What is a Flesh Burner?
A flesh burner is a Christian slang term we used when I was in college 40 years ago. The concept is simple, yet powerful, because the word ‘flesh’ in the New Testament refers to our old sinful nature. So what is a ‘flesh burner?’ It’s when we obey God even when our sinful nature is kicking up a fuss. Flesh burners are acts of obedience that makes your sinful nature squirm.
Here’s a Biblical List of Flesh Burners
1. Offer to God a ‘Sacrifice of Praise’ (Hebrews 13:15): Sacrifices always cost us something. When I’m in great pain, with tears are streaming down my cheeks, there’s nothing inside me that wants to praise God.
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- Scriptural Example: Paul and Silas, beaten bloody, cast into prison, with their feet locked in place, sang praise songs to God at midnight. In the natural, there was nothing to praise God about—but they choose to praise Him anyway. The Lord must have been pleased, because he sent an earthquake which caused every prisoner’s chains to fall off, and all the prison doors to spring open. (Acts 16:22-35).
2. Telling a King he is wrong and under God’s Judgment: God’s prophets always ended up being sent by the King of Heaven to confront wayward earthly kings.
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- Scriptural Examples: King Ahab and Elijah. Moses and Pharaoh, Daniel and the two Babylonian Kings Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar. In ancient times, human kings had absolute power of life and death over their subjects, so confronting a ruler was very risky. Some prophets were imprisoned and others were murdered. I imagine the prophets fought against their own fear to do God’s will. But as they obediently spoke, their boldness grew.
3. Obeying the Holy Spirit’s Conviction: When we are convicted of sin, often the only way to move forward is to try to make right the wrongs that we have done. This can be painful, costly and embarrassing.
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- Scriptural Example: Jonah in the belly of the huge fish, crying out to the Lord. Once the fish vomited him up, Jonah received God’s command a second time, journeyed to Nineveh and obediently delivered the Lord’s message.
My Latest Flesh Burner Challenge.
Staying silent. When God challenges me to trust Him instead of bringing up issues that I feel strongly about, it’s hard. A real flesh burner.
Often He wants me to cry out to Him rather than speak.
But I’m looking forward to the spiritual fruit.
Over time, as we obey God in a new area, our inner emotional turmoil quiets down. Soon Jesus has changed us inwardly and we have become just a tiny bit more like Him.
This image of the wood-fired oven came from Pixabay.com.
