We will begin this text with a biblical reminder of what the desire of the flesh is. This desire makes a huge mess and is difficult to put away:
5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. 9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.
Romans 8:5-9
The flesh makes empty promises
In 2 Peter 2:19, it is written that man is a slave to that which dominates him. Therefore, when dominated by the flesh we let ourselves be destroyed by addictions, which sometimes seem harmless and other times not so much, but we lie to ourselves with empty promises: “just today and I’ll stop”.
We always promise ourselves that we can stop, but this is a lie, for an addiction leads to destruction, be it in debt, ill health, loss of job or family. And more than that, an addiction leads us away from God, for as it is written in Romans 8, the mind of the flesh is the enemy of God because it does not submit to His law. When dominated by the flesh we may think we are experiencing freedom, but in fact we are just sinking even deeper, for this is a path where there is no peace.
Perhaps you know someone who desired something so ardently that when they looked back there was no way to fix the mistake they made. This desire for people, for example, can lead someone to kill in the name of “love”, because when the flesh dominates someone, reasoning is lacking, there is only one objective: to satisfy their desire. This does not come from God and is destruction for your soul.
Seek the things that are above, for the things of the world are passing away.
16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
1 John 2:16-17
When you say no to the lust of the flesh and say yes to walking in holiness with Jesus Christ at your side, you are set free from bondage, from the bonds of sin, from fears and anxieties. When we don’t think about our actions, whether small or big, someone will suffer the consequences.
Fortunately we have a God who is kind and able to forgive and cleanse us from our sins when truly repentant, so we must take our thoughts to Christ and not be slaves to the flesh. Leave it at the foot of the cross. Remember momentary carnal pleasure leads to death, when not physical, spiritual, emotional, social or family. So choose self-control, wish to have a life in holiness, turn your mind to the Spirit and don’t be dominated by sin.
God bless you!
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