The Triumphant Church"As many as are led by the soul, they are the sons of
God." Spirit-ruled, Word-based believers have a strong
defense against Satan. Body-ruled and sense-ruled
believers are an open target for Satan and his wiles.
And if a believer hasn't been taught correctly, when
his body wants to do things that aren't right, the devil
will take advantage of him and mislead him to think he
isn't even saved. Then once the devil gets a believer
under condemnation, he can cheat him out of walking in
his inheritance in Christ, which includes exercising
authority over him.
But if Christians understand that their body is not
born again and that they must do something about their
own body, they can learn to present it to God as a living
sacrifice by bringing it into subjection to their recreated
spirit. This is one of the most important ways a
Christian takes his place in Christ so he can stand
strong against the devil.
If we don't get our minds renewed with the Word of
God, our mind will side in with our body against our
spirit. That provides no strong defense against Satan!
Don't Blame the Devil for Carnality
What does the word "carnal" mean? According to
Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words,
the word "carnal" signifies the flesh that is sensual,
controlled by animal appetites, and governed by human
nature instead of by the Spirit of God.^2
Christians are to walk by faith in God's Word and to
be led by the Holy Spirit—not by their senses. A person
can have all the gifts of the Spirit operating in his life
and still be carnal if he doesn't learn how to keep his
2 Ibid., pp. 89,90.