Study on the word “flesh”
Icorinthians 9:27—your flesh must be defeated and brought under subjection
James 3:2—if you would be perfect, keep your tongue and body under subjection, you must learn to let Spirit win, and flesh lose.
Matthew 16:17—flesh and blood didn’t reveal this to you—Jesus told Peter, this is spiritual revelation. You cannot receive spiritual revelation into the carnal, or fleshly mind. For us to receive from the Spirit, we must crucify the flesh, and be alive to the Spirit of God.
Carnal mind cannot receive spiritual revelation
Matthew 26:21—spirit is willing, the flesh is weak—we are given this thought from the Word, our spirit is ready, the spiritual man is alert, but the flesh operates against the willingness with weakness.
Fasting weakens flesh so the spirit can operate. The weaker you are the stronger you are---
John 3:6—that which is born of flesh is flesh, that which is born of spirit is spirit—Jesus stresses to Nicodemus the need of spiritual birth.
There must be a transition in your life from flesh to spirit. Once you are born of the spirit in new birth, your life is transformed not conformed to the world. You must walk in a new realm of spirit and keep the flesh man down under..
Acts 2:17—I will pour out of my spirit on all flesh—in the last days, God will pour out of His spirit on all flesh, God is going to move on man in a powerful move of the Spirit, that man might submit to the Spirit of Go.
God gives this revelation that man needs spirit to overcome flesh. So in the last days, He will give a great outpouring of the Spirit, last day rain, latter rain or last day revival.
Romans 7:18—For I know that in me, that is in my flesh, dwells no good thing—Paul recognized that flesh cannot produce spiritual fruit. No work of man, no goodness of man, is accepted by a Spiritual God. Only that which is spiritually birth is spiritually received.
Every motive must be spiritually initiated to be accepted by God, if it is our will over His will, it will not be accepted.
Romans 8:5—if you walk after the flesh you mind the things of the flesh, if you walk after the Spirit, you mind the things of the Spirit. Paul gives us this great teaching, you live in one of two worlds, the fleshly or spiritual, and what you tend to, is who or where you are.
Do we approach live from carnal reasoning or spiritual enlightenment, do we go to the Word for answers or society. Are our goals spiritual or fleshly?
Romans 13:14- make no provision for the flesh—give the flesh no
opportunity in your life. The flesh cannot defeat you unless you give the flesh provision. Paul says, don’t give the flesh an inch or the flesh will go a mile. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
Don’t set yourself up for falls.
I Corinthians 1:29—no flesh should glory in his presence—God will not share his glory with man, when the Spirit of God moves, man should never take any glory to himself.
No talents, abilities, charisma will shine in His presence. Man should never seek to take the attention off of Christ and place it on himself.
I Corinthians 15:50—flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God—your best effort, your best deeds, your greatest work falls short of the glory of God. We enter God’s kingdom through faith in Christ Jesus. No human effort was ever accepted over the cross.
Galatians 6:6-9—sowing to the Spirit or sowing to the flesh—if we sow to the Spirit we reap everlasting things, if we sow to the flesh, we reap destruction. Seen things vanish away, unseen things last forever.
God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship in Spirit and in truth.
The more you put into your spiritual life, the more you will get out of it. You can’t sow bad seeds and expect good results. If you want a nice lawn, don’t plant weeds.
Ephesians 6:12—we wrestle not against flesh and blood---spiritual warfare cannot be done in the flesh. Our flesh is to weak to battle Satanic forces, we need spiritual armor, we need spiritual power.
You cannot win the race of life battling in the natural realm. The devil has years of experience winning over fleshly man, but he also has years of defeat in battling spiritual man, so you better battle from the right position.
Philippians 3:3—have no confidence in the flesh—don’t rely on yourself in any battle. Pride comes before the fall and a haughty spirit before destruction. If a man thinketh his is something when he is nothing he deceives himself.
Spiritual pride has been the downfall of many great Christians. They felt they had their act together, where they couldn’t fall, but reliance on self is the first step toward destruction.
1 John 2:16—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life—is not of the Father, but is of the world. This is a warning that this world provides plenty of attractions to the flesh. Here are three areas to guard, the lust of the flesh, appetites, the lust of the eyes, attractions, the pride of life, worldly or carnal attitudes.
The only way to defeat the flesh is by the Spirit. You can’t have two masters, you can’t serve your flesh and your Spirit together, they are contrary to each other. Everyday, the one who gets the most exercise becomes the strongest in our lives.
Close: Peter—in the Spirit said, you are the Christ the Son of the Living God, and he was commended for this spiritual revelation—
But this same Peter rebuked the Lord when he mentioned the cross, and Jesus said, get behind me Satan—
Peter then said, though all would deny you, I won’t—and Jesus informed him he would deny him three times before the cock crew twice.
Peter is the picture of every person, when you are in the Spirit, you accomplish great things for God, when we walk in the flesh, we are sure to face great defeats.
