Desire of the Flesh
- Cassidy Magnon
- Feb 4
- 3 min read
"For the desire of the flesh is against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, in order to keep you from doing whatever you want."
-Galatians 5:17
The largest thing that we struggle with as Christians is the temptations of the flesh. Everyday that we wake up, we immediately battle with the flesh.
For example, ladies, you stayed up too late the night before, and in the morning, you decide to hit the snooze several times before finally rolling out of bed. Well, the Scriptures say that a godly woman "gets up while it is still night, and she provides food for her family. . ." - Proverbs 31:15.
Don't worry, I'm not just going to pick at the ladies.
Now, men, maybe you're tired after a long day, and you don't feel like you are appreciated by your family like you should be. You decide to stop providing for them, so that they'll see all the hard work you do for them. Well, the Scriptures says that, "any man who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." - 1 Timothy 5:8.
Giving into the temptations of the flesh could be anything. It could be drinking alcohol, sex, laziness, procrastinating on doing your homework, hanging out with that bad group of friends, etc. It could even be something that God told you to stop doing or change, and you've ignored what He said.
"The desire of the flesh is against the Spirit." There is continual conflict within ourselves because we are both spirit and flesh. Although we struggle, it is ultimately our decision whether to give into the flesh or not.
So, what do I mean by the flesh? I mean our own desires that we know do not align with God's commands and will.
For example, if God would tell you jump, but you are tired and decided it is better for yourself to lie down.
I known that is a silly example, but it can be applied to other situations in our lives. Such as God tells you not to marry the person you have been dating the last several years. You decide that YOU know this person is the best for YOU, so YOU marry them anyway. Emphasis on "YOU." Giving into the desires of the flesh is doing what you think is best for yourself.
How do I overcome the desires of my flesh?
Great question!! PRAY!
When you give your life over to Christ and surrender completely to Him, you are given a power to overcome the desires of your flesh. In Luke chapter 10, Jesus says, "Behold, I give you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the powers of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you."
God has given us a power through Jesus Christ to overcome. Just like Jesus didn't give into the devil's temptations in the wilderness, we have that same power if we fully surrender to God.
Just like Jesus, we need to be ready in and out of season.
I've created a lift of things to do to overcome the flesh.
Know what the Scriptures say.
Pray for help!
Don't ligger on the thoughts of temptation.
Step away and focus on something else.
Tell someone that you are struggling.
Don't put yourself in risky situations.
Practicing these six things will not only help you overcome your flesh, but grow you in your faith to God. It won't be easy, and you will fail at times but GET BACK UP! Growth doesn't happen overnight, and your battle with the flesh will be something you battle the rest of your life. But over time, God will strengthen you and grow you so that the battle becomes easier and easier to fight. You will learn to rely on His strength to help you, and gain faith that through God anything is possible.
Remember to surrender yourself to God,
and allow His will to be first and foremost in your life.
Comentarios