The Spirit Man vs The Flesh Man
Greetings Sisters!
I pray this finds you strong in the Lord and shining your light to the world! One of the ways we can do that is to win the battle over the flesh man. Brother Jim drew this picture as an illustration that the one you feed will thrive.
This is so true and we see this happening all over, even when sounding the alarm.
Romans 8 is an excellent book to encourage walking in the Spirit and not in the flesh.
I'll share a few ideas on how we godly women can feed the Spirit within us and starve the flesh.
* Start your day with the Word of God. This centers you on the reason why we are here which is not just to raise children, be a helper to a husband or to simply exist, we are here to glorify God. Our relationship with Him is the first and foremost important thing in our life and without that, what we do is in vain. If we are about the things of God in our day, all the rest will fall into place and our spirit man will grow.
* Obedience. Of course if we love our Father who has offered the gift of eternal life, our transformed man will bear fruit of through obedience to His Word. This will strengthen and grow the spirit man within us.
Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? (Romans 6:16)
* Simplify your life. I have found that I have had more time to grow the spirit man within me when I simplified our cooking, eliminated items we have no need for that took time to care for and downsized our living space. Less stuff in your life means more time for what's important.
Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. (Philippians 4:11)
* Eliminating debt. Debt causes stress and by eliminating it, you eliminate some stress in your life and have more peace. Pretty simple huh? If you simplify your life you will automatically save money and there are many, many ways a godly woman can save money. I've shared in previous posts how we do it.
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. (Matthew 6:24)
* Don't tempt yourself. Don't wander around the grocery store, department store, thrift store, or online just randomly looking at stuff because you're going to either find something you want, but don't need or you might not be content with what you have.
Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. (Matthew 26:41)
* Repent of vanity. Much time, thought and money is spent on vanity of a woman. God's Word teaches women to dress in unadorned, loose clothing and cover our heads so this eliminates the external temptation if we are dressing biblically. The vanity I'm talking about is underneath that. The vanity man that's constantly looking in the mirror, getting on the scale, counting every single calorie or step and obsessing over it all. Find a medium ground and let the rest go.
Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.
(Proverbs 31:30)
For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. (1 Timothy 4:8)
* Recognize the flesh when it rears up. Take time to reflect on yourself and find the root of what causes the fleshly man to rise up in you then attack it and kill it. Eliminate the root of the problem (or keep going after it steadily as some will never go away but can be broken down.) I'll share an example: It breaks my heart when I see children being raised in worldly homes without the Lord, then it cascades into a lingering sadness in my heart over the lost and down I go. I've learned that when I see children to cut off that thought at the root and immediately think of how me, the wretched person I was, am a godly woman now and there's hope for all.
* Redeem the time. This is a big one for women when it comes to things that are 'good, pure and true' but can be time wasters and take you places you ought not go. For example, you may be looking online for some simple recipes or 'how to' info and get swept away in videos or articles that are not sinful but they waste your time and quite often tempt you in areas you shouldn't go. (Like complicated, expensive cooking; how to sew fancy skirts when simple ones will do, how to grow the prettiest flower garden and landscape it with expensive decorations etc...)
* Remember we are citizens of heaven. The earth is not ours, we are just here to do the work of the Lord and then go home. When the world persecutes or challenges us we are to rejoice, not get in our flesh and retaliate or be brought down in the spirit. One area I have to remind myself all the time is the challenge of technology. We have multiple websites, blogs and pages I manage for ministry and business and with that comes a lot of electronic devices that are not always doing what they should. I have to constantly remind myself that this is not our world and we are just using the world's stuff for the glory of God.
For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:20)
* Focus. If you focus on things above you will feed the Spirit within you and starve the flesh.
I pray this finds you strong in the Lord and shining your light to the world! One of the ways we can do that is to win the battle over the flesh man. Brother Jim drew this picture as an illustration that the one you feed will thrive.
This is so true and we see this happening all over, even when sounding the alarm.
Romans 8 is an excellent book to encourage walking in the Spirit and not in the flesh.
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
3 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:
4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
I'll share a few ideas on how we godly women can feed the Spirit within us and starve the flesh.
* Start your day with the Word of God. This centers you on the reason why we are here which is not just to raise children, be a helper to a husband or to simply exist, we are here to glorify God. Our relationship with Him is the first and foremost important thing in our life and without that, what we do is in vain. If we are about the things of God in our day, all the rest will fall into place and our spirit man will grow.
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. (Psalm 1:1-3)
* Obedience. Of course if we love our Father who has offered the gift of eternal life, our transformed man will bear fruit of through obedience to His Word. This will strengthen and grow the spirit man within us.
Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? (Romans 6:16)
* Simplify your life. I have found that I have had more time to grow the spirit man within me when I simplified our cooking, eliminated items we have no need for that took time to care for and downsized our living space. Less stuff in your life means more time for what's important.
Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. (Philippians 4:11)
* Eliminating debt. Debt causes stress and by eliminating it, you eliminate some stress in your life and have more peace. Pretty simple huh? If you simplify your life you will automatically save money and there are many, many ways a godly woman can save money. I've shared in previous posts how we do it.
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. (Matthew 6:24)
* Don't tempt yourself. Don't wander around the grocery store, department store, thrift store, or online just randomly looking at stuff because you're going to either find something you want, but don't need or you might not be content with what you have.
Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. (Matthew 26:41)
* Repent of vanity. Much time, thought and money is spent on vanity of a woman. God's Word teaches women to dress in unadorned, loose clothing and cover our heads so this eliminates the external temptation if we are dressing biblically. The vanity I'm talking about is underneath that. The vanity man that's constantly looking in the mirror, getting on the scale, counting every single calorie or step and obsessing over it all. Find a medium ground and let the rest go.
Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.
(Proverbs 31:30)
For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. (1 Timothy 4:8)
* Recognize the flesh when it rears up. Take time to reflect on yourself and find the root of what causes the fleshly man to rise up in you then attack it and kill it. Eliminate the root of the problem (or keep going after it steadily as some will never go away but can be broken down.) I'll share an example: It breaks my heart when I see children being raised in worldly homes without the Lord, then it cascades into a lingering sadness in my heart over the lost and down I go. I've learned that when I see children to cut off that thought at the root and immediately think of how me, the wretched person I was, am a godly woman now and there's hope for all.
And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. (Galatians 5:24-25)
* Redeem the time. This is a big one for women when it comes to things that are 'good, pure and true' but can be time wasters and take you places you ought not go. For example, you may be looking online for some simple recipes or 'how to' info and get swept away in videos or articles that are not sinful but they waste your time and quite often tempt you in areas you shouldn't go. (Like complicated, expensive cooking; how to sew fancy skirts when simple ones will do, how to grow the prettiest flower garden and landscape it with expensive decorations etc...)
See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. (Ephesians 5:15-16)
* Remember we are citizens of heaven. The earth is not ours, we are just here to do the work of the Lord and then go home. When the world persecutes or challenges us we are to rejoice, not get in our flesh and retaliate or be brought down in the spirit. One area I have to remind myself all the time is the challenge of technology. We have multiple websites, blogs and pages I manage for ministry and business and with that comes a lot of electronic devices that are not always doing what they should. I have to constantly remind myself that this is not our world and we are just using the world's stuff for the glory of God.
For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:20)
* Focus. If you focus on things above you will feed the Spirit within you and starve the flesh.
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:1-3)
We have seen many people shipwreck their faith because they let the flesh man rise up and overpower the spirit.
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)
Hopefully this helps encourage you to feed the Spirit within you and starve that flesh!
Love in Christ,
Sister Deb
The biblical gospel...