DEALING WITH THE FLESH (ROMANS 8:5-17)
From the beginning, God created human beings in His own image and in a good or perfect state so that they fellowship with Him. Unfortunately, the devil in form of a snake came in and introduced sin which messed up the union. Man consequently developed a sense of guilt and rebellion. As early as that God made provision for the remission of sin by a symbolic act of killing an animal and clothing humans with the skin, a foreshadow of the salvation brought to us through Jesus Christ’s blood.
Dealing with the flesh, is an attempt to overcome the sinful and rebellious nature that we inherited from our first parents; Adam and Eve who broke the mutual rela- tionship they had with God by eating the forbidden fruit. In Greek the flesh is known as sarx, which is basically the physical body. Many Bible scholars view it as the part of a human being prone to corruption, the root cause of all forms of sin. In our text today Paul highlights the need for us to live according to the Holy Spirit. This is the power of God in us, part of the Godhead and trinity, which helps us to overcome sin. Every believer receives the Holy Spirit after accepting Christ as Lord and sav- iour but the manifestations of His presence vary based on the individual’s set up.
Every human beings is made up of body, soul and spirit. The flesh does not agree with what God wants and its carnal nature diverts us from the Holy Spirit’s di- rection. Some of the sinful deeds of the flesh are:-immorality, impurity, sensu- ality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, (Galatians 5:19-21). The acts of the flesh can lead us to death, which may not only be physical but also spiritual, total separation from God, hence eternal destruction in hell. The flesh makes you live in continued bondage because its pleasures are short-lived.
How do we deal with the flesh?
a) Acknowledge that you are a sinner and confess your sin before God through re- pentance-do not hide sin.(1st John 1:8-9, Psalm 130:3)
b) Walk in the Spirit (Galatians 2:20, Romans 8:5-8).Ensure that you are in God’s presence all the time through prayer and sometimes fasting, reading the word, at- tending fellowship and church services of sound Christian doctrine plus witnessing.
c) Do not feed the flesh by responding to everything that the sinful nature craves for. Before you got connected to Christ you had trends of evil nature controlling you but now in Christ you are new so never go backwards (Galatians 5:24, 2nd Corinthi- ans 9:27, Colossians 3:5)
Nobody should assume that he or she is beyond temptations. Provided you have a human body, the urge to go astray is there but the good news is; there is victory on our part as children of God (“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man, God is faithful, and will also provide the way of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13). Are you willing to have God’s power pull you out of the sinful nature of the flesh? May God bless you.
The Very Rev. Dr. Rebecca Nyegenye
Provost