Kingdom of Heaven (part 1)

Just saw an excellent movie last night, called the Kingdom of Heaven. The film is quite bloody, but chocked full of tastey bits to chew on, mull over, and really challenge you. One of the lines that comes up a lot in the movie is "I am what I am". Any of you familiar with The Prince of Egypt, or the book of Exodus will remember that that's how God identified Himself to the Jews when they were about to be released from Egyptian captivity. In this case, however, it was often people trying to justify satisfying their own destructive cravings/desires by saying "I am what I am." This is totally what the battle between the flesh and the spirit is all about in Romans 8:5-8:

"Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on
what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the
Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of
sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and
peace; The sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's
law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot
please God."

You see this battle being lost even by people in positions of religious authority, choosing their own survival over what is actually good and right and just. Choosing to live according to the Spirit, means doing what is right, even if it means putting yourself in awkward situations sometimes. There are tons of examples of this in the movie, like battles between a handful of knights against a ridiculous amount of opposing armies, Good Samaritan moments, marriage proposals, victory in defeat(that one's for Danielle!), the knights' pledge to "protect the people", alligning yourself with the oppressed rather than the oppressor, forsaking the letter of the law for the Spirit of the law, all very very good stuff.

One great quote from the movie was, "A king can influence a man, but the man's song is his own." Man, that is rich! Not only does that touch on us, that we are responsible for our own thoughts and actions, but it also is a great insight on the Sovreignty of God...Jeremiah 29:11 says, "for I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future." God has good things in store for those who want to follow Him, but it is up to us whether we obey His voice or not. What is your struggle with the flesh? The flesh wants what it wants when it wants it. The Spirit knows there is a time for everything, and waits and listens for the seasons as they come. The person who walks according to the Spirit of God is at peace, no matter what their circumstances. They do not look to other people to judge success, but they look to God, and to conscience.