The Devil or the Flesh?problems with the devil that carnal Christians do. That
doesn't mean the devil won't try to attack them, but
they will know how to keep from giving the devil any
place in them.
GALATIANS 5:24
24 And they that are Christ's have CRUCIFIED
the FLESH with the AFFECTIONS and LUSTS.
Crucifying the flesh is not pleasurable. Every
Christian has the same way of escape from falling prey
to the devil through the lusts of his own flesh. But not
every Christian takes the way of escape provided for
him by crucifying his own flesh. Why? Because it hurts
to deny the flesh.
We don't have much teaching on crucifying the flesh
in the Charismatic Movement. That's one reason some
people have taken the teaching on demons to the
extreme and thought that everything bad that happens
is the devil at work. No, not everything bad is the direct
result of the devil or a demon. Much of what believers
call the devil is just the work of the flesh. And no one
can do anything about your flesh for you; you have to
crucify it yourself (Col. 3:5).
These folks who are always trying to cast out a devil
want the easy way out. It's easier for a believer to get
someone else to try to cast a demon out of him than it is
to crucify and mortify his own flesh with its lusts and
affections because it hurts to do that.
Years ago a woman came up to me after one of my
meetings wanting deliverance from a devil. She said,
"Brother Hagin, I wish you would cast this ole
unforgiving spirit out of me." She explained that
another Christian woman had offended her. "Sister So-
and-so did me wrong. God knows I want to forgive her,