The ARM of the flesh or the HAND of God?
When is our strength condemned by God — and when is it sanctified by Him?
1. The Real Problem: Self-Righteous Strength
The greatest problem with humanity is not merely the presence of evil or people who intentionally do harm. It is the self-righteousness of man believing that what he or she is doing is good, justifiable, and right.
Al Capone, the infamous Chicago mob boss during Prohibition (1920s), was responsible for bootlegging, bribery, racketeering, and orchestrating murders such as the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. Yet Capone did not see himself as evil. He once said:
“I have spent the best years of my life giving people the lighter pleasures, helping them have a good time, and all I get is abuse.”
Moses Sithole, one of South Africa’s most notorious serial killers (mid-1990s), murdered numerous young women around Atteridgeville, Boksburg and Cleveland. What is chilling is how he explained himself. In interviews after his arrest, he blamed women. He claimed he had been wronged in life and suggested that the victims “used” men or treated him poorly.
“In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes.” — Judges 21:25
“You are those who justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts.” (Luke 16:15)
Scripture repeatedly warns against the arm of the flesh:
“For by strength shall no man prevail.” (1 Sam 2:9)
“I will break the pride of your power.” (Lev 26:19)
The issue is not the strength itself. It is pride in strength. It is a strength detached from surrender. It is power that does not acknowledge its Source.
The world is full of those who rail against God in self-righteousness, presuming that the Creator of the universe owes them a smooth life. But few admit that God owes us nothing — that every good we receive is mercy, not merit.
- Self-righteousness produces entitlement.
- Entitlement blinds discernment.
- And blinded strength becomes destructive.
We subdue by submitting. We win by losing. We are made grand by making ourselves little. We come in first by becoming last. We are honored by being humble. We fill up with God by emptying out ourselves. We become wise by being fools. We possess all things by having nothing. We wax strong by being weak. We find life by losing ourselves in others. We live by dying. Leonard Sweet
2. We Were Not Created to Be Independent
We were not created to be independent, self-sustaining beings doing what is right in our own eyes. We were made for God — to depend on Him, to be sustained by Him, to do what He advises.
As John Piper wrote:
“We were made for God, to depend on him and to be sustained by him… and O, what a sense of rightness and fulfillment and freedom and authenticity when we yield to his lordship!”
- Everything in life is gift.
- No one owes us anything.
- Even our ability is borrowed breath.
This is why 2 Chronicles 32:8 contrasts two kinds of power:
“With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God, to help us and to fight our battles.”
The arm of flesh is not muscle — it is confidence in self apart from God.
3. Carnality vs Spirituality — They Cannot Coexist
Carnality and spirituality cannot coexist:
“The carnal mind is enmity against God.” (Rom 8:7)
Scripture gives us living parables:
- Ishmael (born of Abraham’s impatience and carnality) vs Isaac (the child of promise) — Gen 21:10; Gal 4:30
- Cain vs Abel
- Esau vs Jacob — Gen 25:23
- Ismael vs Joseph
- Judas vs Peter
Two nations were at war in Rebekah’s womb. They could not coexist. When the spiritual was born, the bondwoman and her son were cast out.
“Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” (Mal 1:3; Rom 9:13)
God does not hate effort.
He hates carnality — strength divorced from dependence.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Mat 5:3)
4. The Revelation of True Power
When the Lion of Judah is revealed, He appears as the slain Lamb.
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power…” (Rev 5:12)
This is heaven’s definition of strength.
For us to become a LION we need to first become a LAMB.
The power from below — the dragon — devours and destroys. The power from above conquers through sacrifice. The world has seen enough of man standing in rebellion, entitlement, pride and arrogance — even for “the right cause.” It produces anarchy, pain and war.
The serpent will be trampled. The chaos monster of the deep will be defeated.
Victory will not come, however, from an act of pagan heroism, from a moment of redemptive violence in which a man becomes a god. Rather God becomes a man.
Humans could never defeat chaos, because the chaos was in us. When we attempted to heroically battle chaos monsters, we became them. When we tried to deconstruct our way back to the garden, to the utopia of the picnic, our own selfishness blocked our way. Utopia becomes dystopia. On a hill named skull, where the refuse of Jerusalem lay, creation held its breath, as the ultimate battle with chaos occurred. However, this time everything was different. The God who came with lightning and power on a cloud left behind His royal garb and instead was clothed in naked humanity.
It was a chaoskampf, a battle between good and evil, between creation and destruction. Yet at the moment when the God was meant to triumph, there was no flashing sword, no heavenly army. The sea did not froth and bubble as a muscular hero fought with superhuman strength. Instead of triumphant cries, there was only an anguished shout as God exclaims from dying lungs, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34). (Facing Leviathan: Leadership, Influence and creating in a Cultural Storm - Mark Sayers.)
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Jesus says:
“If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.” (Matt 16:24)
The cross exposes fleshly power. Resurrection vindicates surrendered power.
5. The Order: Sit, Then Walk, Then Stand
Paul shows the order in Ephesians:
- Sit (Eph 2:6) — seated in heavenly places
- Walk
- Stand
We do not begin by standing.
We begin by sitting — in His finished work.
This position is not attained through effort, but through faith in His work. Complete trust in His finished work.
Our first position of departure is always surrender.
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil…” (James 4:7–8)
Before we stand for God in this world, we lay down before Him.
6. When Strength Is Condemned
Our strength is condemned when:
- It is independent of God
- It justifies itself
- It is driven by entitlement
- It is fueled by pride
- It acts without instruction
- It refuses surrender
Even attempting to “make something of oneself” — even to make oneself righteous — becomes self-exaltation.
Bonhoeffer said:
“One must abandon every attempt to make something of oneself — even to make of oneself a righteous person.”
Even “taking full responsibility for my life not to sin” can subtly shift into self-redemption instead of reliance on grace.
7. When Strength Is Sanctified
Strength is sanctified when it flows from surrender.
“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might.” (Eccl 9:10)
“Whatever you do… do all in the name of the Lord Jesus.” (Col 3:17)
Notice — Scripture does not condemn effort.
It condemns independent effort.
Elijah did not strive or perform rituals like the false prophets. He obeyed one instruction, and God sent the fire.
Immediate obedience is the art.
Faithfulness to the instruction already received.
Sometimes we act when we should wait.
Sometimes we procrastinate when we should act.
Some need their strength renewed.
Some need their strength restrained.
Discernment is knowing which.
8. Meekness: The Weapon of Christ
When Jesus stands in you, He produces:
- Meekness (before God)
- Gentleness (before man)
- Humility (before myself)
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh… the weapons of our warfare are not carnal.” (2 Cor 10:3–6)
His life becomes the weapon.
His character becomes the strength.
9. Weariness and Vulnerability
We all get tired from time to time.
“I am weary with my crying; My throat is dry; My eyes fail while I wait for my God. (Ps 69:4)
- Deprived
- Wanting
- Boredom
- Disillusionment
- Curiosity
- Tiredness
- Enactment
- Adrenaline - untouchable
Lack of Boundaries
Arrogance When you are tired, you are vulnerable.
So ask: Whose yoke are you carrying? The yoke of people? False expectations? Dead works? Ambition? Fear?
Jesus says:
“My yoke is easy…” (Matt 11:30)
If He commands it, He supplies grace for it.
And remember — even Jesus could not carry His cross alone. Simon helped Him. (Mark 15:21
Do not try to carry your cross alone. We need brotherhood - ISOLATION IS THE GREATEST ACT OF SELF-RELIANCE and ARROGANCE.
10. The Final Discernment
So when is our power condemned?
- When it originates from self.
- When it seeks glory for self.
- When it replaces surrender.
- When it refuses dependence.
And when is our power sanctified?
- When it is seated in Christ.
- When it flows from submission.
- When it reflects the Lamb.
- When it operates in meekness, gentleness and humility.
The English word righteousness — rightwiseness — wise in what is right.
Greek dikaiosune — two parties brought into likeness, set at one again.
We become wise when we realize our oneness with God in Christ
True strength is not the arm of flesh.
True strength is surrendered will.
The world has seen enough of man standing.
It has not yet seen enough of men who have first knelt.
That is the discernment.