Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation:
the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. Matthew 26:41
The flesh is weak
It is concerned with itself, very self-centered
Godly Sorrow is concerned with the things of the Lord,
the very things that grieve the Lord
And grieve not the holy Spirit of God,
whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Ephesians 4:30
God does not view pain the same way we do
Pain to our flesh or our fleshly emotions often causes humility
Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry,
but that ye sorrowed to repentance:
for ye were made sorry after a godly manner,
that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. 1 Corinthians 7:9
We can see that from some of the characters in the bible,
particularly Job and some of the Prophets of Old
Look at John the Baptist, who had few earthly comforts
He wore camel’s hair and ate locusts and wild honey
or Ezekiel when God told him
to lie on his side for 300+ days for the sins of God’s people
Lie thou also upon thy left side,
and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it:
according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon it
thou shalt bear their iniquity.
For I have laid upon thee the years of their iniquity,
according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days:
so shalt thou bear the iniquity of the house of Israel.
And when thou hast accomplished them,
lie again on thy right side,
and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days:
I have appointed thee each day for a year. Ezekiel 4:4-6
There are many examples when the Lord
expected His servants to follow His directions
and sometimes they seemed very harsh
Obeying God is not always comfortable
We might be choosing discomfort in the flesh
Maybe we like that person we are in a relationship with
but we know he or she is not best for our walk with God
Maybe we want the job with all the extras:
money, prestige, honor, but God has other plans for us and we know it
Whatever the case, the flesh might have to be sorrowful, otherwise,
we will grieve God which is a terrible feeling
Choose wisely, not according to feelings
For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of:
but the sorrow of the world worketh death. 2 Corinthians 7:10
The sorrow of the Holy Spirit brings us closer to Jesus