What are the ways as a believer we can use to overcome the “dam” of the flesh in us that hinders the rivers of living water flowing from within us reaching our physical dimension?
Be Born Again. when you become truly born again, you receive the new nature of Jesus Christ that will help you overcome the flesh and its sinful desires (Galatians 5:16).
Pray Daily. Luke 1:18; Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart. The place of prayer is also the place of power. When you pray you release or spiritual energy that energises you to overcome sin.
Read & Meditate on God’s Word Daily. You must read & meditate on God’s word on a daily basis to overcome the works of the flesh. David said in Psalms 119:11 that he has hidden the word of the Lord in his heart so that he might not sin. Hence, many believers today struggle with their flesh because they don’t spend enough quality time to equip their spirit man with God’s word.
Flee Youthful Lusts. As a believer you need to flee youthful lusts which come in many forms such as the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of life (1 John 2:16)
Many people including many believers are unable to overcome the evil desires of their sinful flesh because they are not fleeing youthful lusts and pursuing righteousness but desire to do those very lusts to fulfil their fleshy desires.
Pursue holiness & godliness. 1 Timothy 4:7-8 – “Train yourself to be godly.” “Physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things…”
If you want to overcome the flesh, you need to start living a godly life that’s above sin and if you are struggling with that, all you need is to ask for God’s grace to help you be victorious over the flesh and commit yourself (and also be determined) to not fulfilling the evil desires of the flesh.
Stop Living In presumptuous Sin. Some believers today have difficulties in overcoming the flesh because there are still living in wilful or presumptuous sin that they are still clinging on to or are unwilling to turn away from.
If you want to stop living in sin or wilful sin, then you need to repent as true repentance means turning away from sin & prove that you have changed (repented) by doing good things. (Acts 26:20b; that all must repent of their sins and turn to God—and prove they have changed by the good things they do).
Once you turn away from sin (repented) then you must flee from it (which is doing a good thing). In 1 Corinthians 6:18-20, Paul says that we should run away from immorality because our bodies are temples of God where His Holy Spirit dwells. Hence, having received repentance from that wilful sin, please don’t go back into it, but by the empowerment of the Holy-Spirit run away from it.
Be Sanctified. 1 Thessalonians 4:3;
“For this is the will of God, that you be sanctified [separated and set apart from sin]: that you abstain and back away from sexual immorality” (AMP)
From this beautiful verse, the will of God for you is this can be summed up in 4 words; “that you be sanctified”
Sanctification is also crucial in your Christian life as a believer if you desire to overcome the flesh and any evil lust you may be struggling with within your heart.
Two main aspects of being sanctified; one of it is to be separated unto God (deep intimacy with God) and secondly, it’s to be set apart from sin which is done by the inward removal of the Adamic sinful nature we are all born with and this is done by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit as we see in Titus 3:5-7.
Without sanctification, you will definitely struggle in overcoming the various sinful lusts of your sinful flesh that have bogged your Christian life down.
No wonder Leviticus 20:7,8 tells us that we must sanctify ourselves and be holy because He who has called us is holy so that we can be set apart for Him only. Only then, will you find it easy to overcome your sinful flesh and its evil desires.
Guard Your Heart.
Guarding your heart diligently as Proverbs 4:23 instructs us is essential in overcoming the works of the flesh because it’s from the heart (or more precisely your inner-man) all issues of life come from whether good or evil.
And Jesus Christ goes on further to say in Mark 7: 19-23 that it’s out of the heart all manner of evil desires of the flesh such as fornication, murder, adultery, deceit and so on that comes out of a man. Jesus now explained It is these things coming from within a man or woman that defile a person. Therefore, like the psalmist said, we need to take control of our heart with God’s word. (Ps 119:11)
Develop Your Faith.
If you are to be victorious over the flesh, faith is also another crucial component you need in your life as a believer as without faith, we can’t please God nor can we receive anything from Him (Hebrews 11:6).
Remember faith has the power to move mountains which is why our Lord Jesus Christ said in Luke 17:6 that if our faith is like a mustard seed, no mountain will be impossible for us to move and overcome. There is a link between having faith in God (His Word) and moving mountains.
Spiritual mountains that trouble believers come in various forms and we would quickly think of mountain of sickness, mountain of poverty and so on but one mountain most believers don’t contemplate about is the flesh. You must know that our sinful flesh is a formidable mountain we need to overcome as it’s the one responsible for us doing sinful and evil things that don’t, please the Lord. It’s the one mountain if we don’t deal with that is capable of sending a believer to hell like Paul declares in 1 Corinthians 9:27 (But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified) ESV
So if you are struggling with sexual lust for example, which has led you into sexual immorality many times, you can overcome it today only if you have faith in God’s word and resolve that you no longer want any lust in your life leading you into sexual sin and other moral perversions of the flesh.
And one way to make your faith in God’s word in dealing with the “flesh” in your life very effective is to add the dimension of prayer to it as Jesus promises that the mountains in your life (which can be “flesh”) will be cast out. In other words you will get what your faith in God’s word desires in the place of prayer (Mark 11: 23-24)
Abstain From Evil Appearances
You need to abstain from all appearances of evil as the apostle Paul instructs in 1 Thessalonians 5:22 which sadly most people who claim to be believers don’t do.
Not abstaining from all evil appearances that are now sadly in our modern society everywhere be it on the internet or social media gives provision for our sinful flesh to desire sin which the above verse discourages us to do.
Many Christians wonder why it’s difficult to overcome the sin they are struggling with but yet they are not abstaining from those things that have “evil appearances”. For example as a believer you have an issue with sexual perversion but when you go onto the internet or connect with social media platforms you visualise things that will certainly fan the flame of immorality in you! Or as a believer you still have a problem with drinking alcohol which is now negatively impacting on your health, marriage or job, but yet you hang about with colleagues that love to go drinking! Maybe for you the evil appearances in your life that God wants you to avoid are the bad friends that will certainly influence you into gratifying your fleshy desires (Proverbs 16:28-29)
Brokenness (Psalm 34:18, The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit)
Brokenness before God, in my mind is such a deep spiritual experience and state that human words cannot adequately define it but to give us a template, brokenness before God, is complete surrender before God. It’s a state where your will crosses with God’s will (like the Cross of Jesus) and you willingly choose to obey and follow God’s will no matter what.
The Lord God Almighty, The source of the rivers of living water finds deep expression in those who are broken before Him. The gifts flowing in the rivers of living water from within a man finds very powerful and mighty expression in a man that is broken before God.
A broken man before God is dead to the flesh, so even when he is insulted, because he is dead to flesh, he does not retaliate in anger and beat up his wife. A broken man before God will not watch pornography even when the opportunity arises. A man truly broken before God will not steal or take money that does not belong to him even when nobody is there watching.
A man that is broken before God is a pain to the enemy because, he knows there is nothing he can do or allure him with to make him sin against God. The devil knows that he will not be able to find a direct ladder into a believer that is truly broken before God because a broken man is one who is dead to the flesh or is putting his flesh to death daily!
If as a believer your life or there are still parts of your life that are unbroken before God, then you will be a slave to your flesh. There may be more indicators of “spiritual unbrokenness” but 5 signs that show unbrokenness in your life to look out for and deal with it in the place of prayer
- Stubborn unteachable spirit &/or a hard heart
- Disobedience to God
- No more goldy sorrow to sin.
- Not sensitive to your spiritual weakness
- Humility is a big problem for you
The sacrifices that God will not despise is from a man or woman that is “broken” before Him according to Psalm 51:17.
As I conclude, living a life of brokenness is a critical part in dying to the flesh and also operating in God’s power. Remember brokenness before God, allows the rivers of living water flowing from your inner-man find energetic expression in your life. God bless you.
Prayer: Father Lord, deliver me from the mountain of flesh that is hindering me from having an intimate walk with you in Jesus Name
Feast of Light Global Ministry
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