Faith Vs. Flesh

 

It has been a struggle since the beginning of time, material possessions and things that feel good vs. walking in the spirit, and obeying God.  From Eden and Satan taking the form of a serpent, to modern day, this is something that every one of God’s children faces whether they are a Christian, Atheist, agnostic, or follower of some other theological ideology.  After all, we are all children of God, even those of us that deny Him because He loves us all just the same.  Walking in the spirit and satisfying worldly desires are completely at odds with each other, however you can still follow God and have all of your needs met.  Desires on the other hand, or things that are not of necessity, are another story as we usually want things that we do not need or things that are detrimental to our faith and our ability and willingness to walk in the spirit.  It is very important that one realizes the difference between desires of the flesh, and living a life in the spirit rejecting materialism and temptation.  Many times it is difficult to avoid the flesh even when you are aware that the thing you are seeking is not of God.  We must deal with temptation every day of our lives, and it will always be present in our lives, but if we are born again, baptized in the name of the Holy Ghost, and we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, providing Him a permanent place in our heart then we make it easier for ourselves to better deal with Satan’s attempts to lead us away Christ and a path of righteousness.

 

Our flesh and demonic spirits work in a synergistic fashion, so that they maximize the effectiveness of what Satan does best.  Demons use temptation in order to influence us to act in a way that is not pleasing to God.  This delights Satan, as he exists only to persuade you to disobey God.  This is the only power Satan has, as all legitimate power and authority belongs to Jesus.  Demonic spirits look for an opening so that they can get their foot in the door so to speak.  They are persistent and they will work tirelessly to wear you out while looking for a chink in your armor.  The door that evil is looking to enter, lies in your flesh.  It is possible for a demon to take total control of someone and cause them to kill, rape, etc but that is not usually the case.  The flesh is the source of the sin, our flesh commits sin.  These works of the flesh are referenced in Galatians 5:19-21; “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”  Romans 6:11 says “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  In other words our flesh has to be crucified along with the casting out of demons.  It is not possible to crucify a demon, nor is it possible to cast out the flesh.  There is a standard operating procedure when attempting to deal with sinful behavior but you have to understand the boundaries that exist, and the need for respect regarding those boundaries.  There is a balancing act that must be achieved here, as you must not treat the flesh while allowing demonic spirits to remain, and likewise you cannot cast out demons if the flesh is going to continue to open the door and let the evil in.

By giving in to our worldly desires and feeding these desires, we give Satan more and more strength as we make it much easier for him to lead us away from God’s word, and encourage disobedience on subsequent occasions.  Continued exposure to a particular type of environment or certain situations, make us more vulnerable to future persuasion to sin, and an increased probability that that persuasion will be successful in getting us to engage in sinful behavior.  Life and peace reside in a spiritual mind, whereas death dwells in a carnal mind.   In Romans 8:7, Apostle Paul states, “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.”  When you live in the flesh and rely only on worldly knowledge, you cannot please God.   Those that deal solely in this worldly knowledge, believe that intelligence is measured through academic excellence, awards, scholarships, and diplomas.  All of these things require hard work and the information is usually relevant to the career field that they choose, but without knowing and understanding the significance of being filled with the Holy Ghost, and worshiping God in the spirit, and praising his name, this worldly education will be ineffective in its implementation, and will be much more vulnerable to Satan’s influence.  This increases the potential that one will use this intellect for evil.  It is very important that people learn to realize the difference between this knowledge of the flesh, and knowledge that you acquire only when walking and moving in the spirit.

Aside from self-satisfaction and pride, you have Satan taking over once trusted institutions.  Colleges, Universities, the media, Hollywood, the scientific community, or any other institution that we have become accustomed to placing a certain degree of trust in.  It is through these institutions that evil is looking to win the hearts and minds of Americans, mainly our impressionable youth.  Truth must be emphasized when we educate our children, and truth cannot be taught to the next generation if we are allowing people to create their own personal truth.  Truth is not the same as opinions, or beliefs, and with most of the media pushing narratives that are not biblically sound, we have to recognize absolute truth through the Lord Jesus Christ.

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Jason A Brown currently works for a Department of Defense contractor at a clinic in Tampa Florida. He is currently in Pediatrics but has also worked Family Health. Aside from working full time Jason also possesses a Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice/Homeland Security. With a full time job, a wife and 13 year old daughter, Jason still finds time to educate people on America’s founding document, US history, and the US Constitution, through his writing, as it is one of his passions.