By John Stenen The apostle Paul wrote in Galatians 5:16-17, “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.”
So, if this war is going on within a Christian, how are they to subdue the flesh and become powerful enough to keep the flesh under? It seems like the flesh wins most of the time in so many people’s lives. When a person surrenders their life to Christ Jesus, repents of their sin and now follows Jesus, they are born-again. (John 3:3).
That person has passed from spiritual death to eternal life. Their spirit is now alive unto God and wants to serve God, but the flesh does not want to. The way to increase your spiritual strength is to read, and read, and read the Word of God. Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. This is what Romans 12:2 is referring to when we are told to renew our minds with God’s Word and not be conformed to the ways of this world.
When our mind is in agreement with our born-again spirit, and the Holy Spirit, we can then subdue the flesh far easier. We are never going to be perfect in this life, but we can live a life that is pleasing to our heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Mt. 5:16 says, “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” God bless.
