Although reality is where I live, and it may influence me in many ways, that same reality is run through the God factor continually. That means even though I can't deny what I see with my physical eyes, I do not let reality determine the outcome, for I know that God has the final word. I have mentioned previously that I have a toe that does not want to obey, even when I tell it to get in line, it strongly resists. My reality may say that nothing will ever change with that toe. I may well expect the pain to continue, but my God reality says that nothing is impossible to those that believe. In Mark 9:23 NLT "What do you mean if I can?" Jesus asked. "Anything is possible if a person believes."
My faith encourages me to trust my spirit man before I believe everything I see with my eyes. I want to rely more heavily on what the Spirit confirms to be true, than on the deceptive ways of the flesh. The flesh will always attempt to take me down a path of questioning my beliefs, resulting in a struggle of understanding my identity in Christ.
I have come to realize that everything I do and say goes back to how I view my life. More importantly, how I view Christ, His influence and my willingness to let Him have a voice in my life. When I look at a toe that is not in obedience with God’s word and I declare truth over what I see, I am exercising my God given authority. My freedom in exercising that authority, over what physical reality is telling me, is the difference between a believer and unbeliever. I have somewhere else to go, whereas a person without belief is left with only what physical reality is declaring to be true.
Once again it is my agreement with what the Holy Spirit is teaching me that must stand above things of the flesh. I want my flesh to function in accordance with God’s word, not the other way around.
Galatians 5:16 NIV “ So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”