Lesson 44: How to Overcome the Flesh
Every believer discovers that receiving new life in Jesus Christ does not make sinful desire disappear immediately.
The Christian may sincerely love God while still experiencing a pull toward pride, impurity, selfishness, anger, envy, comfort, human approval, or some former habit.
Scripture calls this opposing principle the flesh.
Paul writes:
“For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit,
and the Spirit against the flesh:
and these are contrary the one to the other:
so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.”
— Galatians 5:17, KJV
The flesh and the Spirit do not lead in the same direction.
The Holy Ghost leads toward truth, holiness, obedience, and the glory of Jesus Christ.
The flesh seeks to place desire, self, and immediate satisfaction above the will of God.
The believer must not make peace with it.
What Does the Bible Mean by “the Flesh”?
In some passages, the word flesh simply refers to the physical human body.
Jesus Christ came in the flesh.
Human beings live in mortal bodies.
The physical body itself is not automatically sinful or evil.
But Scripture also uses the flesh to describe fallen human nature operating independently of God.
The flesh is the inward tendency to live according to sinful desire rather than God’s rule.
It says:
“I will decide for myself.”
“My desire should govern me.”
“My comfort matters more than obedience.”
“My satisfaction should not be delayed.”
“I do not need God’s strength.”
Paul said:
“For I know that in me
(that is, in my flesh,)
dwelleth no good thing…”
— Romans 7:18, KJV
Paul did not mean that nothing good had been done in him by God.
He meant that the flesh itself contains no spiritual power capable of producing the righteousness God requires.
The flesh cannot repair the flesh.
The Flesh Belongs to the Former Way of Life
Before salvation, people naturally live according to desires that oppose God.
Paul described the former life:
“Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world…
Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past
in the lusts of our flesh,
fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind…”
— Ephesians 2:2–3, KJV
The flesh was not merely an occasional disturbance.
Its desires shaped the course of life.
Salvation changes the believer’s ownership and direction.
He is no longer obligated to live according to the flesh.
But old desires may still seek to regain practical control.
They may sound familiar because they governed the person for years.
Familiarity does not give them authority.
You Do Not Owe the Flesh Anything
Paul writes:
“Therefore, brethren, we are debtors,
not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.”
— Romans 8:12, KJV
A debtor owes payment.
The flesh acts as though the believer owes it satisfaction.
It says:
“You have resisted long enough.”
“You deserve this.”
“You must give me what I want.”
“You cannot be happy without it.”
But Scripture says:
We are not debtors to the flesh.
You do not owe sinful desire obedience.
You do not owe anger an outburst.
You do not owe lust another look.
You do not owe pride another defense.
You do not owe appetite everything it demands.
You do not owe fear the abandonment of your responsibility.
The flesh may demand payment.
The believer owes it nothing.
The Flesh Is Not Your Rightful Master
Sin may still seek practical control, but it no longer has a rightful claim upon the believer.
Paul commands:
“Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body,
that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin:
but yield yourselves unto God…”
— Romans 6:12–13, KJV
The command “let not” shows responsibility.
Do not allow sin to reign.
Do not present your body as its instrument.
Hands, feet, eyes, speech, strength, time, and physical presence may all be yielded either toward sin or toward God.
The believer must make a deliberate transfer:
“I will not yield this part of my life to sinful desire.”
“I yield myself unto God.”
The Flesh Cannot Be Trusted
The flesh promises satisfaction but conceals what follows.
It says:
“One time will not matter.”
“You can stop afterward.”
“This will provide relief.”
“No one will know.”
“God understands.”
But the flesh never seeks your spiritual health.
It seeks expression.
Its appetite grows through being fed.
What it receives today becomes what it demands more strongly tomorrow.
Do not treat the flesh as a trustworthy counselor merely because its desire feels urgent.
Urgency does not prove necessity.
Strength of appetite does not prove righteousness.
The Works of the Flesh Reveal Its Nature
Paul writes:
“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these;
Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife,
seditions, heresies,
Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like…”
— Galatians 5:19–21, KJV
This list shows that the flesh is not limited to sexual sin or bodily appetite.
It also produces:
hatred;
jealousy;
wrath;
strife;
division;
envy;
false worship;
and destructive pleasure.
Some works of the flesh appear openly scandalous.
Others may appear respectable while hidden beneath religious language.
The flesh can operate in a church argument.
A competition for recognition.
A desire to control others.
A refusal to be corrected.
A jealous reaction to another believer’s success.
Do not limit the flesh to the sins that embarrass other people.
Examine what appears respectable within you.
The Flesh Can Wear Religious Clothing
The flesh does not object to religion if religion can be used to exalt self.
A person may:
pray publicly to be admired;
study Scripture to defeat other people in arguments;
serve in order to gain control;
give in order to be praised;
speak forcefully in order to appear spiritual;
or separate from sin in order to feel superior.
The outward activity may be religious.
The motive may remain fleshly.
Ask:
“Would I still do this if no one knew?”
“Am I serving Christ—or using service to build myself?”
“Do I want God’s glory, or recognition for being godly?”
The flesh does not become spiritual because it learns religious vocabulary.
The Flesh May Demand Comfort Above Faithfulness
The flesh often says:
“Avoid whatever is uncomfortable.”
But obedience may require:
a difficult apology;
an honest confession;
patient endurance;
faithful work;
saying no to desire;
accepting correction;
or continuing when no one praises you.
Not every discomfort is harmful.
Sometimes discomfort is the feeling of the flesh losing control.
Do not assume that the easiest path is the Spirit-led path.
The flesh prefers immediate relief.
Faithfulness may choose a harder obedience because God’s will matters more than present comfort.
The Flesh Wants Immediate Satisfaction
The flesh is impatient.
It dislikes waiting.
It says:
“Meet the desire now.”
“Answer now.”
“Buy it now.”
“Say it now.”
“Leave now.”
“Take what you want now.”
But spiritual maturity learns that not every desire should be fulfilled, and not every legitimate desire should be fulfilled immediately.
A desire may need to be:
refused;
delayed;
redirected;
or brought beneath God’s design.
The inability to delay satisfaction makes the flesh easier to control from outside and harder to govern within.
Fleshly Lusts War Against the Soul
Peter writes:
“Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims,
abstain from fleshly lusts,
which war against the soul;”
— 1 Peter 2:11, KJV
Fleshly lusts are not harmless private preferences.
They wage war.
They fight against spiritual health, a clean conscience, faithful obedience, and closeness to God.
They may promise peace while producing inward conflict.
They may promise freedom while building bondage.
Peter’s command is:
Abstain.
Do not provide repeated opportunities.
Do not keep feeding the appetite while asking why the battle remains strong.
Overcoming the Flesh Is Not Self-Hatred
The believer should not hate the body God created.
He should not punish himself in an attempt to purchase righteousness.
Physical needs such as food, sleep, rest, and marital affection are not automatically sinful.
The problem is not possessing a body.
The problem is allowing desire to operate outside God’s rule.
Biblical discipline honors the body as belonging to God.
It does not worship bodily desire.
Neither does it abuse the body through self-righteous severity.
The goal is not destruction of personhood.
It is submission of the whole person to God.
Human Willpower Cannot Produce Spiritual Victory
A person may restrain behavior temporarily through fear, pride, reputation, or strong determination.
But inward desire may remain unchanged.
Self-control exercised independently of God may even produce pride:
“I defeated this by my own strength.”
But Scripture says:
“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.”
— Romans 8:13, KJV
The deeds of the body are mortified through the Spirit.
To mortify means to put to death.
The believer acts.
But he acts through the Holy Ghost’s strength.
He does not wait passively for God to obey in his place.
Neither does he attempt spiritual victory independently.
Mortify What Belongs to the Earthly Life
Paul commands:
“Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth;
fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence,
and covetousness, which is idolatry:”
— Colossians 3:5, KJV
The command is stronger than:
“Manage these sins carefully.”
“Reduce them slightly.”
“Keep them private.”
“Allow them as long as they remain controlled.”
Mortify them.
Put them to death.
The Christian should not provide life support to what God has commanded him to kill.
This does not mean temptation will never reappear.
It means the believer refuses to preserve, feed, and protect the sinful practice.
Stop Providing for the Flesh
Scripture commands:
“But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ,
and make not provision for the flesh,
to fulfil the lusts thereof.”
— Romans 13:14, KJV
A provision is something prepared beforehand.
People sometimes prepare for sin while claiming they hope to resist it.
They keep:
the hidden contact;
the unrestricted access;
the stored image;
the unnecessary money;
the private opportunity;
the substance;
the excuse;
or the environment in which the old behavior repeatedly occurs.
Then they ask God to stop them at the final moment.
Overcoming the flesh often begins earlier:
Remove what feeds it.
Close the route.
Change the routine.
Leave the opportunity.
Do not prepare the table and then complain that the appetite arrived.
Identify What Feeds the Flesh
Every recurring fleshly pattern has fuel.
It may be:
a visual source;
a relationship;
a memory repeatedly rehearsed;
an unguarded time of day;
exhaustion;
idleness;
unwise spending access;
certain conversations;
a private device;
or a belief that excuses the behavior.
Ask:
“What usually happens before I yield?”
“What provision have I refused to remove?”
“What do I continue consuming that strengthens this desire?”
The answer should become practical.
“Try harder” is not a complete plan.
Remove the fuel.
Starving the Flesh May Feel Like Loss
When a familiar appetite is denied, the flesh may protest.
It may produce restlessness, irritation, sadness, self-pity, or a sense that life has become empty.
The believer may interpret that discomfort as evidence that the boundary is too severe.
But the discomfort may simply reveal how much control the desire had gained.
Do not immediately restore the provision because the flesh complains.
Allow the appetite to weaken.
Fill the space with righteous activity, prayer, Scripture, service, rest, fellowship, and responsibility.
Do Not Negotiate With the Flesh
The flesh asks for small compromises:
“Only this once.”
“Only a little.”
“Only long enough to feel relief.”
Negotiation usually assumes that the flesh can be satisfied and then become quiet.
But sinful appetite often grows through concession.
Do not ask:
“How much can I give this desire without serious consequences?”
Ask:
“What response agrees with the Spirit and the Word of God?”
The flesh is not a neutral partner seeking a fair agreement.
It wars against the soul.
Discipline the Body Without Trusting Discipline Alone
Paul said:
“But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection:
lest that by any means, when I have preached to others,
I myself should be a castaway.”
— 1 Corinthians 9:27, KJV
Paul did not allow bodily appetite to become master.
He practiced discipline.
Believers may need regular habits concerning:
sleep;
food;
technology;
work;
rest;
money;
exercise;
and use of time.
Disorder in these areas can weaken judgment and create opportunities for the flesh.
But discipline itself is not the saviour.
A strict routine without inward dependence can produce pride.
Use discipline as a servant of obedience.
Do not worship it as the source of holiness.
The Flesh Can Turn Appetite Into a God
Paul warned of people:
“Whose end is destruction,
whose God is their belly,
and whose glory is in their shame,
who mind earthly things.”
— Philippians 3:19, KJV
The belly represents appetite.
An appetite becomes a god when it receives final authority.
The person organizes life around satisfying it.
He says:
“I must have this.”
“I cannot function without this.”
“I will disobey rather than be denied.”
Food itself is not evil.
Neither are all physical desires.
But any appetite can become idolatrous when it takes God’s place as ruler.
Ask:
“What desire am I treating as though it must always be obeyed?”
Put the Flesh in Its Proper Place
The body is a servant, not the master.
Appetite is information, not authority.
Emotion is real, but it does not possess the final word.
A desire may tell you that you are hungry, tired, lonely, disappointed, or attracted.
Those conditions may need a wise and lawful response.
But desire does not decide morality.
God does.
The believer should acknowledge the desire honestly without surrendering authority to it.
“I feel this strongly.”
“But I still belong to Jesus Christ.”
Replace Fleshly Obedience With Obedience to God
Merely saying no leaves an empty space.
The fleshly response should be replaced by a righteous one.
When the flesh says:
“Defend yourself immediately,”
you may listen, pray, and answer humbly.
When it says:
“Take what is not yours,”
you work honestly and give.
When it says:
“Seek attention,”
you serve faithfully without announcing it.
When it says:
“Escape responsibility,”
you complete the duty before you.
Lesson 33 taught this replacement pattern fully.
Here, use it specifically against the flesh’s demand for control.
Order Your Steps Through the Word
The psalmist prayed:
“Order my steps in thy word:
and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.”
— Psalm 119:133, KJV
Victory involves ordered steps.
A person often wants God to remove the entire struggle while leaving daily steps unchanged.
But the psalm joins both:
Order my steps.
Do not let iniquity dominate me.
Ask:
“What step places me beneath the Word?”
“What step gives the flesh less practical control?”
“What must change today—not merely someday?”
Do Not Blame the Devil for Everything
The devil is real and must be resisted.
Lesson 45 will address him directly.
But not every sinful desire should be blamed upon Satan as though the believer had no inward flesh to deny.
James teaches that people may be drawn away by their own lusts.
The devil may exploit fleshly desire.
He may tempt, accuse, and deceive.
But blaming him does not remove personal responsibility.
Sometimes the honest confession is not:
“The devil made me do it.”
It is:
“I wanted it, fed it, and yielded to it.”
Truthful confession is the beginning of meaningful change.
Do Not Call the Flesh Your Permanent Identity
A believer may say:
“I have always been this way.”
“I am naturally angry.”
“I am simply controlled by appetite.”
“I cannot help wanting attention.”
Your history may explain the pattern.
It does not make the flesh your rightful identity.
You belong to Jesus Christ.
Do not define yourself by the desire God commands you to deny.
Say:
“This desire is present, but it is not my master.”
“This pattern is familiar, but it does not own me.”
“I belong to Christ.”
When You Yield to the Flesh
Failure should not be hidden or renamed.
Confess it.
Identify the provision.
Ask where resistance stopped.
Correct what can be corrected.
Reestablish the boundary.
Return to dependence upon the Holy Ghost.
Do not say:
“I failed, so all progress was false.”
Neither say:
“Everyone struggles, so this does not matter.”
Failure is serious.
Mercy is real.
Micah said:
“Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy:
when I fall, I shall arise;
when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me.”
— Micah 7:8, KJV
Rise again.
Return to the light.
Continue mortifying what seeks to rule.
Evidence That the Flesh Is Losing Control
Victory may appear gradually.
You recognize the desire sooner.
You stop feeding it earlier.
You create distance before it becomes strong.
You obey despite discomfort.
You recover more quickly after failure.
You become less defensive when the pattern is exposed.
The old desire may still speak.
Its voice no longer determines the action as often.
Do not demand instant absence of every struggle before recognizing genuine growth.
Continue.
A Practical Flesh-Denial Pattern
1. Name the Fleshly Desire
Do not speak vaguely.
What does the flesh want?
2. Identify Its Promise
What does it claim it will give you?
Relief?
Pleasure?
Control?
Approval?
3. Expose the Lie
What does Scripture reveal about the promise and its outcome?
4. Identify the Provision
What access, environment, routine, relationship, or excuse feeds it?
5. Remove the Provision
Do not prepare beforehand to fulfil the lust.
6. Yield Yourself to God
Present your body, mind, time, and action to Him.
7. Take the Opposite Obedient Step
Replace the fleshly response with righteous conduct.
8. Depend Upon the Holy Ghost
Ask Him for present strength rather than trusting willpower.
9. Repeat the Refusal
The flesh may return. Deny it again.
10. Rise After Failure
Confess, correct, and continue.
Discipleship Questions
- What does Scripture mean by the flesh when it describes the flesh as opposed to the Spirit?
- Why is the believer no longer a debtor to obey the flesh?
- How does making provision for a sinful desire strengthen its control?
- Why must discipline and practical boundaries remain joined to dependence upon the Holy Ghost?
- What fleshly desire are you presently feeding, and what provision must be removed?
Closing Exhortation
You do not owe the flesh anything.
It may demand satisfaction.
Do not call its demand a debt.
It may promise relief.
Do not ignore the corruption concealed behind the promise.
It may wear religious clothing.
Examine the motive.
It may complain when denied.
Do not restore its provision merely because refusal feels uncomfortable.
Mortify the deeds of the body through the Spirit.
Do not let sin reign.
Do not yield your members as instruments of unrighteousness.
Stop preparing beforehand to fulfil the lust.
Remove the fuel.
Close the access.
Discipline the body.
Yield yourself to God.
Take the opposite obedient step.
And depend upon the Holy Ghost for strength.
The flesh may continue opposing the Spirit.
Opposition does not mean surrender is required.
You belong to Jesus Christ.
The flesh is not your master.
A Prayer to Overcome the Flesh
Father,
Thank You that I no longer owe obedience to the flesh.
Through Jesus Christ, I belong to You.
Show me where fleshly desire is still exercising practical control in my life.
Expose every appetite, motive, reaction, and habit I have excused because it feels natural or familiar.
Forgive me for feeding desires that war against my soul.
Forgive me for making provision for the flesh while asking You for victory.
Show me the access, routine, relationship, thought, or excuse that must be removed.
Help me stop negotiating with what You command me to mortify.
Keep me from trusting willpower, discipline, or religious appearance without depending upon the Holy Ghost.
Through Your Spirit, help me put to death the deeds of the body.
Order my steps in Your Word.
Let no iniquity have dominion over me.
Teach me to yield my body, mind, words, time, and strength as instruments of righteousness unto You.
When the flesh demands immediate satisfaction, remind me that I owe it nothing.
When it complains because it is denied, strengthen me to continue.
When I fall, bring me quickly to confession, correction, and renewed obedience.
Help me rise and continue walking in the light.
Let Jesus Christ rule every appetite and every part of my life.
In His name, amen.
Next Step
Complete these statements honestly:
The fleshly desire presently seeking the most control is:
It promises that it will give me:
What Scripture reveals about that promise is:
The provision that keeps feeding it is:
The action I will take to remove that provision is:
The opposite act of obedience I must practice is:
The time or situation in which I most need the Holy Ghost’s help is:
Do not write only:
“I need more self-control.”
Name the appetite.
Identify the provision.
Remove the fuel.
Yield yourself to God.
Then take the next obedient step through the Spirit.
Previous Lesson: Lesson 43 — How to Be Led by the Spirit Without Being Deceived
Next Lesson: Lesson 45 — How to Resist the Devil