Most often, many are heard blaming Satan, demons, witches and wizards for being behind their wicked actions or for falling into sins. These days, everything that happens to us is credited to enemies. However, looking at human ways of behaviours and things we do might refute the claims that demons, enemies, satan or evil forces are responsible for our ugly experiences. Yes, Satan and his agents play their roles, but human flesh stands the strongest enemy within human beings; opening doors for evil forces to dwell in our hearts. The word “Flesh” is derived from Greek word “sarx” a term the scripture refers to as the physical body. The Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature describes the word ‘sarx’ as “the physical body as functioning entity.” Another author used “Human Spirit” for the flesh. Some referred to it as “sin nature.”
Today’s devotional is dwelling much on the explanation of the word “flesh” for a better understanding because many Christians seem to have vague knowledge of the word “flesh.” The flesh is the human spirit working in every person against the Spirit of the Living God. The flesh controls human wants, tastes, desires as well as being responsible for decisions taken on the things we do generally. The flesh works very subtly but a powerful force in every human being. Anyone who disregards the power of the flesh will ever live to regret. A powerful father of faith, John Knox said this about the flesh as he grew close to death thus: “I know how hard the battle is between the flesh and the spirit under the cross of affliction, when no worldly defense present death doth appear. I know the grudging and murmuring complaints of the flesh…” Apostle Paul in his Epistle to the Romans expressed that there is something “in the members” of his body that he call “my flesh.”
Paul acknowledged that the flesh produces difficulty in his Christian life and made him a prisoner of sin. While commenting in Paul’s words, Martin Luther said that Paul used the flesh referring to the whole man, body, and soul, reason, and all the faculties included because all that is in him longs and strives after the “flesh.” Luther’s comments point out that “flesh’ equates to affections and desires that run contrary to God, not only in the area of sexual activity, but in every area of life. We can see that in Romans 1: 28 – 32, Apostle Paul enumerated some vices found with people living with human spirit (the flesh). Those things are identical with those in Galatians 5: 19 – 21, thus: unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, and murder to mention but few.
PRAYER:
Holy Spirit of God kindly breath into me your power and will to overcome the power of flesh in me. The battle of flesh in me is stronger than me.
bishopubaudenyi@hopealivechurch