Affections

Then the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out thy son, that he may die: because he hath cast down the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the grove that was by it. - Judges 6:30 (KJV) The crowd’s rage was immediate and intense. Gideon had destroyed their altar to Baal, and they wanted blood in return. Their precious object of worship lay in ruins, and someone had to pay. The very thing they had poured their devotion into — their time, their resources, their hopes - was gone, and they could think of nothing but revenge. ...

And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. - Galatians 5:24 (KJV) The word “crucified” stops us in our tracks. It’s violent, final, deliberate. Paul doesn’t say we’ve simply suppressed our flesh or managed our desires—he says we’ve crucified them. This isn’t about improvement; it’s about execution. But what exactly are these “passions and desires” that compete for our hearts? Often, they’re not the obvious sins we might expect. The flesh is far more subtle than that. ...