The battle of the man or woman that is born again is against the flesh, or as the bible puts it the sinful nature. The flesh is often referred to in the bible as the human tendencies to do what is contrary to God. So it is not about the physical, that is the body but rather everything that makes us prone to go against God including our minds, senses, desires, wants and needs. We see in the New Testament that the flesh is constantly opposed to the Spirit. In fact, in Romans, Paul says that those that are controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God (Romans 7:8). We are commanded to live according to the Spirit and not in accordance to what the flesh desires. As I read this week in the book of Numbers, I was amazed at the damage that comes from following the flesh and why it is important, capital and crucial for us believers who have been redeemed to live according to the Spirit of God that lives in us instead of according to our flesh.
In Numbers 11 verse 4, we see the people of Israel complaining to Moses about food, not just any kind of food but specifically meat, the kind they used to eat while in Egypt. A couple of verses before that, we read that the same people complained about their “hardships in the hearing of the Lord and the Lord’s anger was aroused. Then fire from the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp”. The people had to plead with Moses to intercede on their behalf before the anger of the Lord subsided. One would think, after witnessing such a fierce event that the people of Israel would have learnt but as we see in the next verses, the contrary happened. So, it is in this setting that the people dared to complain. Obviously, the two incidents did not happen directly after each other but, I believe the people who witnessed the anger of the Lord through the fire burning one side of the camp were among the ones who complained. Regardless, in their complaint, the people of Israel started reminiscing the past and not just any past, they reminisced their state of slavery! It is hard to imagine it at times but that is precisely how the flesh works, no wonder we ought to kill its acts in our lives. What happened to the people of Israel can happen to anyone of us. It is often very subtle, like sin, the desires of the flesh blind you to the reality of what truly is. Deceit is invited in, like the serpent did to Eve in the garden, the whole truth is not presented but part of the truth. The more they kept feeding their complaints, the more they were willing to gratify their fleshly desires. They did not have self-control nor were they content. What is even more shocking is that they were not even in need of food, they had no lack, they were not hungry, but they craved for something else. All of a sudden, God’s miraculous provision became not enough, it became “too common”, it became unsatisfying, it was minimized. In their own words, they said “we never see anything but this manna!” (Numbers 11:6). Additionally, the way the people complained is revelatory. It says that “each family was wailing at the entrance of his tent”. In other words, they made sure their complaint was heard and received by all, God included. You see, God had just saved these people from Egypt and was making them into His people which meant Him being at the centre. Some of it can be seen in the way God organised the camp of Israel. Indeed, every tribe of Israel built their tent around the tabernacle where God resided as instructed (Numbers 2:2). This showed how central God was to be for His people and how everything flowed from Him to them. Therefore, I believe speaking in front of the tent was a direct disdain or contempt for God. There is nothing that God hates like an ungrateful heart, or a heart that opposes Him. At that moment, Israel was being prideful, neglecting and disregarding what they were given (manna) for something they could not get (meat from Egypt). Such an attitude God cannot exalt because it is a direct contention against His Glory. Well, to give you the end of the story, God ended up giving meat to the Israelites but that very meat killed them as God struck them in His anger for their cravings. The place was called the “graves of cravings”. Fast forward thousand years later, we see that gratifying our sinful nature still leads to death the same way it led the Israelites to death in the desert. Obviously, God has not changed, He is still Holy and He still does not delight in sin.
So then, what are the works of the flesh and how can we fight against them? The works of the flesh are but not limited to wickedness, evil, greed, depravity, envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. In addition, gossip, slander, God-hatred, insolence, arrogance, boasting, heartlessness, faithlessness, ruthlessness (Romans 1:29-31). The list goes on in Galatians with sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, orgies and the likes (Galatians 5:19-21). In a nutshell, everything that is contrary to what God is pleased with is a work of the flesh. Seeing such an elaborate list of the works of the flesh can be overwhelming but it is possible in Christ to be victorious of this battle. Indeed, victory has already been obtained in Christ because Jesus gave us the power through his Spirit to withstand against our sinful nature when he defeated sin on the cross. In fact, the only way to fight against the flesh, is to be filled with the Spirit of God. To be filled with the Spirit of God is simply to seek the things of God and yield oneself to what God desires. It is to be obedient to the commandments and instructions of the Lord as indicated in His word; it is to gratify the desires of the Spirit which would lead to posing acts that are more and more in line with what the Spirit desires such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22). If you want to be filled with the Spirit of God, start filling yourself with the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Jesus said that those who abide in him will bear much fruit and the Father will be glorified (John 15:5, 8). Let us therefore seek the Lord while He may be found!
A Word Aptly Spoken 