How To Overcome The Flesh

[TopicStarter]

The flesh is among the most challenging negative instincts that people have to deal with from time to time. In fact, there can be many such moments when your flesh may tend to overpower the spirit, and you struggle with sinful desires. 

This might be when you’re physically attracted to someone you meet and start fantasizing about that person. Or you may end up watching the TV channel you know should be avoided. Of course, you understand that indulging in these desires can affect your life adversely. But you still can’t bring yourself to dodge such feelings. 

Don’t worry; by consciously following God’s path, you can deal with such situations wisely. The Bible contains many verses that talk about how you can keep yourself at bay from the clutches of the flesh.

Here’s what I’ve understood about the ways of overcoming the flesh as described in the Bible.

#1 Make Praying A Habit: Prayer calms and refreshes the mind in any place, time, and moment. Hence, it’s truly effective for fighting any battle that goes on in the head. 

Practice saying a quick prayer to yourself or aloud whenever a temptation tends to grip you. Pray to the Holy Spirit to calm your mind and body. When you begin this practice, it might not be immediately effective in reducing sinful thoughts. But after you make it a routine, it gradually works in resisting the temptations that may often cross your mind. 

#2 Don’t Overestimate Yourself: Some might think they can overcome the flesh even while surrounded by physical factors that might drag them to indulge in sinful desires. 

But the truth is that we’re all prone to such desires since we live in a corruptible body. Hence, you’ve got to be safer than sorry and keep away from anything that will lead you to sin. Be alert about the places you visit, the people you spend time with, or anything that might bring temptation. 

#3 Separating The Needs And The Wants: At the end of each day, list all the activities you spend your time with. Then you need to separate each of those activities based on your wants and needs. 

Man always has fewer needs than desires or wants. So, discard all that you can from the list of “wants.” This way, you can reduce or remove all the harmful desires that have been tormenting your life. 

[Scarlett]

This is something everyone struggles with. It doesn't matter if you believe in God or not, we all have to fight our own selves in order to not let our carnal desires and animalistic ideas get the best of us. I have seen what living this kind of way leads to... Divorce, losing children, drug addiction, and even death!

[Stacey]

Praying is one of the most beneficial things you can do. I think most people assume you read from a script or quote the bible when it comes to praying. True praying is not repetition but just having a one on one with God from the heart. It certainly has helped me! I talk to him like I would my own father. 

[Emma]

Anytime I hear about this, I am not sure what it means. I guess I never had that deep of an understanding of the term. It makes more sense now after reading this and the replies.