God: "I looked for someone to take a stand for me, and stand in the gap" (Ezekiel 22:30)
1 Timothy 4:7b-8, “Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” Clearly the Bible is placing the predominate value on inner godliness and while inner godliness is “profitable for all things,” the verse does still affirm that “bodily discipline” has some “profit.” Yes, there is a call for priorities and balance between the body and the soul. But the Bible does not demand that we ignore the body altogether, actually, quite the contrary.
Even after conversion he carries within him a nature prone to evil, and a heart weak and unstable as water. That heart will never be free from imperfection in this world, and it is a miserable delusion to expect it. To keep that heart from going astray, the Lord Jesus bids us “watch and pray.” The spirit may be ready, but the flesh is weak. There is need of a daily struggle and a daily wrestling in prayer (Mk. 14:38; 1 Cor. 9:27; Rom. 7:23-24; Gal. 5:24; Col. 3:5).
