Dead Man Walking

What is the solution to this flesh that deceives me, that entices and misleads me? How can I live in victory over my flesh?

Paul tells us,

"But put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts."Romans 13:14

What does it mean to "put on the Lord Jesus Christ"? Do I wear what He wore, do what He did, act like He acted? How do I walk His walk?

In the past, when prison wardens would walk a man on death row down a corridor, he would shout "dead man walking", as if to say that this man, because he had a death sentence, was considered already dead.

Jesus said, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me." Luke 9:23

The cross was a Roman method of execution. The criminal would carry his own cross, demonstrating to all around that he was going to his death. He was a dead man walking.

Could this be how I am supposed to "put on the Lord Jesus Christ"?

Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Romans. 6:11

"for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live." Romans 8:13

"Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is on account of these things that the wrath of God will come, and in them you also once walked when you were living in them." Colossians 3:5-9

"For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus's sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh." 2 Corinthians 4:11

With each passing year, I become more and more convinced that in order to walk in the Spirit, I must crucify the flesh. It is the only solution. I must be constantly dying to self. I must consider my flesh as dead. I must carry around the death of Christ in my body. Everyday I wake up with a death sentence; I am a dead man walking. The more I pamper the flesh and try to keep it alive, the harder it is to face the firing squad.

I've never known a more persistent and proud foe than that of my very own flesh. It absolutely wants nothing to do with death, refuses to be sent to the executioner without some kicking and screaming. And just when I think I've slain the beast, it rises up again.

Oh, and let's not forget the tests the Lord especially designs for me, that are meant to see what is in my heart and to humble me in those times when I become too confident, proud or complacent. (Deuteronomy 8:2) Those trials have a way of showing me just how alive and kicking my flesh really is.

The good news is, that unlike the man who has been sentenced to death, who walks the hall to his execution, who has no hope, we are not without hope. Our death sentence carries a certainty of life along with it. We are dead to sin, but alive in Christ.

Playing tug of war

There are things appealing to my flesh that I reach out and grab without even thinking, doing what is natural, without a thought about whether it is right or wrong. That's what it means to carry out the desires of the flesh. Each time that I default to doing what is natural to me, I am choosing not to walk by the Spirit.

Indulging in the flesh will trip us up and lead us away from walking in the Spirit.

Here are a few ideas of what our flesh finds very appealing.

romance,

fantasies,

fame,

scandal,

conspiracies,

suspicion,

revenge,

binging on comfort foods,

cutting myself down,

being right,

criticism,

quitting,

depression,

anxiety,

inflicting pain on myself or others,

looking sexy or appealing,

controversy,

panic,

being offended,

pornography,

power,

control,

winning,

getting more,

money,

temper tantrums,

pity parties,

gossip fests,

outburst of anger,

deceiving others,

lying,

complaining,

holding a grudge,

finding fault,

dividing friends,

making enemies,

celebrity status

These are powerfully alluring to your flesh and oddly satisfying as well. They are flesh pleasers.

Why is there a natural inclination in me to exclude others? It would be so easy to give into that. Why must it be so hard to love difficult people? It is so much easier to hate them.

"For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do." Galatians 5:17 ESV

I read the words "to keep you from doing the things you want to do" and I think to myself, what is it that I want to do? I see myself wanting to do good, trying to be godly, but then, I complain that it is too hard and prefer to take the easy way out. My desires seem to be playing "tug of war" with each other. I'm not sure on whose side I am, for which side I am pulling. How can I tell which desire is the flesh and which desire is the Spirit?

Maybe this will help.

Flesh: desires to be glorified, seeks self-satisfaction.

Spirit: desires to glorify God, seeks self-sacrifice.

The Spirit keeps a tight pull when I am on His team. But if I let myself go, give in to my desires, my impulses, the flesh begins to win immediately. Is the Spirit so weak that I can never seem to have victory? Of course not, that can't be true, "seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness." (2 Peter 1:3) In the Spirit, we've been given all that we need to live the godly life. So then, why am I so often defeated? Why doesn't the Spirit just take over and conquer my weakness?

"Therefore justice is far from us, and righteousness does not overtake us; we hope for light, and behold darkness, and for brightness but we walk in gloom. We grope for the wall like the blind; we grope like those who have no eyes; we stumble at noon as in the twilight among those in full vigor, we are like dead men." Isaiah 59:9-10

How ironic that we live like that, when we have no reason to!

"for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water." Jeremiah 2:13

What's wrong with us! Why do we behave so insanely? We have the real thing, the best that exists, but we prefer to be satisfied with what we can do for ourselves, with what this world offers, even though it fails miserably and does not satisfy. We can't seem to shake that nagging feeling that if I could just do this or have that, my life would be better. Just the other day the thought breezed into my mind saying "if I was just thin, I'd be happy". Bunk and hogwash! Why is it that the grass always looks greener on the other side? If I have Christ and He is all I need, why do I continue to feel that I'm not good enough, that I need more to be happy?

"O wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death?" Romans 7:24

I truly hope by now that you have begun to see how weak your flesh is. I hope you can say that your flesh deceives you and cannot be trusted.

Eye-catching Appeal

Appeal: stimulate interest, attract, get your attention,"catch your eye".

Flesh appeal most often comes through the eye. Your eye is attracted to something, which then draws your attention. Once you have both eyes locked in, your mind plays along.

Achin was a man who couldn't resist flesh appeal. Joshua led the people of Israel around the city of Jericho and the Lord brought the walls down, but they were told to not take anything from the city. Achin said, "when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, then I covered them and took them." (Joshua 7:20)His eye first spotted that beautiful cloak and he was hooked. He gave in to the cravings of his flesh. His lust eventually led to a disastrous defeat for the whole nation.

In her book, "When God Weeps," Joni Eareckson Tada writes, "you'll never catch me lingering in the lingerie department where they display tall, elegant mannequins wearing beautiful, silk negligees." Why not? What's so bad about that, you ask? Mannequins can do something that Joni can't; they can stand and look attractive in those flowing gowns. Choosing to gaze on what you don't have or can't do only serves to arouse lustful passions. Often we are drawn to look at those very things that make us feel bad about ourselves, too often, we let ourselves stare. You see someone with that relationship you've always wanted, someone getting more praise, more laughs, someone smarter, prettier, skinnier, more popular, more loved, and you suddenly feel unsure. You've been hooked by your flesh, and now it won't be long before you sink to that "feel so bad about yourself" place. All focus is on your self, all attention is in making yourself feel better. Like opening the refrigerator door for something to eat when you are hungry, your flesh opens to anything it finds appealing, anything that boosts the "feel good" factor.

What's wrong with wanting to "feel good"?

Can the flesh ever want what is good?

Is the flesh always attracted to those things that are bad?

Is it always selfish by nature?

Adam sees Eve, holding the forbidden fruit towards him, inviting him to eat with her. What is going through his mind? How quickly has he processed the implications of what she has just done? She's eaten the fruit and death has separated them. At that point he has a choice to make. He can choose to not eat the fruit, have eternity with God, and separation from Eve, or take the fruit, eat it, and be restored to Eve, but separated from God. He chooses separation from God.

I wonder what was more appealing to Adam's flesh, the fruit or Eve?

Do you find yourself frequently reaching out for something, while at the same time telling yourself "no, don't do it"? What has you struggling to not give in? What has you constantly wanting what you shouldn't?

"For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the wishing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I wish, I do not do; but I practice the very evil that I do not wish." (Romans 7:17-18)

I tell myself that I want to lose weight, but all day long I'm pestered with the thought of eating something sweet. I want, I resist, I want again, I resist again. Ooof! I'm tired of this game! Why won't this constant temptation just go away? Wouldn't it be nice if God would make it all easier and take away the desire! Instead, it seems, He sends trials tailor made to fit my struggles.

Now why would He do that?

Lost in the Fog

Deception depends on our ignorance.

It succeeds because we are unaware and unsuspecting of it.

I am always surprised when I discover that I've been misled. I don't expect it to happen. Sometimes it is malicious, sometimes it is in fun, but often it's because the other person is just as deceived as I am.

In Mexico, kids line up to be blindfolded and handed a stick which they can use to swing wildly in hopes of hitting a pinata, while the rest of us make sport of him. We shout directions: higher, lower, to your right, to your left; some good, but most are misleading. How does the kid know who to trust, which voice is telling the truth? Why the blindfold? Well it wouldn't be funny if the swinger could see his target. Thus deception can be for fun.

I have heard that when a pilot flies through a storm, his senses tell him something totally different from what the instrument panel says. He has to fight against what his brain tells him to do and follow something else. His senses deceive him, they are untrustworthy. I think my feelings do the same thing to me when I try to navigate my way out of an emotional storm. They deceive and mislead me, they are totally untrustworthy.

Maybe if I share a story that happened to me recently, it will help you identify how the flesh blinds your eyes or clouds your vision.

I had just gone through a workshop where the discussion had a strange and troubling effect on me. It felt as if I had entered an emotional fog, where I couldn't see, but I could feel, and feel I did with such intensity that I wanted to cry. What was happening to me? I desperately wanted to get out of the fog before it turned into a black cloud. How could I expect to find my way out if I let my emotions guide me?

"Where are you taking me Lord?", I cried, "show me the way out; help me see the truth."

A sudden thought came to mind. Actually it was just a simple question, "What's the real issue?"

I mused on that for a while and a few things started to pop into my mind, things that I told myself were important, things I disagreed with. They all seemed like good answers, offering some issue to focus on, some possible explanation for my troubled feelings. Some made me feel angry, others made me feel justified in my anger. I would have gladly argued the point with anyone nearby. Maybe they could affirm my feelings by agreeing with me.

There was a vague sense, however, that I hadn't gotten to the truth yet. Wisdom told me to keep quiet and keep digging. So I did, until I finally uncovered the one thing that sucked the steam out of all the others. I could have easily stopped searching with any one of my earlier conclusions, but I would have still been lost in the fog. Admitting this last one swept away the fog, and I could see clearly. That's what convinced me that I had finally arrived. The real issue was a self-centered one, and my pride was written all over it, (which was another good indication that I had found the truth). The real issue was that I felt overlooked.

There, I said it. It was ugly and it was mine. I couldn't blame or push it off on anyone else now. There was no purpose in self-justification, in feeling angry, or in getting into a heated discussion about it. All that was left for me to do was confess my sin, and the confusion was gone.

Once the storm had passed, I started to see how so many things had been competing to appeal to my flesh. Where had that phrase, "appeal to my flesh," come from? I had never thought about it before, but it made perfect sense to me; explained why I always seemed to struggle but not get anywhere. I began to see how, during the storm, the flesh was appealing to me in ways that kept me from seeing the truth. My flesh had lured me into my foggy confusion, where I was easily disoriented and deceived, and it wasn't going to lead me back out. I had eagerly lined up to be blindfolded by my flesh and then trusted it to lead me out.

I think too often we assume that if we aren't indulging in promiscuity or addictions, we are not giving into the cravings of the flesh. But is that true? Doesn't that just make us more unsuspecting, unaware of being deceived? Isn't lust really just the act of wanting?

What had been appealing to my flesh? The truth shocked me. Would you believe that "feeling hurt" was appealing to my flesh? I wanted to be hurt. My flesh was attracted to feeling sorry for myself. I even got a sick sort of pleasure in self-condemnation, I liked feeling guilty. I had not expected to find that my flesh delighted in such things. I was shocked to see how enticing it was for me to entrust myself to these cravings of my flesh.

Deadly Desire

Consider Eve as an example of wanting when you already have enough. She's living in the most beautiful idyllic place ever encountered on earth. She gets her fruit right off the tree when it's at its ripest, not like the stuff we find in supermarkets today. She can satisfy her hunger any time with a divine banquet of food, and doesn't have to work for any of it. In addition, she has intimate, evening walks with God Himself, her Creator. Can you imagine that! She can ask Him anything and He can explain it to her. The best of everything is hers! How could she possibly want more?

So God had said that Adam and Eve could eat freely from any tree in the garden except for one, because they would die if they did. (Genesis 2:16-17) Adam and Eve took this so seriously that they wouldn't even touch the fruit. So what in the world would make Eve want to eat it? You'd think that she would be content enough to leave it alone, no matter how much deception Satan used.

But "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 3:6

How is it that something poisonous took on the appearance of something good and pleasant? How is it that Eve had a strong desire to taste what would bring death? The deadly became desirable. What changed? Certainly not the fruit. The difference was in how Eve looked at the tree. She saw that it was "good and delightful and desirable." She knew the deceitfulness of sin. Eve's desire turned to what she couldn't have, for what was bad for her.

Deceive: to cause to believe what is not true.

Similar expressions: trick, mislead, delude, dupe, fool, hoodwink, flim-flam, play a trick on, pull a fast one, pull someone's leg, pull the wool over someone's eyes.

Whatever you call it, can you believe that your flesh is trying to do it to you?

"lay aside the old self which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit." Ephesians 4:22

"The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; Who can understand it? I the Lord search the heart, I test the mind." Jerermiah 17:9

"for from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man." Mark 7:21-23

"But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today" lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." Hebrews 3:13 NASV

Like Eve, our eyes deceive us. Our old self is corrupted by deceitful lusts. Our heart deceives us and is hardened by the deceitfulness of sin, it is a fountain of evil. We can't hope to out smart it, to fix it, or to improve it.

How susceptible are you to being deceived? No one likes to think of himself as being gullible, but when it comes to sin, we practically line up to volunteer for it. Sucker!

I Shall not Want

When my daughter Sarah was three years old, I was helping her memorize Psalm 23:1, "The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want." Normally I would repeat the verse many times and then she was supposed to repeat it back. This time, however, she just looked at me and refused. "I don't like that," she says. What?! What do you mean, you don't like that? This is the Bible, you have to like it. Besides, you just have to memorize it to get your little crowns and finish the book, you don't have to like it.

The kid has integrity, I'll have to give her that. If she couldn't mean it, she wouldn't say it, and she definitely could not say "I shall not want". She didn't know that the old style English meant, that with the Lord as my Shepherd I shall not lack anything, I have all that I need. To a little three year old, it meant just what it sounded like and she didn't like the sound.

To be honest, I don't like the sound either. I am like a big "want" machine. All day long I think about what I want and if something gets in my way, I get angry.

Want: to feel a need for something, a longing

Similar expressions: desire, crave, wish, demand, lust

Logically, it's easy to see how the word "want" could shift from lacking to desiring. When you don't have something, you naturally want it. Though the lack of something might trigger desire, it is not the only thing that does. Have you noticed that you can have the best of everything, and still desire more? I'll tell myself that one bowl of ice cream is enough, but before I even finish the bowl, I'm already dreaming about getting more.

When is our flesh truly satisfied? Where's the shut off valve when it gets full? If I had one, I think it's broken.