Lesson 13: Understanding the Flesh

If you are studying this lesson, I am sure you are progressing from a baby Christian into a mature one. This is where we differentiate between those that are ready to go higher with God and those who are not. This is where the difference in the race of life comes for everyone. This is where the battle line is drawn and only the disciplined Christians will stand. I am talking about the daunting nature of our flesh and how to overcome it. In this lesson, I want you to understand the flesh and its woes. Throughout your Christian journey, there’s the battle between your flesh and your spirit and whoever wins greatly relies on you. You must put off the flesh and put on the Spirit.

Read Romans 8:5, “For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.” See why I said it relies greatly on you? Whomever you set your mind on rules. Let’s look at the human nature.

The human nature (the flesh)

• Nothing good dwells in the flesh. The flesh equals sinful and selfish desires (Romans 7:18).
• Galatians 5:19-21 lists the works of the flesh (immorality, drunkenness, anger, envy, jealousy) and tells us that those who practice them will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
• The flesh always fights against the spirit; this is a constant battle (Galatians 5:17).
• The flesh is weak. The flesh does not want to seek God. It does not want to pray, study, or fast. You have to make it do them all by the Spirit (Matthew 26:41b, 1 Corinthians 9:27).
• The flesh counts for nothing; it brings no profit to you (John 6:63a).
• The flesh leads to death. The result of living by the flesh is death (Romans 8:13).
• The flesh can’t please God. If you continually walk in the flesh, you cannot please God (Romans 8:8).
• The flesh can’t get to God’s kingdom (1 Corinthians 15:50).
• Flesh is gratified in the temporal.
• The flesh is God’s enemy (Romans 8:7).

I know your question must be, “So where do we go from here? I live in the flesh!” Good news! Christ overcame the flesh already; therefore, we have victory but have to work to maintain this victory. The people the devil fears most are those who have crucified the flesh; he knows he cannot find any entrance in them. But how do we crucify the flesh?

DEALING WITH THE FLESH

Tips on dealing with the flesh:

– Don’t wait until the scene of temptation to overcome it. Prepare ahead of time, knowing that eventually, temptation will come. James 1:13-14 says, “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God;’ for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.”
– Discipline! Say no constantly to the flesh. The more you say no to the flesh, the more the Spirit grows. Remember it’s a constant battle. Galatians 5:24 encourages us to deny the flesh of its unholy desires! If you don’t learn to say no to little things, you won’t say no to bigger temptations. Say no to little things as small as disobedience, lies, cheating, and the like.
– Fasting. Your flesh goes in the direction you train it. Fasting is a way to build dominion over the flesh by saying no to food.
– Stay clear of triggers (explicit movies, corrupt music, pictures, pornography, bad meetings and places)! You can never find God in a club, right? What you sow in your flesh is what you reap. If you feed on impure words and sights, you will reap impurity (Galatians 6:8).
– Feed your spirit and starve your flesh (Galatians 5:16, 25). Bury your head in God’s Word; stay in God’s presence (personal and group meetings); that’s how to feed the spirit and starve your flesh. The more you stay in God’s presence and love Him, the more you don’t want to continue in sin, and the more the flesh can be subdued (Romans 13:14).
– The more of God you have in you, the less ungodliness you will pay attention to.
– Think about the consequences of your actions in the long run. If you only think of the short run or immediate gratification, you will always obey the flesh.
– Always ask for grace and strength. The good thing is they never run out, and I can tell you from personal experience, you need a lot of this. I have come to realize that it is not by strength, but by God’s grace that we run the race of life successfully (Hebrews 4:16).
– Be sensitive to your conscience. When your conscience pricks you, obey it. If you ignore your conscience for too long, it will become hardened. The Holy Spirit works through your conscience.
– Don’t stay idle; stay busy with the things of the Spirit.
– When you fail or fall, correct it immediately; don’t wallow in it. There’s grace for you; rise up and try again, this time, with God’s help.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: You can hardly overcome any temptation to sin at the point of temptation; you have to overcome it first in your mind and thoughts, right at its onset (Matthew 15:18-20a). In order words, when dirty and unholy thoughts come to your mind, kill them immediately. If you brood over them or allow them to linger, they will definitely take place. For example, if a sexual thought comes to your mind from an unclean movie or TV commercial, refuse it immediately, change movies, get up, and do something else. Let’s assume for a moment that you did not kill the thought, but you kept thinking about it. Your desire to fulfill that sexual thought will grow and the devil will create an avenue for it to manifest either when you are weak or vulnerable. It is 100% likely that prayer will not help you at this point. Read James 1:3-14 again.

“If we pamper the flesh and give into its desires, we are merely feeding a monster that will grow that much stronger.” -Dr. Ralph F. Wilson

There’s a deeper struggle with the flesh that I want to talk about. I have experienced times when I know a particular act is ungodly, yet I do not want to stop it. I love God, but because I get comfort from the sin in the temporal, I don’t want to let go. This may be a major struggle for you as well, but here’s what I do: I remind myself of the greatness ahead. I immerse myself into godly activities and they serve as a reminder that sin kills. The pleasure we derive is for a short time, but the end result is death. Protect your destiny and cry to God to help you. Don’t be carried away by the pleasure it brings in the moment. Don’t let anyone fool you into compromising God’s standards. Don’t let anyone convince you that it is okay and that God understands. Everyone else may be doing the same thing, but you are different; you are set apart.

WALKING IN THE SPIRIT

One just doesn’t “fall” into sin. We fall into sin because we walked in the flesh. Galatians 5:16 says “if you walk by the spirit, you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.” Galatians 5:25 exhorts, “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” If the Holy Spirit is our guide, then we should do what the Holy Spirit says always. Obey His leading and yield to His warnings.

Walk with the Holy Spirit so He can produce His fruit – the fruit of the Spirit – in your life. Galatians 5:22-23 tells us what this fruit is. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

Share any questions you may have with us. This is a broad lesson summarized into a small piece.

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Lesson application: List things that are mentioned in the lessons that triggers you to fall into temptation and make plans to flee from them. For example sexual sin, don’t stay alone with that person. Stay away from sights that trigger sexual thoughts. (If you need help identifying your triggers, chat with us and we will help). Pray to God to help you overcome fleshy desires and also spend more time with godly activities. List them and do them.