The Flesh
As Christians we spend most of our time in this battle against sin. We are kind of always looking over our shoulder of where it might attack us. The truth is with Christ we shouldn’t walk on egg shells. We shouldn’t be checking every corner to see when it will happen again. IF we have surrendered our life to Christ then we must simply take the Holy Spirits advice when temptation comes. This can be a very successful way of living, listening to the Holy Spirit. It’s what we are told to do through out the bible. We are told to be patient and quiet and listen for the Lord’s still and quiet voice. However, there is something that we do take for granted quite often. That is our flesh and the type of appetite it has. You see whatever things we have feed our flesh it comes to remember those tastes. These cravings are stronger based on how long you have struggled with sins. Now typically, sins of the flesh deal with lust and this is an issue that doesn’t just affect men. The flesh wants what it remembers and once you begin to starve it and spend time with God, it becomes violent. Imagine an animal that is shackled and starving and the food needed to satisfy it’s hunger is a few feet away. It will do anything to get to that food, including die just to sink its teeth in and savor what it has been missing. This is our flesh, what it desires is only a few thoughts away and it will fight to the death to get that taste. When we pray we must pray against the flesh, we must ask the Holy Spirit to drown its hunger and all consuming desire. Jesus wants us to succeed in this life and live to the full, but He does know our struggles and He also knows its not just a battle against sin. We have a very cunning adversary in Satan. However, when our relationship with Jesus become intimate we only then realize that we play a big part in our own struggles. We must take responsibility for our actions and thoughts. As the flesh screams out to be fed we must surrender ourselves completely to Christ, no matter how we feel. The flesh has no intentions of holding back, it will get what it wants if you are not careful to allow the Holy Spirit to harness that monster. Through Christ and only through Him are we able to see the immense power of our One True God. As we are at war with our sins, hearts, flesh and other spiritual enemies that want to consume us, what resides in our heart is a King, Savior, Redeemer and Friend that trumps them all. The power of God is unmatched. Selah!
