flesh

Our Flesh

March 10, 2022 by Bill Leave a Comment

For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. (Galatians 5:17).

Our flesh. We might think of it as our skin, and it is, but there is a deeper meaning. The meaning we’re looking at here is, “the corrupted body”, the body that was corrupted when sin entered creation in the Garden of Eden. Our Spirit body is always in conflict with our fleshly body as the above verse says. It’s a daily battle. Wait, it’s only a battle if we resist our flesh. You get that? It’s our body and God gives us a free will of what to do with it. “For God gave us a spirit NOT of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (2 Timothy 1:7). We have the power to strengthen either one by how we use it. Stand on God’s Word and be strengthened in our Spirit or give in to our flesh and strengthen it. Seems like an obvious choice, doesn’t it?

But let’s see what we’re up against. “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these,” (Galatians 5:19-21). I can see this as a checklist that we should use to see what we need to weaken and get rid of. But, at the same time, we need to be exercising our Spirit to strengthen it. I remember a story, related to flesh versus Spirit, of someone who got a cute, little puppy, representing the flesh, that was a little onery. The owner fed and cared for it until, later, it became a large, vicious, mean dog. The catchphrase was, “Don’t feed it and it will die.” That’s like our flesh, if we feed it, it will become uncontrollable. You can read my blog posts related to this HERE and HERE.

So, let’s be aware of those things in Galatians 5 when they jump out at us on the Path of Life and exercise our Spirit, the Word of God, (Ephesians 6:17), and see them flee from us. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.” (Ephesians 6:10)

Be Aware!

July 25, 2020 by Bill Leave a Comment

“Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)

I have quoted this verse quite a few times when I feel like I’m being tempted in some way. I know that the devil is always out there trying to draw me, and all of us, off the narrow path (Matthew 7:14). He’s always, “seeking who he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8), so we have to be aware of his tactics.

As I was declaring this verse one morning recently, God gave me an encouraging revelation; God, the Holy Spirit is inside me and the devil is outside me or “in the world”. Now, we read in the Bible that sometimes, demons are inside people. Jesus cast out demons seven times from various people, but we don’t hear much about that today. So, I was encouraged with the reminder that all-powerful God is in me and my demonic enemies are outside, around me in the world. My enemies out there can only tempt me and try to coerce me into doing, saying, or thinking something sinful but it is my choice to listen or resist it. (James 4:7).

However, we know that, since the fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden, sin came into the world and into us. The Bible speaks of it as, “the flesh”. “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.” (Romans 7:18). We have a sin nature that is in our “flesh”, but we also have the Spirit nature in us that battles against it. It is an on-going battle. Sometimes our flesh wins and sometimes our Spirit does. Being a former coach, I see this likened to our muscles. The ones we exercise and feed properly are the ones that develop and become strong. Those that are not exercised or fed deteriorate. We have to feed and exercise our Spirit by reading our Bible, praying and doing good and starve our flesh. So, when the devil comes around with his temptations that are designed for us, we can declare, “Greater is He that is in me than you are. I have submitted to God and resist you, get out of here!” Be aware!

But there’s something else to be aware of. We may have more than one thing that the devil knows he can temp us with: our weaknesses. He knows what they are and that’s what he uses against us. But have you noticed that when you have gotten a weakness under control that the devil will attack you with something else? He’ll keep trying because his desire is only to, “steal, kill and destroy” (John 10:10). So, when these temptations come, we need to have our Spiritual armor on and our Sword ready so we can say, “IT IS WRITTEN!”. Remember, in Luke 4: 1-13, how Jesus was tempted three times in the wilderness? (Notice that Luke said Jesus was “full of the Holy Spirit” (v. 1), He had exercised His Spirit to the full.) The devil tried one thing, that didn’t work. He tried two more things that didn’t work either because Jesus was ready with the Word. Finally, the devil gave up, “until an opportune time”, (v.13). That’s what the devil does to us. He tempts us with one thing and, if that doesn’t get us, he tries the next thing. But if we keep exercising our Spirit faith and declaring the Word, the devil will leave us for a time when, maybe, we’re weak.

So, remember that the devil is out there on the road of life and be aware of his tactics. Remember that God is in you, submit to Him, have your Word-of-God sword ready and resist the devil. Be aware. Be ready.

Seven Steps To Strengthening Your Spirit – Part 2

June 11, 2012 by Bill Leave a Comment

Last time we looked at the first two steps in strengthening your Spirit: 1. Realizing there is a battle between your flesh and your Spirit and 2. Reading the Bible. Today we will look at the other five steps.

3. Not only do we need to read our Bible but we must study it. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15). We can’t make the grade if we don’t study. 4. Part of studying the Word is memorizing it. “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11). We have to be able to recall the truth of God when our flesh pops up and put it back in its place. 5. Pray. There is no way we can strengthen our Spirit without spending time with the Spirit that lives in us. Prayer is talking to God and listening to what He has to say…and He knows a lot of stuff that will benefit us in our quest to become strong. 6. Just like in athletics an important part of strength and skill building is practice. Once we know the Word, have it in our heart, and get some directions from talking with God, we must apply it to our lives. Our flesh will try to take over in situations but we must, “Be ye doers of the Word and not hears only.” (James 1:22). The more we make the right decision and take the right action, the easier it will become and our Spirit will become stronger while our flesh gets weaker. That’s the goal. 7. The last step in strengthening our Spirit is teamwork. It’s much easier to build strength if you’re part of a team and not all by yourself. That’s why it’s important to be connected with a group of like-minded believers who want to strengthen their Spirit too. The church is a team, a Bible study group could be your team, and even a friend or two who are “working out” with you can be your team.

So if you’re interested in strengthening your Spirit so it will win out when life’s problems come your way, use these seven steps and get to work! Be blessed.

Seven Steps To Strengthening Your Spirit

June 2, 2012 by Bill Leave a Comment

Given May 31, 2012

Have you ever struggled with something in your life that you didn’t want to be there but just couldn’t seem to overcome? Do you ever think, “Why do I keep doing this?” There is an answer and the fact that it bothers you is a good sign. The Bible says, “For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.” (Galatians 5:17) ESV. Inside you are two opposite forces, good and evil..Spirit and flesh, and the one that is stronger is going to rule over how you think, speak and act. If you’re concerned about the way you sometimes think, speak, and act, then you need to build up the Spirit in you so it rules over your flesh. The one you feed is going to get stronger and the one you reject will get weaker. But how do you do that? Let’s look at a few steps.

1. The first step we just saw; to realize there is a battle going on inside you and you want to do something about it. The fact that you’re still reading shows you want to go on to the next step.

2. You’ve got to know the Word! You’ve got to know who you are in God, what you have available to you, and what you can do with it. The devil doesn’t want you to know these things and he’ll do all he can to distract you, confuse you, and keep you ignorant of your rights as a child of the King. So, step two is READ YOUR BIBLE. We are doing a church Bible reading plan at Zion Family Ministries called the Project 345 Plan from the Ark Church and available from the YouVersion website. Go there and see how you can get started. Or, just start with the Book of John in the New Testament then go back to Matthew and read forward taking notes as you go. Feeding your Spirit with the Word will strengthen it and build it up. “My soul is weary with sorrow: strengthen me according to your word.” (Psalm 119:28)

Next time we will look at the other steps. Start your Spirit training program this week by lifting your Bible every day. Let me know what you think by leaving a comment.

Our Flesh

Be Aware!

Seven Steps To Strengthening Your Spirit – Part 2

Seven Steps To Strengthening Your Spirit

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