Romans 8:5-9 – For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.

I believe God spoke to me this week about something that I felt I needed to share. A word that everyone needs to hear, maybe you have heard it before but need to hear it again. A word concerning our flesh and our spirits. God spoke to me in my time of prayer and said, “There are places that your spirit has been waiting to take you, holy places, risky places, beautiful places. If your flesh will yield, you will be free to go.”

So let’s take a look at this. I want everyone to think of your flesh and spirit as two people. Your flesh is the rebel, the person who does everything they aren’t supposed to do, they follow the crowd. Your spirit is the cautious one, always wanting to do the right thing in order to be pure and happy and live a beautiful life. The bible tells us in Galatians 5:17, For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. You cannot live a life with both in charge. It will be one or the other. Whoever you feed the most will be the stronger of the two. Now by saying “feed” I mean who do you spend more time doing things in? Do you spend time in your flesh on facebook when you should be spending time in your spirit praying? Do you spend time in your flesh listening to worldly music when you should be giving God praise in your spirit with Godly music? Do you spend time in your flesh eating and consuming food, drinks, drugs, alcohol when you should be taking care of your spirit by eating healthy and refusing to do things that bring your body harm? Take a minute and look at the two, flesh and spirit, and tell me which one is bigger, stronger, and in charge. Allow God to open your eyes to the areas where your flesh is in control.

The bible tells us in Galatians 5:19-21, Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. So this is telling us how evil our flesh can be and if we allow our flesh to run the show (our lives) we will not get into heaven. The bible also tells us in Galatians 5:22-24, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we are walking in the spirit, we are walking a beautiful path, living our best lives.

So, how do we go about living our lives in the spirit rather than our flesh? For starters we can take time to sit and ask God to list the areas where you are letting your flesh be in charge rather than your spirit, He will show them to you. Write them down in a notebook and then pray daily over them, fast for them, look for them throughout your day. If we are striving daily, every single day, to push our flesh down and allow the most beautiful parts of ourselves to be in charge, our spirits, then it will happen. If the list is long, do not try to attack them all at once, you will grow weary and defeated and it won’t end well. Instead, work on them one at a time. It will take some time and will be tough in the beginning. But if we push. There is so much waiting for us. So much God has planned for us, that we aren’t seeing because we won’t give up our flesh, starve our flesh, refuse to let it win. If we do, if we let our spirits win the war, unimaginable beauty will bloom.

He gives us Roots so we can Fly. Roots and Wings.