Romans 8:12–13
“Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.”

Throughout the New Testament, we read about overcoming the flesh and the victory that is available to us through Jesus Christ. We are not called to overcome in our own strength, but through the power of the Holy Spirit working within us. But what exactly is it that we are overcoming?

Paul tells us that we have an obligation, but it is not to the flesh or to living according to it. Through Christ, we can overcome the flesh. But sometimes our understanding of the flesh is too limited.

We may think of the flesh only as those things that are easy to recognize - obvious behaviors or choices. But the flesh goes much deeper than that. The flesh is that part of our human nature that wants to live independently of God. It is the desire to go our own way, make our own decisions, and build our lives around what we want rather than surrendering ourselves to the will of God.

“The flesh is anything in us that desires to live independently of God.”

There is nothing wrong with enjoying the good things God has given us. The problem comes when those things begin to take a place in our hearts that belongs to Christ. The flesh desires comfort over obedience, our plans over God’s plans, and our desires over His will. It pulls our attention toward everything else while drawing our hearts away from the presence of God.

This is the battle between the flesh and the Spirit. The flesh wars against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh - two natures pulling in opposite directions inside the same person. That is why the Christian life can feel like a struggle on the inside. 

The Bible tells us that if we live according to the flesh, it produces death. But here is the hope: we have no obligation to live that way anymore. Those who belong to Christ and have placed their faith in the Lord Jesus have received the Spirit of the living God. We are no longer powerless against our sinful nature. The Holy Spirit is at work within us, giving us the power to put to death those things that pull us away from God and teaching us how to walk in the life of Christ.

“The natural inclination of the flesh is to move away from God, but the Spirit continually draws us closer to Him.”

The Spirit begins to change our desires. He teaches us to love what God loves, to desire what God desires, and to seek His will rather than our own. Instead of continually wandering away from the Father, the Spirit draws us back into His presence and leads us into a life of surrender and obedience.

Our obligation is no longer to the old way of living. We are now free to become a people who are after God.

Paul writes to the Galatians about the daily choice between two ways of living:

Galatians 5:16–17
“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.”

Notice he does not tell us to fight harder, try harder, to work our way into holiness. He says to walk by the Spirit. The victory over the flesh is not found in our own effort but in whose leading we follow. When we walk in step with the Spirit, the desires of the flesh lose their grip on us.

He also tells us plainly that these two are in conflict. The flesh and the Spirit want opposite things. Peter describes that same battle in even stronger terms:

1 Peter 2:11
“Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.”

Sinful desires wage war against the soul. They are not harmless. They are not small. They are not simply personal preferences. Scripture calls them an enemy that is actively fighting against us, and Peter urges us to abstain from them - to turn away, to refuse them, to stop handing them ground in our lives.

All these scriptures show that the flesh is real, the conflict is real, and the war is real. But so is the answer. Walk by the Spirit. 

Paul uses an even stronger word than fighting. He says the flesh has been crucified.

Galatians 5:24
“Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

He does not say the flesh was improved, managed, or kept under control. He says it was crucified. For those who belong to Christ Jesus, the flesh with its passions and desires has already been put to the cross.

So how do we crucify the flesh? Not by trying harder. Not by making promises to ourselves. We crucify the flesh daily - by surrender, by refusal, by choosing the Spirit over the old nature every time the choice comes. It is a daily thing, not a one-time decision we make and then forget. Each morning the flesh will ask for its old place back, and each morning we bring it again to the cross.

John shows us where that pull comes from:

1 John 2:16
“For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.”

The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life are not of the Father. They belong to the world.

“Have you overcome today? Call upon the Savior.”

The Spirit of God moves within us and He leads us closer to the Father. He produces within us a growing desire to love Him, obey Him, seek Him, and know His will for our lives. As we surrender to the Holy Spirit, something begins to change on the inside. Our desire for God grows. Our hunger for His presence grows. Our willingness to obey grows.

Maybe you recognize areas where the flesh is still trying to lead you. Maybe there are desires, attitudes, habits, or even priorities that continually pull your heart away from the Lord. If so, don’t try to overcome them simply through your own strength. Call upon the name of the Lord Jesus.

Call upon the Savior who not only forgives us of our sins, but gives us His Spirit so that we can walk in newness of life. Ask Him to fill you, lead you, and change the desires of your heart. Ask Him to help you put to death everything that keeps you from drawing closer to God. 

May the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ fill your heart. As you call upon His name and place your faith in Him, may the Holy Spirit strengthen you to overcome the flesh and lead you into a deeper life with God.

May we be a people who no longer live according to the old nature, but who walk by the Spirit, seek the Father, follow Jesus, and grow closer to Him like never before.