How we Can Overcome Fleshly Desires

The Flesh and the Spirit - Part III

What is the lust of the flesh? It is the desire within us which causes us to do our own selfish will rather than God’s holy will.

When Adam and Eve sinned against God, Elohim, in the Garden of Eden, it was because they were tempted by the tempter.  Every person is tempted by pressure from our enemy, the devil. We are also tempted because of the pressure of our surroundings – the world. But we are also tempted by a nature that is within us – the flesh. James said: “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.” (James 1.14)

There is a real devil, but if there were not, might it be possible that we would still sin? I think so. We have all inherited an inborn propensity to go against God as we gravitate toward our own desires.

You may ask a child to do something that seems very reasonable to you, but to the child it is completely unreasonable. Whether it be to go to bed, limit his amount of sweets, say “I’m sorry” for hurting someone, or turn off his game gadget, he does not want to because he likes things his own way.

We are all much like children but maybe a bit more sophisticated. God gives us commands that we don’t like. It is our tendency to rebel instead of happily submitting.

The Holy Spirit of God tenderly (sometimes, more forcefully) moves upon our hearts to obey God and do things his way. At the same time our inner nature (the flesh) cries out for its own way. How can a believer in Jesus overcome this great predisposition of the flesh.

If we walk in the Spirit (yielding control to him), we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. (Galatians 5.16). I don’t know that there has ever been a time, when I’m tempted, that I did not feel the prodding of the Holy Spirit and hear his whisper in my ear that my way was wrong and his way was right. There have been many times when I’ve experienced his conviction that I did not heed his warning. What we must learn to do now is; listen to his voice. Jesus said: “I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.” And also: “he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.” (John 10.14, 4)

If a sheep is not following, it is aimlessly wandering. Follow Jesus. Hear his voice. Let him call the shots. Be filled with the Holy Spirit.

What to do When Bitten by a Brother

The Flesh and the Spirit – Part II

Have you ever met a teething toddler who wanted to bite everything ……………. and everybody, including their brothers and sisters?

I have observed the wisdom of some smart Moms who seemed to know the way to resolve this issue.

“Mommy, J.J. just bit me!”

“Well, if he bites you again, just bite him back.”

I have also seen some pretty ugly teeth marks on the arms of little children.

Little J.J. seems to learn pretty fast that biting his siblings will not be positively reinforced. While it’s really hard to argue with success, such wisdom might be questionable. And this doesn’t work in the body of Christ. Biting each other only seems to make people get angry and run away. If they do bite back, this usually starts an endless cycle of animosity within the body of Christ. If they don’t bite you publicly, they will engage in backbiting.

“But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another” (Galatians 5.15). The biting mentality will not only cause us to eat up our brothers and sisters, but we also will get eaten up in the same process – “dog eat dog.”

A biting, devouring mentality among believers is used by the Apostle Paul as a showcase for fleshly behavior. What does “fleshly” mean? It means, doing things “my way” (sorry, Frank Sinatra). The flesh is that nature in us all which wants to do that which is best for self regardless of how it affects God’s revealed will or other people. It will always go contrary to the leading of God’s Holy Spirit. Biting and devouring is a prime example of the flesh's modus operandi. If you are biting or even biting back, that is a sure sign that you’re working on the basis of the flesh.

“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” (Galatians 5.17).

This is why it’s so important for us to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Without that filling of the Spirit, we will continue to bite and devour. To overcome fleshly lusts, we must be filled with the Spirit and walk in him. If you are a Christian believer, he is working in you at this very moment to fill you, produce his ways in you and bring you under his gentle control.

Ask God now for his filling and watch for what he is going to produce in you. be sensitive to his tender nudge. We know for sure that it won’t be to bite someone.

The Flesh and the Spirit

Part I - How to be Filled with the Spirit

“and be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess (dissoluteness), but be filled with the Spirit,” (Ephesians 5.18)

Picture yourself on an old horse drawn wagon. (You've probably seen this scene in some of the old Western movies.) The horses get spooked and run with abandon down some steep hill. You have the reigns in your hands but can't seem to control them. You are about to experience a disastrous wreck.

You almost forgot that sitting right beside you is someone stronger (hard to imagine, I know.) He has the experience, know how, and poise to handle your situation. What do you do? Do you hold on the the reins and maintain control (or lack thereof), or do you hand the reins over to the one who can take care of these horses and the wagon with no difficulty?

One of the biggest questions for many Christians is: “How may I be filled with the Holy Spirit?” We can see that the results of being filled are good. We can see that the failure to do so is bad. So, “How can I be filled with the Holy Spirit?” Is it like an out of the body experience? Do I have to speak in unknown languages (as some say)? Must I wait for a big whammy from heaven at the most unexpected time?

I believe the answer is this:

God compares being filled with the Spirit to being drunk with wine. Why? This seems like a most unlikely connection. What does drunkenness have to do with the Spirit filled life? If he fills me, will I act as if I’m inebriated? Although Peter and the other Apostles were accused of exactly this on the day of Pentecost (Acts chapter two), I do not think this is why we have this comparison. So what then?

What happens when one is under the influence of alcohol? The alcohol begins to control that person’s behavior. He may become much bolder and usually very obnoxious. The one thus controlled will say and do things he wouldn’t ordinarily do. I have heard of people who got married to someone (who they had no previous plans to marry) while drunk. People influenced by alcohol will often spend much more money. Others have committed hideous crimes who probably would have never done such things while sober. So, excessive drinking brings one under its influence, almost always in a negative way.

“But be filled with the Spirit.”  Whereas alcohol will influence you negatively, the Holy Spirit will always influence you positively. Whereas, left to ourselves (the flesh) we will behave ourselves badly; under the Spirit’s influence, we will behave righteously.

How can you or I attain the control that is provided by the Holy Spirit? When we yield ourselves to his management. But the Holy Spirit does not just jump in and take over.  

To return to our analogy, we must give the reins over to him.

In every situation we face, we have a choice to do things our way (the flesh), or God’s way (the Spirit). No, we are not capable of doing God’s will in our own power. The Holy Spirit, however, provides us the strength to do his will and nudges our hearts to follow. When we hear his still, small voice and submit to his control, he fills us to provide the Holy influence he wants to have upon us. At the same time his voice speaks, our flesh cries out to us loudly to have its way. This voice is always only selfish and we will surely know the difference. The choice is ours and must be made daily and momentarily.

Who or what has control in your life – the flesh or the Spirit? Give yourself to God’s filling.