“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.” — Galatians 5:16
Let’s stop for a second and notice what this verse doesn’t say.
It doesn’t say: “Deny the flesh, and then you’ll walk in the Spirit.”
Nope.
It says: walk by the Spirit, and then—you won’t carry out the desires of the flesh.
Sounds similar at first, but trust me, the difference is massive.
Religion Gets It Backwards
So many teachings—even within Christian circles—say this:
“Stop sinning. Kill the flesh. Then the Spirit will move in power in your life.”
That’s the same line the Pharisees used to push. That’s the lie Paul spent entire letters dismantling. It’s not overcome-the-flesh-then-you-get-God. It’s get God and He overcomes the flesh through you.
Trying to clean yourself up so the Spirit can come is like trying to sweep the darkness out of a room before turning on the light. It doesn’t work that way. You don’t shovel out darkness—you flip on the switch, and the light takes care of it.
In the same way, you don’t wrestle your flesh into submission and then God shows up. You trust Him first—you walk by the Spirit—and the power of the flesh loses its grip.
What’s the Key to Victory?
Here’s the real breakthrough:
Victory over the flesh doesn’t come when it disappears. It comes while it’s still kicking and screaming. You don’t wait for the flesh to settle down before you trust God—you trust God while the flesh is acting up.
You walk in the Spirit right in the middle of your temptation, your selfishness, your ugly thoughts. You don’t wait until you feel holy. You walk by faith, because His Spirit is already in you.
That’s how change happens.
“For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh…” — Romans 7:18
Paul knew his flesh had nothing good to offer. So he didn’t rely on it. He lived by the Spirit instead.
So, How Do You Deny the Flesh?
Great question—and Paul actually answered it. Not by fighting it head-on, but by walking in love.
Love is the exact opposite of the flesh. The flesh says “Me first.” Love says “You first.” The flesh is self-centered. Love is other-centered.
So when you serve others in the love of God, you’re automatically denying the flesh. It’s like putting your flesh in airplane mode—it’s there, but it can’t do much.
Leave a Reply