House of Hope Online

May 10, 2026

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Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers.  I sincerely hope you have a blessed day today, and I hope today’s word is a blessing to you.

Jesus made a profound statement about the importance of distinguishing between the Spirit and the flesh. 

John 6:

 63 “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.

The Greek word for “flesh” in this verse is “sarx” and in addition to referring to our bodily flesh, this word also means our human nature with its physical and moral frailties and passions. Our human nature is to focus on ourselves and on our circumstances in the natural realm, instead of on what is happening in the Spirit realm.  The word “flesh’ is anything we do or think that satisfies self physically, mentally, or emotionally, and gives no consideration to spiritual or eternal things.

The significance of Jesus’ words in verse 63 can be better understood by looking at the broader context of these words from John 6.

Keep in mind that Jesus had just miraculously fed 5,000 and then walked on the water.

John 6:

26 Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves, and were filled.

 27 “Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man shall give to you, for on Him the Father, [even] God, has set His seal.”

 28 ¶ They said therefore to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?”

 29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”

Working for “food which perishes” is what we do when we try to satisfy ourselves.  Jesus is telling us to focus on eternal things, that is, things of the Spirit.  The people were asking what they could do to work the works of God.  That is a fleshly question.  Jesus corrected them, saying believe in the Spirit realm that God sent Him, and you will be working the works of God.

Believing that God sent Jesus was a difficult word for the Jewish people.  As this conversation continued, it became clear that Jesus’ words were in the Spirit, but the people were listening in the flesh.

John 6:

 47 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life.

 48 “I am the bread of life.

 49 “Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.

 50 “This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.

 51 “I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he shall live forever; and the bread also which I shall give for the life of the world is My flesh.”

 52 The Jews therefore [began] to argue with one another, saying, “How can this man give us [His] flesh to eat?”

 53 Jesus therefore said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves.

 54 “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.

 55 “For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink.

 56 “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.

 57 “As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also shall live because of Me.

 58 “This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate, and died, he who eats this bread shall live forever.”

 59 These things He said in the synagogue, as He taught in Capernaum.

 60 ¶ Many therefore of His disciples, when they heard [this] said, “This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?”

 61 But Jesus, conscious that His disciples grumbled at this, said to them, “Does this cause you to stumble?

 62 [“What] then if you should behold the Son of Man ascending where He was before?

 63 “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.

 64 “But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him.

 65 And He was saying, “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me, unless it has been granted him from the Father.”

 66 As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew, and were not walking with Him anymore.

 67 Jesus said therefore to the twelve, “You do not want to go away also, do you?”

 68 Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life.

 69 “And we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.”

Now this passage of scripture is loaded with lessons, but the word for us today is the analogy of the Old Testament manna God provided to satisfy the fleshly need for food, and the New Testament Bread of Life, Jesus, which God provided in the Spirit realm for eternal life.  Jesus provides our physical needs in this life but also our spiritual need for salvation.

Jesus was discussing this powerful spiritual truth that He is the Bread of Life, and we must eat that Bread to have life.  However, the people were hearing Him in the flesh, according to the natural realm, and the idea of eating his flesh sounded like heresy, like cannibalism, so they were not able to understand.  They were seeing Jesus in the flesh, and not seeing or hearing Him in the Spirit realm, in the Heavenly realm, in the miracle realm.

This happens today when people read the Bible with their minds and without the revelation of the Holy Spirit.  God’s word is a mystery to the human mind.  In fact, the Bible says God will confound the wisdom of the wise, meaning He will outsmart those who worship self, who worship their own intelligence.  We talked a couple sessions ago about the incomprehensible nature of the love of God.  Who can fathom the wisdom of the word without the counseling and revelation of the Holy Spirit?

Examples of Seeing in the Spirit

There are other examples in the scriptures that demonstrate the importance of being able to see into the Spirit realm.

Elisha’s Servant

In 2^nd Kings 6, the great prophet Elisha had a servant who was having difficulty seeing past the natural realm.  At that time the King of Aram (Syria) was named Ben-Hadad, and he had declared war on Israel.  Ben-Hadad became frustrated because the King of Israel seemed to know and prepare for every military move that Syria made.  When he learned that Elisha was giving the King of Israel a heads up on his every move, Ben-Hadad sent his army to surround Elisha and his servant.

2^nd Kings 6:

 14 And he sent horses and chariots and a great army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city.

 15 Now when the attendant of the man of God had risen early and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was circling the city. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?”

 16 So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

 17 Then Elisha prayed and said, “O LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” And the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

So, Elisha’s servant was only able to see in the natural realm, and he saw Syria’s army surrounding the city.  It was not until Elisha asked God to open his eyes that he saw that he and Elisha were protected by an entire mountain full of horses and chariots of fire.

This happens to us as well when our circumstances get difficult.  We see only the danger of the circumstance and we fail to see the protection that God has surrounding us.

The Road to Emmaus

Another example of seeing, or not seeing, in the Spirit came shortly after Jesus rose from the dead and visited with the two of his disciples on their way to Emmaus.  When Jesus saw how they were not seeing in the Spirit, the Bible says He opened their minds to understanding the scriptures, and then they recognized Him.

Luke 24:

 27 And beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.

 28 And they approached the village where they were going, and He acted as though He would go farther.

 29 And they urged Him, saying, “Stay with us, for it is [getting] toward evening, and the day is now nearly over.” And He went in to stay with them.

 30 And it came about that when He had reclined [at the table] with them, He took the bread and blessed [it,] and breaking [it,] He [began] giving [it] to them.

 31 And their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight.

 32 And they said to one another, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?”

Verse 27 shows that we need revelation to understand everything concerning Him in all the scriptures.  Jesus provided that revelation to these two, and He sends the Holy Spirit to us so that we might see in the Spirit as well.

Luke 24:

 49 “And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

The Spirit Realm Is Key

In Romans 8, the Apostle Paul summarizes the importance of seeing in the Spirit, and not just in the natural or fleshly realm.

Romans 8:

5 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

 6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,

 7 because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able [to do so];

 8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

 9 However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.

Seeing in the Spirit is life and peace, while seeing in the flesh is death.  When you view the events in our world, are you seeing them in flesh or in the Spirit?  If you view them in the Spirit, you will have life and peace, knowing there is a mountain of horses and chariots of fire surrounding you as protection.

If you are having difficulty crucifying the flesh, ask the Hoy Spirit to open your mind to the things of the Spirit, just as Elisha prayed for his servant to be able to see.

Let us pray.

Father God, thank You for the Holy Spirit and thank You for allowing us to be able to see into the Spirit realm when we soak in the presence of our Lord, Jesus.  Help us, Lord, to crucify the flesh and to set our mind on things of the Spirit which leads to life and peace.  Let us trust in Your hedge of protection, Your horses and chariots of fire, as we navigate the circumstances of this life.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

If anyone has not yet received the Lord Jesus Christ in their heart, and desires to do so, please repeat this prayer after me:

Father God, I repent of my sin and ask for forgiveness today.  I confess and declare with my mouth that Jesus is Lord, and I believe with all my heart that You raised Him from the dead for the forgiveness of sins.  Jesus, please come into my heart and change me.  Send the Holy Spirit to guide and direct me in wisdom and to enable me to overcome temptation from this day forth.  Thank You for my salvation.  I look forward to the day of the Rapture when I can be with You forever.  Amen.