Getting to Know Your Enemy Part 2

This is the second installment of our five part series of getting to know your enemy. This emphasis on Spiritual Warfare is so vital for the church today. Contact me to set up your conference today.

Battlefront #2 The Flesh

Ephesians 2:3 Among whom also we have had our conversation in times past in the lusts of the flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh...

The second arena of conflict I want us to look at together is the flesh. I know that the Devil comes before the flesh in this portion of scripture, but I believe that understanding how our flesh is so easily influenced and destroyed by the world needs to be understood to wage a succesfull campaign.

When we think of the flesh, we must give it a clear and concise Biblical definition. It’s not going to be able to entail our human nature, mankind or the covering of our skeletal body.

However within each one of us, there is an evil spiritual capacity. Psalm 51:5-Behold I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

One of the most important steps in battling our enemy is knowing that outside of a personal relationship with Christ, our flesh is completely depraved. Our intellect, will, and emotional state are all controlled by our flesh. It is this part of our humanness that is in complete rebellion towards an almighty, thrice holy soverign God

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Our flesh lies within us. It is a spiritual desire and capacity which resides within each human being. But no matter how Godly we may be, our flesh is in and will always be in complete rebellion towards God. It is also known within scripture as the “ old man” or our “old nature”

In order to understand to the fullest what our flesh really is, we need to lay some solid groundwork first.

First and foremost do we even have a true understanding of what sin is?

Sin= Any failure to conform to the absolute, perfect, holy, and just moral law of God in act, attitude, or nature. If we are to live lives that are completely satisfying to God, we must not only live lives that are morally pure in our actions, but also within the desires of our heart.

Mark 12:30-31 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength, this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love the Lord thy neighbor as thyself. There is no other commandment greater than these.

However we as believers know that living freely in a satanically bound world is at times extremely difficult. In his epistle to the church at Ephesus, Paul reminded the believers that had to withstand in the evil day…Ephesians 6:13\

Concerning our flesh, it is in fact a mental, emotional and physical battle that we have to fight on a spiritual level. If we are spiritual in our new nature, then why should we continue to wage a spiritual battle in our flesh?

It should also then come as no surprise to the believer that Satan himself attacks the flesh through what he places in the world around us to tempt us. 1 John 2:15-17-Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is not of the father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.

The flesh has many titles given to it.

Romans 8:3-4-For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Galatians 5:16-19This 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 one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these….

Now lets look real fast at the above portion scripture. The word Spirit being capitalized is speaking of the Holy-Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a person, not an energy force or conscieousness. Christ refferred to the Holy Spirit as a person and John 14:26 is a good example of this.

As a believer, He is dwelling within you and desires to lead you …not to be lead. Yet we as believers quench the Holy Spirit by living our lives through the worlds philosophy as mentioned earlier, or doing the works of the flesh.

We see in the just the few verses of scripture from Romans 7:15-25 there is within every believer, just as there was with the Apostle Paul, a war between our flesh and the Spirit. Lets look at what Paul calls our Flesh.

1. Sin which indwells me…Romans 7:17-Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

2. Sin which dwells in me…Romans 7:20-Now I do that I would not,it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

3. The evil present with me…Romans 7:21-I find then a law, that , when I would do good, evil is present with me.

4. A different law in my members…Romans 7:23-But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

The devil uses the flesh as one of his main tools to gain a strategic advantage over our lives. If we are not living for God and putting on the Armor of God on a daily basis, we will ultimately succumb to his attacks.

Let’s look at a small portion of scripture in Ephesians 4:22-27…That ye put off the former conversation of the old man, which is corrupt according to deceiptful lusts. And be renewed in the spirit of your mind: and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor; for we are members one of another. Be ye angry and sin not: let not the sun go down on your wrath: neither give place to the devil.

Notice the first major phrase the Apostle Paul uses, put off the former conversation of the old man. The term conversation is an old English word generally used for behavior or deportment. It’s the normal way a person acts in this world.

We don’t change to become a Christian, though I believe the bible makes it plain that repentance and faith go hand in hand upon salvation. However we ought to be a changed person.

2 Corinthians 5:17- Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creature, old things have past away; behold all things are become new.

James 5:17-Even so faith, if it hath not works is dead, being alone.

Now spiritually speaking this is instantaneous upon salvation. The Holy Spirit brings new life to the spiritually dead spirit of man.

Yet growing as a believer is not only a discipleship process, it’s a daily battle where the child of God must choose how they are going to live. Either for themselves, or for the things of God.

Notice here secondly in verse #23 Paul tells the Ephesian believers that renewal starts in the mind. The majority of your spiritual battles are mental battles. Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of god, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world, but ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.

The one thing that the lost can not stomach is a bad testimony.

Now there are many strong beliefs, preferences and convictions concerning our flesh after a person is born again. Yet many of them have very little if any biblical relevance.

The basis for our biblical standards need to remain relevant because of the enormous attack of the enemy against the people of God and churches that are doing the work of the Lord. If you have strong standards, your called a legalist. If you forbid some practices by church members or those of your own family, yet it is not expressly spoken against within scripture, we are labeled as being cultish or heretics.

The reason for this outlook by those who are both within and without the church is because we seldom are taught the difference between standards and preferences.

A principle is a Bible proof I must live by.

A conviction is a personal belief based on a principle.

A standard is a guideline to help me maintain my convictions.

A preference is my personal desire in an area where no principle is involved.

The ultimate goal of having sound Bible based principles is that those principles will result in standards. If they are not rooted in the Word of God, what we have done is become no worse than the Pharisees who have taught for doctrines the commandments of men.

A perfect example is found when we read Psalm 101:3- I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside: it shall not cleave to me.

The principle is that I should not look upon that which is evil.

The conviction that I then must have should be that I will not look at or read pornography, nor condone the use, sale or making of it. Although Gods word does not expressly say no adult videos or images, the principle clearly applies to pornography.

The standard then that I have is that I will avoid the areas of a store that has these magazines put up where individuals may browse through them. I will not look at the images on the internet nor watch movies which contain these images.

Every major business has a standard that they are recognized by whether it’s the dress code of a delivery driver or the packaging of their product. Why then should the lifestyle of a child of God, or the local New Testament church be any different?

Standards are essential. We as believers can not maintain principles without having standards. When we drive down the highway, do we complain that the speed limit is legalistic? No, but we accept the fact that though we may be able to drive safely at a higher speed of travel, there are others who must travel at a minimum speed. You may not agree with the imposed speed limit, but you are mature enough to agree that it is imposed for safety reasons.

The main problems concerning our standards is that though we may look spiritual on the outside, our attitude concerning our standards has become fleshly. We don’t become Godly because of our haircuts, clothing or people we fellowship with. We become Godly and spiritual as we walk with God.

How Victory over the Flesh is Gained and maintained.

I’m going to give you some basic steps on being able to not only walk in victory on a daily basis, but how to rise back up after you fall into the snare of the fowler.

Within the book of Romans, there are three chapters that deal exclusively with a believers sanctification, progressive and instantaneous. A very important word to the wise, you should/must study all three of these chapters together…not independent of one another. Now we are going to look primarily at chapter 6 which has to deal with the believer being dead to sin.

Firstly the child of God must recognize the fact that the sin nature has been defeated. Romans 6:6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

Secondly, we must remember that living the successful Christian life is simple to comprehend. It’s a spiritual war not only taking place on the outside of our bodies and all around us. Yet it is a spiritual war that is raging on the inside of the believer as well. The most major aspect of the battle that a believer has to wrestle with on a daily basis is which ever side he/she feeds more they will ultimately begin serving.

Galatians 6:8-9 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption, but he that soweth to the Spirit shall reap life everlasting.

Paul the apostle also wrote in Galatians 5:24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections thereof.

And even earlier in the same epistle ,the apostle Paul wrote in Galatians 2:20-I am crucified with Christ: yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Paul, through many toils, dangers, snares and even shipwrecks knew that the secret to overcoming the flesh was a daily dying to oneself. Paul had the spiritual discipline to rise up each morning, put on the armor of God and live for the Father. Paul made a deleiberate daily choice to live each moment for Christ, not his own gain.

We as believers must live the same way. It truly is a battle that we as believers must learn to wage. Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable, and perfect will of God.

Thirdly, this battle involves the very real yet very simple method of repentance. A turning away of what you once were and cleaving onto what Christ commands and what the Word of God teaches. James 4:7-8 Submit yourself therefore to God, Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to god and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

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