This section of Exodus chapter 23 deals with the Lord\u2019s provision to make us His people overcomers of the flesh. The Lord\u2019s resources available to us to become overcomers are spelled out clearly in His words as follows:<\/p>\n
2Pe 1:3\u00a0 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that <\/span>pertain<\/span><\/i> unto life and godliness, <\/span>through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:<\/b>
\n2Pe 1:4\u00a0 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\nThe whole essence of our walk with Christ is that we end up being presented blameless before God. This takes a whole lifetime. Sometimes, when we focus on ourselves, we see how frail we are and our inability to live according to the standards of the Lord. The effect of this is that we become discouraged. We are therefore admonished to focus on the goal and not on the hiccups in-between. Our Lord also went through what we are going through and has become the best example of one who persevered in spite of all the odds against Him to win the prize.<\/p>\n
Heb 12:2\u00a0 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.\u00a0<\/span>
\nHeb 12:3\u00a0 <\/span>For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.<\/b>
\nHeb 12:4\u00a0 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.<\/span><\/p>\nHeb 12:12\u00a0 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;<\/span>
\nHeb 12:13\u00a0 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\nWe are therefore admonished to encourage ourselves in the Lord, just like David did when his whole world had been turned upside down.<\/p>\n
1Sa 30:6\u00a0 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: <\/span>but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.<\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\nAre you in distress, sickness, burdened with sin or facing any obstacle that you think is insurmountable? Then do as David did \u2013 encourage yourself in the Lord. To encourage ourselves in the Lord means that we do not know how things will end, but we are confident of this, that what He starts, He is able to bring to completion.<\/p>\n
Rom 8:35\u00a0 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? <\/span>shall<\/span><\/i> tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?<\/span>
\nRom 8:36\u00a0 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.\u00a0<\/span>
\nRom 8:37\u00a0 <\/span>Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.\u00a0<\/b>
\nRom 8:38\u00a0 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,\u00a0<\/span>
\nRom 8:39\u00a0 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\nToday, if you hear His voice, harden not your heart and know that the Lord is here to let you know that He cares and has provided all you need to make it to the finish line!! May His name be praised!! Let\u2019s now explore His available provision to make us His overcomers as we go through His words as follows:<\/p>\n
Exo 23:20\u00a0 Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
The Angel here is our Lord Jesus Christ who led the people of Israel to the promised Land.<\/p>\n
Amo 2:10\u00a0 <\/span>Also I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and led you forty years through the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite.\u00a0<\/b>
\nAmo 2:11\u00a0 And I raised up of your sons for prophets, and of your young men for Nazarites. <\/span>Is it<\/span><\/i> not even thus, O ye children of Israel? saith the LORD.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nDeu 1:30\u00a0 <\/span>The LORD your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes;\u00a0<\/b>
\nDeu 1:31\u00a0 And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\nWe know that Jesus Christ is the word of God. It is His words which keep us in the way and are able to bring us to the place He has prepared as stated in verse 20.<\/p>\n
Act 20:32\u00a0 <\/span>And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.<\/b><\/p>\nJoh 1:1\u00a0 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, <\/span>and the Word was God.<\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\nExo 23:21\u00a0 Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name <\/b>is<\/i><\/b> in him.<\/b><\/p>\n
This verse is another way of saying the following:<\/p>\n
Heb 12:25\u00a0 <\/span>See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more <\/b>shall not<\/i><\/b> we <\/b>escape,<\/i><\/b> if we turn away from him that <\/b>speaketh<\/i><\/b> from heaven:<\/b>
\nHeb 12:26\u00a0 Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.<\/span>
\nHeb 12:27\u00a0 And this <\/span>word,<\/span><\/i> Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.\u00a0<\/span>
\nHeb 12:28\u00a0 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:\u00a0<\/span>
\nHeb 12:29\u00a0 For our God <\/span>is<\/span><\/i> a consuming fire.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\nIn the Bible, there are several examples of those who provoked or refused to obey our Lord\u2019s voice and therefore, suffered the consequences of their actions. These are all written for our admonition upon whom \u201cthe ends of the world are come\u201d.<\/p>\n
2Pe 2:1\u00a0 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.<\/span>
\n2Pe 2:2\u00a0 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.\u00a0<\/span>
\n2Pe 2:3\u00a0 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: <\/span>whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.<\/b>
\n2Pe 2:4\u00a0 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;<\/span>
\n2Pe 2:5\u00a0 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;\u00a0<\/span>
\n2Pe 2:6\u00a0 And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n1Co 10:11\u00a0 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\nExo 23:22\u00a0 But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries.<\/b><\/p>\n
This verse assures us that our protection lies in being obedient to the Lord. Our disobedience breaks the hedge the Lord has put around us giving way for the devil (serpent) to have us as a meal (bite us). We are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.<\/p>\n
Ecc 10:8\u00a0 He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him.<\/span><\/p>\nIsa 1:19\u00a0 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:<\/span>
\nIsa 1:20\u00a0 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n1Pe 1:5\u00a0 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\nExo 23:23\u00a0 For mine Angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off.<\/b><\/p>\n
As we have indicated, the angel that shall go before the Israelites is Christ our Lord, who is the word. The Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites and the Canaanites represent the flesh or the beast within. It is the fire of His words which destroys or cuts off the enemy of our land which is our bodies. The fire of the word is the tribulation and the persecution which arises because of the word we have received, and it is these that destroy the flesh or the old man.<\/p>\n
Mat 13:21\u00a0 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, <\/span>and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word,<\/b> immediately he falls away.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\nExo 23:24\u00a0 Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images.<\/b><\/p>\n
The gods that are being referred to are the gods of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites and the Canaanites which represent the flesh. The gods of the flesh represent the deeds of the flesh to which we bow down. They are summed up as the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. We are admonished to overcome these deeds of the flesh.<\/p>\n
1Jn 2:15\u00a0 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.<\/span>
\n1Jn 2:16\u00a0 For all that is in the world\u2014the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life\u2014is not from the Father but is from the world.<\/span>
\n1Jn 2:17\u00a0 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\nExo 23:25\u00a0 And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.<\/b><\/p>\n
This verse is to show us that the Lord is not only interested in us serving Him. He is also interested in every aspect of our lives to ensure that we have all that it takes in this life to serve Him faithfully. Physically, the Lord will take care of what we eat and drink as we serve Him. There will always be bread on the table as we serve the Lord in truth and in spirit. This is all to ensure that we do not behave like people of the world whose focus in this life is what to eat and drink and being clothed.<\/p>\n
Mat 6:25\u00a0 \u201cTherefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?\u00a0<\/span>
\nMat 6:26\u00a0 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?\u00a0<\/span>
\nMat 6:27\u00a0 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?\u00a0<\/span>
\nMat 6:28\u00a0 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,<\/span>
\nMat 6:29\u00a0 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.<\/span>
\nMat 6:30\u00a0 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?<\/span>
\nMat 6:31\u00a0 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, \u2018What shall we eat?\u2019 or \u2018What shall we drink?\u2019 or \u2018What shall we wear?\u2019\u00a0<\/span>
\nMat 6:32\u00a0 <\/span>For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.\u00a0<\/b>
\nMat 6:33\u00a0 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.\u00a0<\/span>
\nMat 6:34\u00a0 \u201cTherefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\nSpiritually, what this verse is saying is that as we serve the Lord in truth and in spirit, He will enlighten our understanding regarding His word which is represented by bread and water.<\/p>\n
Isa 1:19\u00a0 If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land;<\/span>
\nIsa 1:20\u00a0 but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\nEating the good of the land is being given the privilege to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of God.<\/p>\n
Another privilege we have been given by the Lord as we serve Him, as seen in verse 25, is that He will take sickness away from our midst. Spiritually, sickness refers to sin as shown in the following verses:<\/p>\n
Isa 1:4\u00a0 Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the LORD, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged.<\/span>
\nIsa 1:5\u00a0 Why will you still be struck down? Why will you continue to rebel? <\/span>The whole head is sick, <\/b>and the whole heart faint.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nJer 6:7\u00a0 As a well keeps its water fresh, so she keeps fresh her evil; violence and destruction are heard within her; <\/span>sickness and wounds are ever before me.<\/b>
\nJer 6:8\u00a0 Be warned, O Jerusalem, lest I turn from you in disgust, lest I make you a desolation, an uninhabited land.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\nSo, the Lord taking away our sickness means He will cause us to have victory over sin. Physically, the Lord takes away our sickness by healing us from our diseases.<\/p>\n
Exo 23:26\u00a0 There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil.<\/b><\/p>\n
The Lord\u2019s elect will not cast their young. This means that the birth of the new man after the image of Christ within us shall not be aborted. That is to say that the Lord will complete what He starts within us.<\/p>\n
Php 1:6\u00a0 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform <\/span>it<\/span><\/i> until the day of Jesus Christ:<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\nBeing barren means being unfruitful. Again, the Lord assures us that we shall be fruitful, although in this life it may seem that we are being unfruitful, in the fullness of time, we shall not be barren.<\/p>\n
Gal 4:25\u00a0 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.<\/span>
\nGal 4:26\u00a0 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.<\/span>
\nGal 4:27\u00a0 <\/span>For it is written, Rejoice, <\/b>thou<\/i><\/b> barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.<\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\nIn verse 26, we are also told that the Lord will fulfill the number of our days. This means that what has been written in His book concerning us shall be fulfilled. Again, we are being encouraged by the Lord that what He starts, He will finish!!<\/p>\n
Psa 139:16\u00a0 <\/span>Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all <\/b>my members<\/i><\/b> were written, <\/b>which<\/i><\/b> in continuance were fashioned, when <\/b>as yet there was<\/i><\/b> none of them.<\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\nExo 23:27\u00a0 I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee.<\/b>
\nExo 23:28\u00a0 And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
The birth of the new man within us makes the old man within us afraid knowing that a time will come when he will be overcome completely. This is demonstrated clearly by the story of David (represents the new man) when he spared the life of Saul (representing the old man) when he saw Saul in a cave sleeping. Saul\u2019s admission that David will surely be king is to let us know that the new man will surely usurp the old man.<\/p>\n
1Sa 24:16\u00a0 And it came to pass, when David had made an end of speaking these words unto Saul, that Saul said, <\/span>Is<\/span><\/i> this thy voice, my son David? And Saul lifted up his voice, and wept.\u00a0<\/span>
\n1Sa 24:17\u00a0 And he said to David, Thou <\/span>art<\/span><\/i> more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil.\u00a0<\/span>
\n1Sa 24:18\u00a0 And thou hast shewed this day how that thou hast dealt well with me: forasmuch as when the LORD had delivered me into thine hand, thou killedst me not.\u00a0<\/span>
\n1Sa 24:19\u00a0 For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away? wherefore the LORD reward thee good for that thou hast done unto me this day.\u00a0<\/span>
\n1Sa 24:20\u00a0 And now, behold, I know well that thou shalt surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in thine hand.\u00a0<\/span>
\n1Sa 24:21\u00a0 Swear now therefore unto me by the LORD, that thou wilt not cut off my seed after me, and that thou wilt not destroy my name out of my father’s house.\u00a0<\/span>
\n1Sa 24:22\u00a0 And David sware unto Saul. And Saul went home; but David and his men gat them up unto the hold.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\nExo 23:29\u00a0 I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee.<\/b>
\nExo 23:30\u00a0 By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land.<\/b><\/p>\n
Our victory over the flesh is not a one-time victory. It is a process that takes a lifetime. Here in verse 29, we are being given a reason why our defeat of the old man or the flesh is a process that takes time. This verse is another way of saying the following:<\/p>\n
Mat 12:43\u00a0 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.<\/span>
\nMat 12:44\u00a0 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth <\/span>it<\/span><\/i> empty, swept, and garnished.<\/span>
\nMat 12:45\u00a0 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last <\/span>state<\/span><\/i> of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\nIn verse 30, we are told that the Lord wants us to increase as He drives out the old man. That is the only way that the beasts of the field will not multiply within us. The increase here refers to the growth of the new man who is after the image of Christ. As the old man continues to die, the new man also continues to grow within us.<\/p>\n
Rom 6:6\u00a0 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.<\/span><\/p>\nCol 3:10\u00a0 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\nAnother reason why the death of our old man is a process is given in the Book of Judges as follows:<\/p>\n
Jdg 3:1\u00a0 Now these <\/span>are<\/span><\/i> the nations which the LORD left, to prove Israel by them, <\/span>even<\/span><\/i> as many <\/span>of Israel<\/span><\/i> as had not known all the wars of Canaan;\u00a0<\/span>
\nJdg 3:2\u00a0 Only that the generations of the children of Israel might know, to teach them war, at the least such as before knew nothing thereof;<\/span>
\nJdg 3:3\u00a0 <\/span>Namely,<\/span><\/i> five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites that dwelt in mount Lebanon, from mount Baalhermon unto the entering in of Hamath.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\nHere in the Book of Judges, we are told that the reason that the Lord did not drive away all the enemies in the land was to teach the children of Israel how to war. In God\u2019s wisdom, He leaves some of the nations in our land to train us how to war against the flesh. This war against the flesh is about how to overcome our carnal nature.\u00a0 In the early stages of our walk with Christ when we are carnal, we are easily overcome by the flesh, and God uses this to teach us that this war against the flesh is not our fight but His. He teaches us to war by causing us to fail so that we can learn to depend on Him to overcome on our behalf. This happens only after we have gone through several cycles of defeat so that we come to acknowledge that we are the worst of sinners and that He alone can defeat the enemies on our behalf. When we have learned this lesson of knowing that we are the worst sinners and that we cannot help ourselves, except the Lord does it for us, then we have learned how to war.<\/p>\n
1Ti 1:15\u00a0 This <\/span>is<\/span><\/i> a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.<\/span><\/p>\nPsa 18:31\u00a0 <\/span>For who <\/b>is<\/i><\/b> God save the LORD? or who <\/b>is<\/i><\/b> a rock save our God?<\/b>
\nPsa 18:32\u00a0 <\/span>It is<\/span><\/i> God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.\u00a0<\/span>
\nPsa 18:33\u00a0 He maketh my feet like hinds’ <\/span>feet,<\/span><\/i> and setteth me upon my high places.\u00a0<\/span>
\nPsa 18:34\u00a0 <\/span>He teacheth my hands to war<\/b>, <\/span>so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.<\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\nVerse 34 says, \u201cHe teaches my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.\u201d We all know that a bow of steel cannot be broken by our arms. That is to show us that this war against the flesh is like breaking a bow of steel.\u00a0 Only God can accomplish it for us so that no flesh can glory in His presence!! That is why the righteous must fall seven times to know that the battle is the Lord\u2019s and that is what this cycle of defeat by Israel is all about. Falling seven times means a complete domination by the flesh.<\/p>\n
Pro 24:16\u00a0 <\/span>For a just <\/b>man<\/i><\/b> falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.<\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\nExo 23:31\u00a0 And I will set thy bounds from the Red sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto the river: for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and thou shalt drive them out before thee.<\/b><\/p>\n
This verse tells us the thoroughness of the Lord\u2019s work within us. Nothing of the enemy must remain within our members.<\/p>\n
Rom 6:12\u00a0 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.\u00a0<\/span>
\nRom 6:13\u00a0 Neither yield ye your members <\/span>as<\/span><\/i> instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members <\/span>as<\/span><\/i> instruments of righteousness unto God.\u00a0<\/span>
\nRom 6:14\u00a0 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.\u00a0<\/span>
\nRom 6:15\u00a0 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.\u00a0<\/span>
\nRom 6:16\u00a0 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?\u00a0<\/span>
\nRom 6:17\u00a0 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.<\/span>
\nRom 6:18\u00a0 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\nAny sin that is not dealt with can disqualify us from the reward. That is why we are admonished to purge out the old leaven of sin from our members.<\/p>\n
1Co 5:6\u00a0 Your glorying <\/span>is<\/span><\/i> not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?\u00a0<\/span>
\n1Co 5:7\u00a0 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:\u00a0<\/span>
\n1Co 5:8\u00a0 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened <\/span>bread<\/span><\/i> of sincerity and truth.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\nExo 23:32\u00a0 Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.<\/b>
\nExo 23:33\u00a0 They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin against me: for if thou serve their gods, it will surely be a snare unto thee.<\/b><\/p>\n
These verses continue to admonish us to get rid of all that belongs to the flesh within us. If we fail to do that, we shall end up being dominated by the flesh as we serve the god of this world. As we have indicated, this is not the work of man. We have to depend on the Lord entirely to do this work for us. If we allow our old man to dominate us, we will be ensnared to serve another Jesus.<\/p>\n
2Co 11:2\u00a0 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present <\/span>you as<\/span><\/i> a chaste virgin to Christ.<\/span>
\n2Co 11:3\u00a0 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.\u00a0<\/span>
\n2Co 11:4\u00a0 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or <\/span>