THE WAR waging between our SPIRIT and the FLESH

Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭17‬-‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.”

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This was Paul addressing the church in Galatians; he started the chapter by enlightening them and enforcing the only way to be saved is JESUS CHRIST, not circumcision or keeping the law of Moses, only JESUS and because of this, we have been called to walk and live in freedom; a freedom that should be used to walk and live in love. And this leads to the purpose/theme of this blog.

There is a war alright, there is a war that happens to us as believers, a war between our SPIRIT and our old crucified man, the flesh.

The battle between the flesh and your spirit

There is a war waging that has already been won but it’s a battle you still have to fight; remember Paul was addressing Christian’s, believers in the Galatian church.

St. Tikhon of Zadonsk says in the war between the your Spirit and the flesh

The flesh wants to put the spirit to death; the spirit the flesh. The flesh wants to control the spirit, the spirit the flesh. The flesh wants to be proud, boast, be puffed up; the spirit does not want this, but desires to be humble. The flesh wants to be angry; irritable, argumentative, to take vengeance in word or deed; but the spirit does not want this, but wants to forgive in meekness. The flesh wants to commit fornication and adultery; but the spirit turns away from this and desires to be pure. The flesh wants to have what is someone else's, to pilfer, to steal in every way; but the spirit turns away from this and wants to give away even what it has. The flesh wants to flatter, lie, cheat, swindle and be hypocritical; but the spirit hates this and wants to be truthful and to act straightforwardly. The flesh wants to hate another person, but the spirit wants to love him. The flesh wants to live in idleness, but the spirit turns away from this and wants to exercise itself in blessed labors. The flesh wants to have fun, get drunk, have banquets and dinners; but the spirit turns away from this and wants to live modestly or to fast. The flesh wants to seek out fame, honor, riches in this world; but the spirit despises all this and strives only for the good things of heaven, and so on. In this way the flesh lusts against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh.

There is a war, a war we are in by default, a war against the flesh and the spirit.

JESUS CHRIST in Luke 8 spoke about the parable of the sower; about seeds which is the word of GOD falling on 4 different type of soil/ground. The third type of soil spoke about the seed falling among thorns and the thorns growing simultaneously as the seed also grows.

You can feed your Spirit, but are you also feeding your flesh? The two can not cohabit together; you know what will happen if you feed your flesh along side your spirit? It will get choked up by the thorns, your spirit will get choked up by your flesh.

‭‭Luke‬ ‭8‬:‭7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it.”

The thorns choked out the good grain and did not make a productive crop.

The spirit vs the flesh

John Piper says the flesh is the ego which feels an emptiness but loathes the idea of satisfying it by faith, that is by depending on the mercy of God in Christ. Instead, the flesh prefers to use the legalistic or licentious resources in its own power to fill its emptiness. As Romans 8:7 says, “The mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law.” The basic mark of the flesh is that it is unsubmissive. It does not want to submit to God’s absolute authority or rely on God’s absolute mercy. Flesh says, like the old TV commercial, “I’d rather do it myself.”

So how do we win the battle against our flesh?

How to win

To win; you live in the SPIRIT, you walk in the SPIRIT, you abide in the SPIRIT and you dwell in the SPIRIT

Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.”

Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭19‬-‭21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.”

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Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭22‬-‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”

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What does it mean to walk in the Spirit?

So to answer the question, What is this walking by the Spirit?: It is “being led by the Spirit” and it is “bearing the fruit of the Spirit.”

It is GOD’S SPIRIT THAT CONQUERS THE FLESH

Give yourself to the things of God cos naturally our nature that is dead is fighting to come and fight against the things of the Spirit.

Walk in the Spirit and you won’t desire the things of the flesh; give yourself to devotion, prayer, study of the word of God, fellowship with believers; give yourself to the things of GOD.

Matthew‬ ‭26‬:‭41‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.””

NAOMI B. gave some practical ways on how to walk in the Spirit

Stay in prayer and God’s presence.

Walk in the Spirit with the HOLY GHOST. Stay in Eden; don’t leave the presence of GOD. You heighten the things of the Spirit over the flesh; the things of GOD over flesh.

The choice is a daily choice, an all time, every second moment choice.

Ephesians‬ ‭4‬:‭22‬-‭24‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”

Lean on God’s strength

Your flesh is fighting constantly against the need to pray, to study the Bible, to worship, to fellowship with the brethren.

Paul had this battle as well; as he said in Romans 7: “I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.”

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He had to face this war as well: he wasn’t immune to it; this is a battle every believer will fight and even is fighting.

Even as Paul cried out O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? You have to be broken and contrite; a broken and contrite spirit GOD won’t despise.

O wretched man that I am is more literally, “wretched through the exhaustion of hard labor.” We can be like Paul crying out in agony when we have tried to please God by the flesh.

Paul is completely worn out and wretched because of his unsuccessful effort to please God under the principle of Law. Same with us; we might have tried and tried but trust me; it will be in vain, it will lead in frustration and even more sin.

I have struggled with some sins and I have cried out to GOD to help me and trust me HE did. We don’t have the power to live a holy life, we don’t have the power on our own to not sin; it is the PERSON OF THE SPIRIT OF THE LIVING GOD that truly works in us to do and will of HIS good pleasure and also as long as we abide in JESUS; HE prunes us to even bear much fruit.

Trust me; even as Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭13‬ says that God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases HIM.”

You might be reading this and struggling with sin, any type of sin, pornography, pride, lust, unforgiveness, hate, guilt, whatever it is; you might have tried on your own but to no avail, even just as Paul cried Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?

Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord and it starts with HIM.

I invite you to let go and let GOD into your heart and have HIS way in and with you, let HIM work in you and transform YOU and truly give you the power to live over sin; but it begins with accepting JESUS as your LORD and PERSONAL SAVIOUR.

Let’s us pray together.

JESUS the good shepherd, I believe YOU are the SON OF GOD, the good shepherd and that YOU came down from heaven to the earth to look for me and chase after me, and die for my sin.

I acknowledge that I am a sinner, I acknowledge that I cannot save myself, I acknowledge and believe that YOU died on the cross of Calvary for all my sins; I acknowledge and believe that YOU bore all the consequences and punishment of all my sins; YOU paid the price to redeem me, to save me, to restore me back to GOD.

I believe this, I believe in YOU JESUS and accept YOU as my LORD and PERSONAL SAVIOUR; I believe that the blood YOU shed on the cross of Calvary has washed away all my sins and I am made free and saved from all sins and death.

I believe that YOU did die for me and rose again.

And so I shout THANK YOU JESUS FOR SAVING ME, I RECEIVE THE NEW LIFE YOU HAVE GIVEN ME, YOUR LIFE, MY LORD JESUS. YOU ARE MY GOOD SHEPHERD. THANK YOU JESUS COS ALL MY SINS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN, THANKING YOU JESUS COS I AM SAVED, AND VICTORIOUS IN YOU. HALLELUJAH, AMEN.

This we pray in JESUS name, Amen and Amen🙏

If you did say a prayer of repentance, big big congratulations and welcome to the Christian family🤗 please reach out to us using the Contact link; we’d like to get in touch with you and help you as the PERSON OF THE SPIRIT OF THE LIVING GOD leads us🙏🙂

It’s really God that helps us and works in us to do and will of his good pleasure.

I have had struggle with some sinful habits, I have had struggle with even keeping up some righteous habits; I have cried out to GOD and even as HE has commanded us to come to HIM to obtain not just mercy but grace; that’s the prayer we are going to be praying now.

Prayer

LORD JESUS thank you for the gift of life, thank you for the gift of salvation, thank you for your mercy and thank you for your grace that abounds to me.

I come acknowledging I really can’t do it on my own; I can’t win this battle against my flesh on my own; I can win this battle against lust, pride, lies, hate, unforgiveness on my own.

YOU said in John 6:37 that whosoever comes to YOU Lord, in no wise will YOU cast away, so I come boldly to YOUR throne to obtain grace and mercy, and I ask that YOU prune me, prune me from every unrighteousness and sin, prune me to be holy to live a holy and righteous life pleasing and acceptable to you LORD.

Also LORD; give me the doing grace; not just the desire, but the doing grace; plant your hunger and trust in my heart, help me pray as I ought to, read and study the word of GOD as I ought to, obey as I ought to.

I love you forever and eternity more; I want to Please you and do your calling and bidding. Help me LORD JESUS; and I thank you for I am victorious in YOU JESUS, through YOU and with YOU.

This we pray and ask in JESUS name; Amen