Wow, that title sounds harsh but it illustrates the disparity one’s flesh will feel under the presence of the Holy Spirit. In Galatians “the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh.” As I began training camp my flesh desired Chick-fil-A, but instead I received sandy grits and mystery meats. When it came to worship my flesh wanted to sit down and listen to the beautiful music, but the Spirit wanted to move throughout the room to show his real love in a place of brokenness. My flesh searched for simple prayers for myself, but the Spirit made my prayers selfless. My flesh wanted that ordinary comfortable church service, but the Spirit decided that he was going to show off by healing our brothers and sisters.
The challenge this week was not the living conditions, the terrible food, or the morning exercises. Sadly, it was my struggle with the last 21 years of my life where I had kept God in this “last aid kit” that I would only open up as a last resort. Many Americans may find themselves in this same place where we only seek God during the hard times. Training camp broke through our comfort zones to make God our “First aid kit” in which we run to him every second of everyday.
I’ve always struggled with the fact that miracles are rarely seen in the U.S., but missionaries report miracles all the time in other countries. The hypothesis for this observation reveals that we are too comfortable in our lives, which in turn puts the need for God only on Sundays. In other countries uncomfortable living is the way of life, and they are dying to know more about a God that can comfort them. If God is the comforter then how can we be comforted if we are already comfortable?
