But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. Galatians 5:16.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלהים) says:
I tell you to walk by the Spirit and not according to the flesh. Why?
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. Romans 8:5-6.
It is the difference between life and death, the blessing and the curse, a life of love and a life of hate, a life of peace and a life of torment. You choose.
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. Galatians 5:19-21.
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 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. Galatians 5:16-17.
When I speak of the “flesh,” I am not talking about your body, although the mindset of the flesh uses and destroys your physical body as well as your soul. The flesh is earthbound and worldly, devoid of the realm of spiritual insight. It is all wrapped up in the temporal and not the eternal. It is primarily interested in grabbing everything it can now because it knows it will end in death and no longer be able to satisfy its cravings. It is the area of mental reasoning and calculation without any input of heavenly wisdom from Me. The flesh is hostile to Me and does not acknowledgment Me except to criticize and malign Me.
Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. James 3:13-18.
The flesh mindset is focused only on itself. What pleases it and what it thinks and getting its own way. Without even realizing it, because most people of the flesh mindset think of themselves as basically good people, they are often angry, offended, resentful, bitter, judgmental, immoral, liars when it suits them, and of a critical spirit and greedy but call it the principle of the thing when they go after someone they think took what should be theirs, especially those of their own family and also their co-workers. You know the flesh mindset when they start complaining, gossiping, and loving to tell you about how ill-treated they have been. But you need to be very careful of not adopting the flesh mindset because it generally destroys the health and fitness of those who get into gluttony, drug addiction, sexual immorality, pornography, and alcoholism, which are all of the flesh. Depression and self-hate are of the flesh as well. Pride is of the flesh also.
I think from that you are beginning how on earth you can get out of the flesh mindset and into the spirit mindset. Two things. You must be born again and you must make your conversation in Heaven.
Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born gain he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” John 3:3-5.
Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. For, “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls off, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word which was preached to you. Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the Word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord. 1 Peter 1:22-1 Peter 2:3.
Since you are born again by the incorruptible seed of My Word, you must get your mind and your mouth full of My Word and get out the conversations of the flesh if you are to live by and walk in the peace of the Spirit. For the deeds of the flesh will then no longer be part of you or part of your vocabulary, instead the fruit of the Spirit will produce in you and your vocabulary.
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 live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another. Galatians 5:22-26.
Strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying are all deeds of the flesh and have no part in the fruit of the Spirit.
Now listen, because what I am about to say is very important and most people are not careful about this so even after being born again they end up in the flesh and not the spirit, which is death to them. Death and life are in the power (hand) of your tongue. You will be held accountable for every idle word you speak. Idle words have no life in them and bear no fruit that endures to life eternal.
Adam and Eve were born from above and created immortal in the flesh as well as the spirit and walked with Me in the Spirit. As long as their conversation was with Me and with one another in accordance with My Words and ways, the lived by and walked in the Spirit and their life was heavenly and in heavenly realms though on the earth, which I created for them and gave them full dominion over. So what happened? They let themselves get pulled into conversations with a deceiver and became familiar with the mindset of the flesh, earthly, devilish cunning which turned their eyes only on themselves and the satisfaction of their flesh.
Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from [a]any tree of the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. Genesis 3:1-6.
The devil tricked them with the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life. And that is all flesh and no spirit. And so many are drawn there today by letting themselves be involved in godless chatter and the life of empty show. Watch the shows and stories on TV, the internet, movies and the stage and that is what you will primarily see and if you watch those, it will lead you into the mindset of the flesh. It is counterfeit wisdom, counterfeit love, and counterfeit beauty. Underneath it is darkness, evil, and destructive of what is true, perfect, and honorable. And if not outright evil just futile and a waste of your precious time. No fruit at the best, deeds of the flesh at the worst which result in broken homes, unwanted children, rejected loved ones, and a heap of carnage lying on the sidewalks in animal type lives of pain and torment. And it all starts in your thoughts and inner conversations.
Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever. 1 John 2:15-17.
Watch what you are letting your mind dwell upon because the world, the flesh and the devil are vying for your thoughts. But so am I, and that is why I have but My Words in your mouth and covered you with the shadow of My hand, and filled you with My Spirit if you will just turn to Me and be saved.
“Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. Isaiah 45:22.
What then do you do so you can avoid all this and walk in the love, peace, and joy of the Spirit and stay out of the mindset of the flesh? You must be transformed by the renewal of your mind. Simply, put you change your inner conversations and the outer ones will follow. Watch out what you are talking to yourself about all day and what you allow your mind to dwell upon. You can torment yourself, fuel hate and anger, give in to offense and rehearse it all day, and drive yourself insane.
But let us start with the remedy and move on to the activity, and to the long haul that brings you safely and victoriously to the Kingdom. But your Kingdom living should start NOW by moving your conversations (inner and outer) to be in Heaven where you are seated with Christ at My right hand when you are born again.
I have the remedy and the answer. And it starts with the blood of Jesus.
Knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. 1 Peter 1:18-19.
But if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son continually cleanses us from all sin.1 John 1:7
It moves on to washing with water with the Word.
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. Ephesians 5:25-27.
And the infilling of the Spirit.
Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:38.
Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father. Ephesians 5:15-20.
Do not make your conversation conform to the flesh but to the Spirit. Jesus told you He did not speak on His own initiative but waited to hear the right Word to speak for the answer because I had the words of eternal life. When people present questions to you do not just look in your head for the answer but go down into your spirit and listen to My Spirit within you for the right word to say at the right time and you will know when it illumines your heart that it is My answer. Start everything in the Spirit, do it in the Spirit and finish it in the Spirit. Keep you mind above where I have seated you in Christ. Right there in oneness with Me. Keep your conversation there with Me.
For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 3:20-21.
I love you. Come spend you days and nights with Me, I will set you totally free of all sin, shame, guilt, and blame and idle, godless chatter.