentecost preached a sermon that resulted in 3,000 salvations (Acts 2:41).

A few times I’ve been in financial need on the mission field and attempted to do things to bring in money without success. One night I found myself stranded in San Antonio and tried contacting a friend who had recently offered to send a donation towards my next Germany trip. I wanted to use the money instead to get me out of Texas. Despite making several phone calls, I couldn’t reach my friend. To make a long story short, God kept me in San Antonio for a couple of more weeks to do street ministry there until donations came in from other sources that enabled me to leave town.

I’ve met fellow missionaries who were heavily in debt at the time the Lord instructed them to walk away from their jobs but eventually became debt-free. One of them is a former chiropractor who has carried a wooden cross in various cities (à la Arthur Blessitt). At one point this man briefly returned to secular work wanting to make payments towards his debts. None of those jobs he landed worked out. Not long after making a firm decision to resume carrying the cross, a couple approached him offering to pay off all his debts. In an instant, this missionary was cleared of a $167,000 debt load. 

Smith Wigglesworth once said, “You must come to see how wonderful you are in God and how helpless you are in yourself.” Philippians 4:13 tells us we can do “all things through Christ” who strengthens us. Colossians 1:10 says we are to be “fruitful in every good work.” So if your life isn’t progressing like it should, ask the Lord where you may be missing it. A simple act of obedience can bring the sudden breakthrough you’ve been believing for.

“Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.” - Psalm 127:1

Holy Smoke

Yesterday afternoon I went evangelizing on the streets of Haverhill, Massachusetts (just north of Boston) and saw 19 people pray to receive salvation. One of them was a young man who once had another preacher tell him smoking sends people to hell and even showed him Scripture supposedly supporting that belief. I responded by making a comment I’ve told many other smokers; “Smoking won’t send you to hell but it will make you smell like you’ve been there…and if you don’t know Jesus, smoking can help send you to hell much quicker.”

Some Christians believe if a person really gets saved, he or she would stop smoking immediately. I have seen instances (including one yesterday) when people tossed their lit cigarettes before praying to get born again. Then again, there was another man who asked me to pray for him and then lit up a cigarette while receiving salvation. This man thanked me for the prayer afterward even though he continued smoking. Romans 10:13 says, “Whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.” Giving up smoking is not a prerequisite for entering through the Pearly Gates.

Certainly, I don’t approve of smoking. As a boy, I had to put up with relatives who were chain smokers. That was enough of a deterrent for me from getting started on that nasty habit. Before I gave my life to the Lord, I worked as a disc jockey in nightclubs and at wedding dances where I was often surrounded by smokers.  I got used to that kind of environment, but could no longer tolerate being in smoke-filled places after resigning from nightclub work.

I would agree that smoking is a sin because it damages a person’s health. On the other hand, there are other habits destructive to the human body. Christians who willfully abuse their health by overeating or drinking alcoholic beverages are being a poor witness to non-believers observing them. We are to be living epistles (2 Corinthians 3:2-3) and good stewards of our bodies. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

Evangelist Nick Kinn often testifies the day after he got born again, he read the gospel of John with a cigarette in one hand and a beer in the other. Just over a year later, Nick was so full of God’s Word that he no longer desired those vices. Psalm 119:9 says, “How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.” Brother Nick didn’t give up smoking and drinking because someone beat him over the head with a Bible. He took it upon himself to desire more of God and has since preached the gospel in numerous cities and countries.

Reading the Bible causes our thoughts to line up with God's will. So if you have an addiction that’s hindering your walk with the Lord, feed on the word more. I also encourage you to build up your spirit by praying in the Holy Ghost (Jude 20). God will give you victory over fleshly habits if you put your trust in Him.

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

- Philippians 4:13