"Destruction of Fleshliness"

  Fleshliness destroys the spiritual things of God. That's a fact! It's difficult to get fleshly people to recognize they are fleshly especially when they feel they are spiritual. Their basis of spiritual is based on their knowledge of God's word, discussions on topics in God's word and their personal activity in church related matters.

  What does the word of God mean by "fleshly"? Fleshliness is simply following your desires and feelings with little regard for what God needs you to do. Someone feels like saying something because someone has made a statement (it could be right or wrong). Something drives within to speak and counter the statement! Someone feels like doing something with little regard to how it might affect others and so they act. There is little thought of what God needs to be done at the moment. There is a reaction without thought! That's fleshliness. There are others who feel they are experienced to teach or speak on a matter because they have been through a similar situation. What if their experience was a fleshly reaction? Experiencing something does not necessarily translate into spiritual and how to teach others to overcome. God must be at the center. 

  The Corinthian brethren did many things that were unacceptable to God. Paul spent a great deal of time pointing out their quarrels, siding with certain preachers, arrogance against one another, judging motives, not dealing with immorality, having lawsuits and showing their approach to situations was less than spiritual. Paul pointed he gave them the proper food but years had passed and they were still fleshly, just mere men (I Cor. 3)! No spiritual progress had been made even though they had the teaching of the apostle. The spiritual matters were in place for them to gain spiritually but their fleshiness destroyed it all. 

  Fleshly people jump to fleshly conclusions when reading God's word. Silly sayings, turning God's word into something it wasn't intended is the norm of fleshliness. There's not a lot of sober and spiritual thinking much less a proper mind set. Fleshly people react in quick flashes, speaking in anger or harshness only later to regret it. I'm not talking about the accidental stumbling. I'm speaking of the norm. Something is said they don't like or disagree and flash, they react. It is done over and over.

  How does one overcome their fleshly tendencies? We all have them. You must be willing to submit yourself humbly before the Lord. You must be willing to allow the Lord, when things get agitated within you, to take you into His line of thinking by following Him where He wants you to walk! Keeping silent and thinking in terms of God. Listening and allowing Him to instruct you how to react. Simply put: "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh." (Gal. 5:16) That's God's answer for us.