Tuesday | 07 July 2026

The reason for dysfunction

In the light of our present focus in the word, we recognise that our human infirmity is the reason for dysfunction in our relationships.

For a Christian, carnality is the peculiar vulnerability to the infirmity that afflicts mankind on account of Adam’s disobedience. A carnal Christian is a person who has been born again but who sets their mind on the flesh. That is, they engage with the word through the law of their mind, which is the expression of their other law.

In the absence of illumination and conviction by the Holy Spirit, our agreement with the word is an action of the other law through the law of our mind. When we engage the word in this manner, the instinct of self-preservation is unavoidably and unconsciously activated.

Self-preservation, associated with the fear of death, drives us to covet the life that belongs to the word. This brings us under the judgement of the cross, and sets us at odds with the expression of the life and fellowship of God that should be our culture in our marriages, houses, and relationships in the body of Christ.

When we live in this way, we are, again, exchanging the truth for the lie that belongs to our own understanding and the sight of our own eyes. In doing so, we are brought back into bondage to the fear of death under the rulership of Satan. He gains an advantage in our life and in our house.

In this season, we have been learning that our infirmity is revealed through the expectations that we have of one another, particularly in our marriages. These expectations are drawn from the word, or law, and are imposed upon the other. We could describe this dynamic as ‘a marriage covenant empowered by romantic intention’.