The Devil or the Flesh?You'll have to be thoroughly Word-based, living by
the principles in God's Word. And you start by
crucifying your own flesh and learning to walk in the
God-kind of love! You're not going to solve all your
problems by just trying to deal with the devil all the
time. Yes, there are times to deal with the devil, but
much of the time it's your own flesh causing you the
problems!
Jesus' Remedy for 'Flesh' Problems
MATTHEW 5:29,30
29 And if thy right eye offend thee, PLUCK IT
OUT, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable
for thee that one of thy MEMBERS should
perish, and not that thy whole body should be
cast into hell.
30 And if thy right hand offend thee, CUT IT
OFF, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for
thee that one of thy MEMBERS should perish,
and not that thy whole body should be cast into
hell.
Jesus' instructions about how to deal with the flesh
were just as direct as Paul's. In these scriptures, Jesus
wasn't saying to literally pull your eye out or cut your
hand off. That's symbolic. He was saying that
sometimes it will hurt you to deal with your fleshly
lusts and appetites just about as much as it would be to
cut off one of your bodily members.
It will be painful to your flesh to put these cravings
away from you. That's why the Bible uses the words
"crucify" and "mortify"; it's not pleasant. It hurts the
flesh.
Just as Paul did, Jesus also emphasized that you are
the one who has to pluck out the evil tendencies, lusts,