ByChristians are those who are Christ-like. I mean those who have risen with Christ and seek the heavenly things. These people are in vessels called the human body or flesh first, just like everyone else. The flesh is a capacitor for the glory and presence of God on earth since it is the only one with a body who can have dominion over the earth. However, the aspect of God’s creation, as remarkable as it is, has become one of the main enemies of the Christian. That is why Paul in Colossians 3:5 urges us to mortify the deeds of the flesh. Today, I want us to delve into what mortifying the flesh entails.
The flesh profits nothing
We need to look at John 6:63 to establish this.
“It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”
The flesh is for our work on this earth. It is our responsibility to make the spirit dictate for the body and not the body for the soul. At the judgment seat of Christ, it is our souls that would be judged. Therefore, a person may “enjoy” fornication, occultism, corruption or adultery in their flesh now. But when it is all said and done, their flesh will depart from them, and they will face the judgment alone. It is rather the spirit that profiteth man. For this reason, Jesus encourages us to seek the Spirit so that we will be quickened. There is no better way to spend your life than this.
Feeding the Spirit will go a long way to grow the spirit to bear good fruits in the Christian.
To be carnally minded is death
There are two modes of thinking. Either a person is carnally minded or spiritually minded. To be carnally minded, as God puts it in Romans 8:6, is death, but to be spiritually minded is instant life. The Word makes us understand that the spirit has a mind of its own, and so does the flesh. The flesh will control you if you allow it, and it will kill you. Death is the portion of all who live by the flesh. This death can be seen in many parts of a person’s life even before it is apparent that they have been separated from the presence of God. For instance, when you allow your inordinate desires to overcome you, you will find out that after a while of “enjoyment”, you’re empty. The mind of the body always wants to see fleshly things. But the things of the flesh lead to death. So, we must not feed the mind of the flesh.
Feed your spirit
We all know how nature works; if you feed the right organism with the right stuff, healthy and productive growth is assured, subject to the grace of God, of course. Feeding the Spirit will go a long way to nurture the spirit bear good fruits in the Christian. This helps mortify the deeds of the flesh. That is the most profound way to go about it. How can one feed his spirit? Mainly by submission to the Word, singing hymns and praying. If you do not feed your spirit by allowing the Spirit to dictate what is good for the spirit, the flesh will dictate what to feed it, and it is always in contention with the Spirit. Feeding your spirit will help you remain sensitive to God and His things.
We Christians are called to be Christ-like, seeking heavenly things while residing in human bodies. Though a vessel for God’s presence on earth, the flesh often stands as an adversary to spiritual growth. The Bible urges believers to mortify the deeds of the flesh, emphasising that the flesh profits nothing (John 6:63) and that carnal-mindedness leads to death (Romans 8:6). By prioritising spiritual growth through the Word, prayer, and worship, we Christians can cultivate their spirit, allowing it to bear good fruit and overcome the flesh’s temptations.
