The teacher gave her fifth grade class an assignment: Have your parents tell you a story with a moral at the end.
The next day the kids came back and one by one began to tell their stories. “Johnny, do you have a story to share?”
“Yes ma’am. My daddy told a story about my Aunt Carol.
She was a pilot in Desert Storm and her plane got hit. She had to bail out over enemy territory and all she had was a small flask of whiskey, a pistol and a survival knife.
She drank the whiskey on the way down so it wouldn’t break, and then, her parachute landed right in the middle of twenty enemy troopers.
She was able to shoot fifteen of them with the gun until she was out of bullets, she killed four more with the knife, till the blade broke, and then she killed the last Iraqi with her bare hands.”
“Good Heavens” said the horrified teacher.
“What kind of moral did your daddy tell you from this horrible story?” “Stay away from Aunt Carol when she’s drinking.”
This humorous story leads us to the moral of our story, which is seen in vs. 11 of our passage, 1 Peter 2:9-11:
“Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.”
The Flesh targets our Soul, which is our mind, will, and emotions, in the spiritual battle in our lives.
Verses 9-10 of our passage give us ammunition against fleshly temptations.
First, we need to remember who we are in Christ, vs. 9a.
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession.”
Because of our identity in Christ, we are God’s treasured possession.
Knowing we are a treasured possession of our Heavenly Father leads us to treasure Him more than fleshly desires.
Second, we need to practice praising our Savior, vs.9b.
“So that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”
When we are focused on Christ, we can tap into His strength against our fleshly desires.
Third, we need to join together with other believers, vs. 10.
“Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.”
Through our identity in Christ, we are literally God’s people, and we, as believers, together are part of the Body of Christ who can intercede for and support one another.
Let’s fight the war together, since these 3 things give us ammunition against fleshly temptations.
Blessings!
Pastor Ken Keeler, Director of Church Ministries ELM Philly