the "flesh"

Ok, time to tear down some more myths. This time I'm going to attempt to clear up this notion of the "flesh", as put forth in the Bible.

What is it really? I guess in order to answer this question, it might be helpful to look at what most people's perceptions of it are. And I say "most" people's perceptions because I hear more people talking about it incorrectly than correctly. So here goes.

Most people I hear talking about it think that it means your human appetites, particularly our desires for sex and food, but also things like money, or material posessions, or to enjoy life, or to feel good about yourself or the things you do, etc. etc., fill in the blank. I hear this belief from mostly christians, but I suspect that many non-christians subscribe to it as well. So, logically then, since christians think that these things are their "flesh", they feel bad, guilty, for having all these desires. And then they try, by power of their will, to supress, deny, do away with, ignore, basically get rid of, these good and very natural human desires. Which is not good at all, because, as we will see, these things are not what the Bible refers to as the "flesh" at all. What the Bible refers to as the flesh can actually be those efforts, by our own will power, to do away with things that we mistakenly think are bad. So, irony of ironies, people are, by means of what is really the "flesh", attempting to do away with, deny and supress real, good human attributes that God designed and put in us for good, important reasons.

It's funny, but a lot of the efforts of the "flesh" that I see, are done by well meaning chrisians or other religious, sincere people. This is sad, because these are the very people who are trying their best to live how God wants us to live.

Here is a real definition of "the flesh", from God's perspective, as spoken of in the Bible. It is basically living life, any of it, not by God's spirit. We were designed to run on God's spirit from the beginning. And the entire world is screwed up as it is because most of the world lives not by His spirit. It is very simple and logical. When you live from and by God's spirit, you operate like God wants us to, in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, etc. etc. When you live apart from His spirit, you don't operate how He created us to operate; hence, sin. It's really this simple.

So we see that the issue is not your desires as a human being. Everybody is human. We all have the desires for love, for a mate, for good food, for enough money to have our needs met and be financially free, to enjoy life, etc. We all share these things in common, chrisians and non-christians alike. We are all human. These are not your "flesh". These are your humanity, and should not be squelched, supressed, or wished away. The real issue is from what impetus you are living your life, whether it is God's spirit or not. And if it is His spirit, then you will be walking by the spirit, like the Bible says. And if yoour impetus is not His spirirt, then you will be living by the flesh.

When we look at it this simply and logically, we see that your desires as a human being are not the issue. It is how those desires will be lived by you, dependent upon which source youare living from. If you are living from the source of His spirit, then those desires for love, to enjoy food, to have enough money, etc., will be expressed in loving, kind, good ways. When you are living from the source of just your flesh, (being human apart from God's spirit), your human desires for love, for good food, for enough money, etc., will be expressed in unloving, unkind ways.

Don't deny your humanity. Deny the flesh. For real. And learn to enjoy life as a loving, gentle, patient, kind, child of God.