The Flesh

The Devil uses the World because he knows he can have success with those inside it.

How?

Through our Flesh.

Skin Deep

The term “Flesh” needs some clarification.

It appears frequently throughout the Bible, meaning anything from our literal skin to the union of a husband and wife in marriage.

But within the context of spiritual warfare, we’re talking about it in another light.

Just like the planet, humanity was created by God, who deemed us “Good.”

But when sin entered the world, it also entered human nature, causing us to be born with desires contrary to the Way of Jesus.

Paul provides a general list of these desires in Galatians 5v19-21…

So, the Flesh is the part of our nature that leads us away from God - the part of our nature that prolonged discipleship to Jesus heals and redeems. 

But it certainly goes kicking and screaming.

Battlegrounds of Flesh

Remember the Devil’s strategy as spelled out by Comer?

“[spreading] deceptive ideas that play to disordered desires, which are normalized in a sinful society.”

The Devil spreads his deceptive ideas (“materialism is good, violence is the answer, etc.”) in a sinful society because he knows they appeal to our Flesh (referred to above as “disordered desires”). 

There’s a great quote from Jesus, "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." 

And He was right on the money.

Following Jesus is difficult because we, by nature, don’t embody His Way of life. If we did, there would’ve been no reason for Him to come in the first place.

So, following Jesus becomes an ongoing process of replacing the Flesh with the Spirit.

This is important because the Devil plays to our Flesh in spiritual warfare.

He takes our desire for sex and turns it into lust…

…our desire for security into a need to control.

…our desire for work into the pursuit of wealth and status.

Jesus, on the other hand, redeems these desires.

We open ourselves up to such redemption in a multitude of ways:

• Fasting to practice reliance on Spirit over Flesh

• Prayer to be in touch with God’s voice and presence

• Or Scripture to remind ourselves of God’s Truth over the Flesh’s lies

All these things help peel back the power of the Flesh, making us less prone to act in accordance with its self-destructive ways.

(If you’d like to hear a good song about Jesus’ “Spirit is willing, flesh is weak” quote.)

But, still, there’s another major enemy against our souls. He’s the general behind the battle, the grand architect of spiritual warfare. Join us tomorrow as we finish our series by learning more about this figure, known commonly as “the Devil.”

For now, be blessed.

Jon,

Theophilus Newsletter