Spirit vs Flesh

My spirit asks, like the Psalmist in Psalm 42:2 "When can I go to meet with God?". My spirit pants for God like a deer pants for living water (Psalm 42:1). But my flesh longs for something else. My flesh quotes Psalm 139:7 "Where can I go to hide from your Spirit" but not in a good way. There is a battle between my flesh and my spirit. We both hear the spirit of God moving in the garden. The difference is: my flesh is ashamed of its nakedness, while my spirit acknowledges that it is clothed with Christ. 

My spirit longs for God but my flesh is afraid. My spirit finds life in Christ, my flesh encounters death. Both my spirit and my flesh are hungry. And the Bible tells me in Galatians 5:16-17 that if I walk in the spirit I won't satisfy the flesh. Kuz the flesh and the spirit are against each other. And if I keep giving in to the flesh it is only satisfied temporarily and then it wants more and more than I can give it and it will only lead me to more sins. It'll lead me to say, as I was sharing with someone the other day, "Let's go deeper down the rabbit hole. I'm already here, might as well see what else is down here and how far it goes". No bueno. 

Interesting too, this scripture says that if you're led by the spirit, you're not under the law. It confirms what Paul says to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 3:6: He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. If I walk in the spirit I don't have to worry about being perfect. Because we all fall short but all are freely justified in Christ.

Jesus exhorted his disciples in Matthew 26:41 - "Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." Oh but I think at times, the problem is that the FLESH is too strong. Well, really it's the temptation that's strong. So yeah, in that sense, the flesh is weak. Paul says in Romans 7:23 that "there is a war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me." In the following verse he says that his flesh is subject to death. Again it confirms, if I walk in the flesh I can only expect to find death. Indeed, the flesh is weak. The flesh does not want to fight back..well, rather, it wants to fight back but, of course, it's not suicidal. It does not want to fight against itself. It does not want to yield to God. Rather, the flesh wants to satisfy itself and run from God. As was previously mentioned, the flesh is at war with the spirit. LOL, the brother that was ministering tonight said something so interesting and profound; I loved the way he described Romans 12:1-2. I'm supposed to offer my body as a sacrifice, right? Well he pointed out, we are supposed to offer our bodies as LIVING sacrifices. LOL, he said "That sacrifice wants to jump off the altar". See most sacrifices were dead when they offered them. But the flesh is feisty. It's not stupid; it knows its fate. It's like when Abraham was gonna sacrifice his son and his son said 'Hey dad, I see the firewood and all but where's the sacrifice.' My flesh is like, "Hey Jess, I smell burning...what's cooking and why is it so hot in here? Why am I sweating? Hmm?" (LoL. The way God talks to me...) 

As someone pointed out tonight, til the day we die we're gonna be fighting this flesh. The thing is, it really does have to do with the mind. I have to decide that living for God in every area of my life is more important and worth it than trying to satisfy my flesh. And I have to decide that God in me is capable of helping me overcome. I have to truly believe that His word is true that says that "It is for freedom that Christ set you free" and thus choose to "not be burdened again by the yoke of slavery" (Galatians 5).